Building on their success from last season, the Generals were prepared to defend their regional championships from 2013. With a new head coach for the boys’ team, and many rookie runners, the 2014 cross country team had a very different look than previous years, but was still able to prove that they were a noteworthy team in Baltimore County.

Preparation started for the team over the summer, with runners following a training program that had each of them run over 400 miles over the course of June, July, and August. This training was critical to Towson’s success this season, as it helped to prepare the runners for the rigorous workouts they would face once the season began. Faced with tough competition, the team was left with no option but to work hard. Senior Luke Bender says, “We really pushed ourselves and worked harder than any other year. And I think it really showed in our results this year compared to past years.”

Following upsets over River Hill and Dulaney at the Bull Run Invitational, the girls’ team for Towson was ranked number two in the State by the Baltimore Sun, trailing behind only McDonough. This was Towson’s highest rank in years, and it was a major accomplishment for the program. The girls’ outstanding performance this season was largely due to the contributions of first year runners Johanna Admiraal, Lauren Miller, Sydney Conboy, and Morgan Jemison. With only two varsity runners returning from last season (Isabella Chestney and Sally Mercer), the team’s success was remarkable. Despite tying Dulaney with forty points in the County Championship, the Lions took the win over Towson after a tie breaker that used running data to calculate the winner. Even after this tough loss, the girls were able to rebound, winning the 3A North Regional Championship for the second year in a row, only ten days later.

The boys’ team also had a very different look from last season, including the addition of Tim Tenne as the head coach. The only varsity runners returning from last season were Vaughn Parts, James Kavanagh, and Luke Bender. Despite these few varsity runners returning, new runners stepped up, including John Ellis, Sushant Dhurali, and Tyler Paul. Luke says, “The young runners were the biggest surprise this year, no doubt. We had two sophomores do incredible and run for the varsity team, and we even had one freshman amazingly run hard as well and made it onto the varsity team.” The plethora of new talent was vital to the boys’ success this season, with most of the varsity runners running times well under eighteen minutes. Throughout the season, the guys faced some of the best teams in Maryland including Dulaney, River Hill, and Severna Park. Facing such imposing competition helped build much resiliency for the Generals and ultimately led to their second Regional Championship in a row.

While the season typically ends after the State Championship, there was a first for the Generals this year as both the boys and girls traveled to Cary, North Carolina over the Thanksgiving break to compete in the Nike Cross National Southeast Regional meet. Being selected to compete in the nation-wide meet was a true honor for the Generals, as they were able to compete with the best teams from states in the Southeast region (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Maryland, Delaware, Tennessee).

The 2014 season was full of surprises and achievements for the Generals. With loads of young runners, the future for the Generals looks very bright and the team will likely continue its tradition of excellence for years to come.