Good chemistry

Plymouth girls cross country team works hard together to ensure future success

  Plymouth's girls cross country team is ready to let the good times roll -- both on the trails and off.
  Despite the departure of standouts Beth Heldmeyer and Molly Slavens, the Wildcats are looking forward to a stellar season thanks to a wealth of returning talent and an A-plus level of team chemistry.
  "I really like this team," said senior captain Kelly Hahn, who turned in a personal-best time of 19:12 as a junior. "We have a lot of girls who are stepping up and everybody gets along. We're going to miss Molly and Beth, but I think we have some younger girls who can helped fill the loss."
  The Wildcats came within an eyelash of qualifying for the Division 1 state meet the past two seasons, missing the cut last year by a mere three points. Their chances of breaking the close-but-no-state-meet string are increased thanks to the presence of runners like Hahn and junior Nicole Traitses, who went to the state meet last year along with Slavens.
  "Last year, a lot of people said we were the team to beat in the division, but this year is supposed to be more of a rebuilding year," said Plymouth coach Mary Kerwin. "People can say this or that, but the key is for the girls to just do the best they can and have fun. That's what's important.
"We have a lot of good senior leadership on this team and we have some freshmen who show a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to the season."
  The Wildcats had a productive off-season, according to senior captain Kelsey Reineri.
"During the summer, we'd have one group meet in the morning and one meet at night," said Reineri. "We had good turnouts. I like this team because we're all friends and there's a lot of team bonding."
  "People aren't expecting us to do real well this season," added captain Elise Chagas, "but I think we might surprise some people."
  Along with Hahn and Traistses, Kerwin is expecting big things from Julie Forster, Paula Green and Britta Swanson.
"Our six and seven spots are still up for grabs," she said last week.
  Also in the battle for varsity spots are Julie Hahn, the younger sister if Kelly; Lyndsey and Elyse Gryniewicz; Constadina Manettas and Mary McSween.

Ed Wright can be reached at info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.