South, Sheldon have experience gap.

Byline: Chris Hansen The Register-Guard

In some ways, there will be a new feel to the Southwest Conference girls cross country season this fall.

SWC CROSS COUNTRY

Gone is state champion Casey Masterson of Sheldon, who dominated the league last season, and her absence has opened up all sorts of opportunities for a handful of athletes previously lost in her shadow.

And yet, at South Eugene, the look remains remarkably the same, with four runners back who scored points for the Axemen in their third-place finish at the 2006 state meet.

Seniors Alayna Oleksa and Whitney Pitman, and juniors Brookie Wilson and Lauren Graebner lead a South squad with big expectations this season.

"Our strength is in our depth," Axemen coach Jeff Hess said. "There is no Casey Masterson on our team, but we have girls with talent and girls who should be in the front group no matter where they go this year."

Oleksa was South's top performer at the state meet last season, finishing in 20th place. Pitman was right behind her in the 25th spot.

"They are both looking strong," Hess said.

Graebner was 50th, while Wilson, South's No. 1 runner all season, fought through an illness to finish in 46th place.

"Brookie has been nursing some sore knees, so she's gotten off to a bit of a slow start, but she'll be fine once we get going," Hess said.

The Axemen have a group of 12 freshmen, including Nora Wilson, who Hess said has broken into the team's top seven. Also, South has sophomore Meredith DeHaas back; she competed regularly last season.

But the backbone of the team remains those returning state scorers.

"Absolutely," Hess said. "The leadership is as good as I could hope for. The expectations are higher for me, and the girls themselves, this year."

Sheldon finished sixth at state last season but returns not a single runner who competed at that meet.

"It's a new challenge," Sheldon coach Chris Yorges said. "But it's also a lot of fun to have a new group of runners. It's fun to help people be able to develop."

The Irish only have one senior while a pair of freshmen and sophomores make up the core group of runners.

"It's been quite a while since we didn't have some experience," Yorges said.

"We've always had strong senior and junior runners with established careers. So this group is really looking towards each other for motivation and encouragement."

South Medford's Piper Delaney is the top returner from the district meet and was 27th at state. Delaney also was the runner-up to Masterson at the '07 district track and field meet in the 3,000 and 1,500 meters. Her teammate, Kelsey Bradshaw, who was 26th at state, is also back.

The South Eugene boys, much like the Axemen girls, return a core group of runners who have their sights set on bettering their sixth-place finish from the '06 state meet.

"They are focused and driven and have high goals this season, and there's no reason to believe they won't be achieved," Hess said.

Leading the way are seniors Ryan Graebner, Walter Augustyniak and Zach Schneider-Lynch, and juniors Eamonn Kerr-Daly and Sammy Kirtner.

Graebner, Kerr-Daly and Augustyniak all scored at the state meet last season, while Kirtner and Schneider-Lynch also ran in the meet.

The hard-working Kirtner has been the story of the fall so far, especially after winning his first race by 20 seconds.

"That's very significant," Hess said. "He's really seeing the fruits of his labor."

The Axemen will be looking to dethrone North Medford, the defending district champion and fourth-place finisher at state last season. The Black Tornado return much of their '06 team, including district champion Josh Paul.

At Sheldon, the boys lost their only state qualifier in Jared Herr.

"Most of our current varsity team does not have varsity experience," Yorges said. "Geoff Moore, our senior, is the only one with significant varsity experience."

The Irish will also rely on two juniors and what Yorges deemed a strong sophomore class.

"We'll probably be the most improved team from the start of the season to the end," Yorges said. "But it's going to be a tough road to get there."