Especially up the hill just past the two mile mark. That is probably the way that freshman Taylor Leifsen 'Moved on up' the rankings on the Panther XC team during our dual meet with Mark Morris. As a compact strong-bodied freshman destined to set records in strength endurance tests, Taylor's powerful calves propelled him up the steep hill at Round Lake, which propelled him up on the team two slots. It was so much of a surprise to Coach Terry that it warranted a call that evening to verify his performance was valid rather than an error in the results.
No, this is not a story about aliens from another planet, but rather about Megan Anderson trading in her glasses for contacts to race in. Her performance of 26:08 (holding on to a solid 8th place) on our new hilly home course most likely would have been under 24:00 on a nice flat, fast course like the week before. Megan contributed to the score by besting Mark Morris' 4th and 5th girl as the Panthers went on to capture a victory by 4 points. This race marks the first time Megan has been one of the scoring five for the Lady Panthers in an XC meet.