FALL SPORTS PREVIEW 2013: Burnet cross country
The 2013 Burnet cross-country team is Hailey Letterman (sitting, left), Jordan Boyles, Shaylah Hullum and Tara Evers; Cody Beyer (second row, left), Drew Kiser, Autumn Freasier, Abby Bullock, Jacob Brown and Jordin Belamrez; coach Natalie Shannon (standing, left), Trevor Turner, Gage Blair, Cole Lastly, Nick Menchaca, Jordan Killabrew and head coach Stuart Dixon. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
TEAM: Burnet High School cross country
HEAD COACH: Stuart Dixon
DISTRICT: 8-3A
2012 RESULT: Boys finished 6th at district meet; girls were 4th
RETURNERS: Joe Parker, Nick Menchaca, Cody Cowan, Cole Lastly, Shaylah Hullum, Autumn Freasier
NEWCOMERS: Abby Bullock, Jordan Boyles, Hailey Letterman, Drew Kiser, Trevor Turner
OUTLOOK: State-qualifer Parker enters 2013 as the Bulldogs’ top runner. But he didn’t rest on his past accomplishments. Instead, he ran on his own throughout the summer, Dixon said.
“I’m looking forward to him building on what he did last year,” he said.
But that’s not to say he’s Burnet’s only runner. Burnet will have many athletes vying for varsity spots, which should make the team even better, Dixon said. Cowan, Lastly and Menchaca return for their second year, and Dixon hopes experience pays off this season.
“I think we have a competitive team,” he said. “Once again, it comes back to those sophomores’ maturity and a couple of freshmen. They’re learning how to race on a 5K (3.2 miles) level.”
The Lady Dawgs will rely heavily on Hullum, who made the all-district track team in the 800 meters, and Freasier, who was running close to 12 minutes and almost made the all-district team, Dixon said. In addition, a strong group of freshmen should put Burnet in position to contend for a playoff berth, he said. But it will depend on how quickly they are able to drop their times while running two miles, he added.
“I’m excited about this crew because Shaylah and Autumn finished the year strong,” he said. “We have some competitive incoming ninth-graders. It’s been a while since I felt like we could put five to seven girls where we could be competitive.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com