Ely’s cross country teams are in a strong position heading into a new season.
On the girls’ side, the Timberwolves return not one but two state participants in junior Molly Brophy and Mattie Lindsay, while the Ely boys bring back three of their top-five section finishers from 2024.
That should bode well as the Wolves open the season Wednesday, at the Rock Ridge Invitational.
Brophy has qualified for state in four straight years and had her best finish - 35th overall - a year ago.
She also took fourth in Section 7A, while Lindsay was 11th in the section and 62nd in her debut at state.
They will combine to lead an Ely girls team that is looking to move up after placing fourth in the section in 2024. “Molly really looks good right now,” said Ely head coach Jayne Dusich. “She’s ahead of where she was last year coming in. And Mattie has been running this summer and will be in good shape.”
Freshman Katy Brophy (26th in 7A last year) as well as senior Elsa Ellerbroek and junior Isabella Macho all return from the Wolves’ section team.
Senior Molly Lindsay, junior Lillie O’Neil, sophomore Lucy Dunn, and freshmen Payson Kundinger and Kelsie O’Neil all add to the Wolves’ depth.
The Ely boys must retool a bit after the graduation of Caid Chittum, who was third in the section a year ago and a multiple-time qualifier for state.
The top returning athlete for the Ely boys is junior Brooks Brenny, who placed 26th in the section last season.“ We have a lot of boys returning,” said Dusich.
That list also includes junior Mason Kurnava and senior Otto Devine, who both contributed to Ely’s fourth place team finish in 7A.
Dusich also pointed to juniors Oliver Hohenstein and Aksel Skustad, sophomores Wyatt Devine and Blake Houde, and freshman Grady Anderson among the many potential contributors to the varsity boys lineup.
The season-opening event at the Virginia Golf Course could answer some questions.
“You never know when somebody will surprise you,” said Dusich, who has led the program since its inception in the late-1990s. “I don’t really care time-wise, but it’s kind of interesting to see where they fit in. It also wakes them up a bit for practice and may give them some motivation.”
The schedule includes a Sept. 30 meet at Ely, with section competition slated for late-October.
Overall, Ely has 24 boys participants in grades 7-12, and 13 girls.
