Rams girls look for 11-peat

TALKEETNA -- The Susitna Valley girls' cross- country squad has created quite the dynasty.

For the past decade the Rams have taken home the region title each season.

This season Su Valley will stride toward its 11th- straight region crown. The Rams are also looking for their second straight 1A-2A-3A state title.

Su Valley has finished in the top two in the final event for the past three seasons.

To defend their state and region title, the Rams will have virtually the same team they had last season. Returning are the team's top seven athletes including three of the top nine performers in the 2002 state final race.

"We're looking good," Su Valley head coach Jane Buskirk said. "We have everyone back."

Leading the list of veterans are seniors Melissa

Ostermick and Tazlina

Mannix.

Mannix placed second in state, while Ostermick finished sixth.

The Rams also have a strong corps of youth, led by sophomores Jenny Thompson and Krystal Moore.

Thompson finished ninth in state as a freshman and Moore placed 13th.

Also returning from last year's state championship team are juniors Ayla Dolecki and Deseree Besgrove.

"Everyone came in stronger than years past," Buskirk said.

New to the squad are sophomore Kayti Krepel and freshman Hannah Hamler.

"Kayti ran track and came out and decided to give cross-country a try," Buskirk said. "She is a welcome addition."

Buskirk added that Krepel and Hamler have impressed early on in practice. She said that both have been running with the veterans and could suprise this year.

Completing the team is Willow Grotz, who competed on the Ram junior varsity squad last season, and has impressed coaches thus far.

The Ram boys' squad is building to return to the level of the girls' team, a level it once was at.

"Until a couple years ago we had a streak going like the girls do now," boys' head coach Larry Buskirk said.

Last season the Rams had a small and young team and failed to qualify for the state championships. Su Valley finished third in regionals.

Once again the Rams will have to fare with a small squad.

Su Valley will look to get positive results from a trio of veterans.

Seniors Nico Ambrose and John Hammond and sophomore Boone Howard should lead the Rams this season.

New to the squad is Cyrus Bee and Travis Clark.

Bee is familiar to most Su Valley fans as a member of the Ram boys' basketball team. Clark enters his freshman season after a successful junior high running career, which included a third-place finish in the borough championships as an eighth

grader.

Buskirk said that Bee and Clark both fared well in a time trial that Su Valley hosted with Palmer.

Rounding out the Ram squad is Dylan Lilly.

"The boys are real excited," Buskirk said. "They felt bad because they

didn't go to state last year. Their fitness level is way ahead or what it is normally this time of year."

The Su Valley squads competed in their first meet of the year Saturday at the Bartlett Relays. Next week the Rams travel to Skyview and have meets at Seward, Palmer and Colony later in the season.

The state championships are scheduled for Sept. 27 at the Michael Janecek Running Trails at Palmer High School.