NB XC team aims for growth, more numbers

Coach: Norman Nagel

Last season: Boys took 8th in Section 7AA, girls placed 9th

Players to watch: Boys’ Jordan Stumm, Andrew Witkowski, Nathanael and Joseph Damiani, Girls’ Ava Witkowski, Maria Damiani, Evelina Gilkerson, Kylie Anderson, Ruby Hanson

Outlook: Head coach Norman Nagel, who enters his fifth year coaching the North Branch boys and girls cross country team, is hopeful to get more numbers as he seeks the growth of the program as a whole. Despite the lower numbers, the Vikings have a number of runners who are worth keeping tabs on on both sides.

“The key is to stay healthy because we have low numbers on both sides. For a school our size, the numbers aren’t there.”

On the boys side, the lone senior in Jordan Stumm returns to the team after taking a year off last season, and Nagel is optimistic of Stumm earning his second state nod – his first coming in 2022 as a sophomore.

“I’m hoping to get [Stumm] back to state this year,” Nagel said. “His will is to definitely get back to that stage.”

Outside of Stumm, junior Andrew Witkowski, and a pair of sophomore brothers in Nathanael and Joseph Damiani are also a few others who Nagel will rely on the most to lead the boys team this fall.

Regarding his expectations for the group, Nagel envisions the squad finishing in the top five of the tough Mississippi 8 Conference, in addition to another top five finish in Section 7AA.

“I think they’re all going to do some real damage this year,” Nagel said. “They’ve trained hard all summer long, and have really put on a ton of miles since last season – including the girls.

On the girls side, freshman Ava Witkowski came off a stellar track season last spring, says Nagel. “She’s growing, she’s already set a personal record.”

Senior Maria Damiani, Joseph and Nathanael’s sister, will be Nagel’s second runner with Evelina Gilkerson also back into the mix this year for the Vikings at the third spot. Junior Kylie Anderson and sophomore Ruby Hanson are also a duo who ran track for Nagel last season.

In terms of expectations, Nagel notes the lack of depth, which he also notes health as a key factor moving forward.

“With all that, we’re still way ahead of last year’s team, which is awesome to see,” Nagel notes. “But, we just need to grow the program. So, we really expect to grow as athletes this season, and expect to grow the numbers in the coming years.”