This was a strong step, a positive step. Cathedral High School girls cross country built for the future in 2024 and turned in a strong season with a young, talented roster. The future is bright for a traditionally strong program. “We really have an outstanding group and a really exciting next three years,” Brian Gross said. The Irish girls in Gross’ second season as head coach featured a slew of productive freshmen led by a senior – Addison Stanley – who provided valuable experience and leadership. “We knew we were bringing in talent, but how deep that was was surprising,” Gross said, adding of Stanley, “It was fantastic having her, her skill set and her leadership.” “A lot of it was her continuity. a lot of the stuff we were doing before she had been around,” Gross said of Stanley. “We're having fun at this level, helping the girls see what can happen the next few years and what hard work looks like. “It was very helpful to have her identify in that.” That this year would be a strong step was evident early, with the Irish performing strong in the season-opening meet at Mount Vernon. “Our freshmen stepped up in a way that I didn't anticipate,” he said. “They had a great summer.” The Irish girls finished second in the Section 17 meet at Mount Vernon with 81 points behind Franklin Central’s 17 points. Freshman Addison Field finished 11th for the Irish in 20:08.7 with freshman Adalyn Bolin finishing 13th in 20:17.5, 06:31.8, Stanley finishing 15th in 20:37.0, freshman Olivia McDaniel finishing 21st in 20:50.9, junior Mary Bradshaw finishing 23rd in 20:57.7, sophomore Lorelei Zenil finishing 34th in 21:28.0 and junior Brooklyn Bolin finishing 41st in 22:06.4. Field shone strong early after winning her first race as a jayvee runner, with Gross calling her a “very strong runner.” Gross called Bolin and McDaniel strong freshmen who “do everything right.” “The hardest part of our job for the summer was pulling them back a little bit,” Gross said. “We did our best to pull back where we thought appropriate for those younger runners getting used to a longer race and a longer season. Their wellness is the main priority and their growth. We have a lot of time. No need to rush it right now. “It was exciting to see what we were putting together. I pulled freshmen aside and said, ‘In another year, would be our No. 1 freshman, but we have an embarrassment of riches right now. Let's keep plugging at this. Let's keep working at this.’ ” Gross said the postseason meet at Mount Vernon provided valuable comparison to the early-season meet. “Not only did they get to run the same course again, but it was a lot of the same teams,” he said. “They got to see themselves get a lot faster. They sped up and just to see them establish themselves was pretty cool to see.” The Irish finished 15th in the Region 4 meet at Shelbyville. Field finished 74th in 20:31.5 with Bolin finishing 78th in 20:37.8, Stanley finishing 97th in 20:56.4, McDaniel finishing 104th in 21:07.0, Bradshaw finishing 116th in 21:28, Bolin finishing 148th in 22:01.0 and junior Camille Spencer finishing 195th in 23:14.3. “Having a mix among our squad and having variety was really helpful,” he said. “It was kind of a rotating cast after [the varsity] of people working in.” Gross said the objective moving forward is to keep a young core excited about what could be a bright future for a tradition-rich program. “It's supposed to be a fun sport,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re doing enough to keep them engaged and get them rested. We want them to get back to running when it's fun to run again. We’re thinking about this long-term. We have ambitions for the squad. “What they can do in the next few years is pretty exciting.”