By Clay Whittington
The Belton Journal
The Broncos and Lady Broncos are not practicing, but that does not mean they are not working.
Lake Belton’s cross country season is still more than a month away, and the team will not officially begin practicing until mid-July. Nevertheless, numerous harriers are already preparing for the program’s first race, spending hours in the sweltering sun while logging miles.
For new head coach Lisa DeHart, the offseason commitment is extremely encouraging.
“The summer is a critical time for distance runners,” she said. “It can make or break their seasons. We are assuming they will be coming in with a base mileage already established, and if they haven’t done that during the summer, they are going to be at a disadvantage.
“But I am definitely happy with the way they’ve been working on their own. We have freshmen who are going to be coming in with that mileage already built in.”
DeHart, who was an assistant coach for the team last season, awards her athletes points for participating in the school’s summer strength and conditioning program and for recording runs on the team’s website.
While plenty are taking part, among the leaders through four weeks of offseason training are junior Brody Mansfield and freshman Elizabeth Sandlin. Additionally, Anthony Garza, Robert Thomas, Jazzmynn Henson and Shreya Muni have impressed DeHart.
With the schedule set to open Aug. 16 at the annual Temple Invitational, official practices begin July 15.
Last season, paced by Muni, who was a freshman, and Chelsie Miller, who was a junior, the Lady Broncos were second, while the Broncos placed fifth at the District 22-5A meet behind then-juniors Izaiah Rodriguez (17th) and Neil Dayawansa (23rd). Muni (4th) and Miller (7th) were each among the top 10 individually in their race.
While talent will be key to the teams’ success this season, DeHart believes Lake Belton will also benefit from cohesion despite the turnover at head coach.
“I was the head tennis coach here,” she said, “so I’ve got all the organizational skills and the ability to structure the program. Then, I got to know all these kids on a personal level last year, so I’m already aware of their mentalities and their strengths.
“We’ve got kids who are leaders and who I know are going to set the example for everyone else. They will be there for the freshmen who are coming in.”
Although expectations are high for the Broncos and Lady Broncos, DeHart is confident her runners will be prepared for the challenge, and while several weeks remain before the team reports for its first practice, there is no concern surrounding how the downtime is being utilized.
“They really have the discipline to manage themselves during the summertime,” DeHart said. “I’m not out there having to beat it into them. They just know to put the mileage in.
“They know the expectations. We don’t want to peak during the summer or early in the fall.”
