James Jay, cross country runner and junior, runs in the Zionsville preseason meet. Coach Altevogt said that the team is in a really good position to be a top team in the state this year.

The men’s cross-country team will compete in the Eagle Classic in Noblesville, on Sept. 11. The annual MIC championship will be on Sept. 25, and the Sectional is scheduled for Oct. 9.

James Jay, cross-country runner and junior, said he has been putting all his strength and effort in the preseason to make the work pay off in the regular season and postseason.

“The preseason starts about a week after school gets out for the summer, so I went to practice almost every day during the summer to stay in shape,” he said.

Jay, who is just coming off of an injury, said, “I have run in two meets and have done well considering my injury. I’m hoping to get back to where I was sophomore year.”

Head Coach Colin Altevogt said he is happy with the results of the start of the season.

“We’ve started off really well,” he said. “We’ve had a ton of improvement among so many of our boys, and I think we’re in a really good position to be a top team in the state this season.”

Altevogt said he is trying to simulate pressure in meets into practices.

“With some of our guys, we’re getting to our highest levels of training to work those energy systems ready for our most important races. For the varsity guys who are likely to run in the state meet, we’re keeping our number of miles running high and transitioning to run fast on the grass,” Altevogt said.