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Cross country back at Madonna

WEIRTON — The Madonna cross country team had six more runners in 2016 than it did in 2015.

That’s because there was not a cross country team for the Blue Dons a year ago. This summer, principal Jamie Lesho and athletic director Jon Kendrick approached teacher Jeremy Eloi about forming a cross country team at the school.

“I’ve helped coach basketball before,” Eloi said, “but I’ve never been involved in cross country.”

So, with the guidance of Eloi and the assistance of Nick Cekinovich, the Madonna team was off and running.

“Going into this season, we weren’t sure what kind of team we were gong to have,” Eloi said. “Everybody showed improvement as we got out to run more often.”

The team consists of Joey Garan, Tyler Wright, Alec Cook, Christian Ridgway, Giovanni Lenhart and state-qualifier Angelo Quatrocchi.

“Angelo was in the front of the pack from Day 1 because he has experience running before,” Eloi said. “His times have gotten better and he has run faster. It’s a great accomplishment to make the state meet as a freshman.”

So, with the success of Quatrocchi and the early enthusiasm of the Blue Dons, the Madonna cross country team grew as the season went on. Eloi hopes it becomes even bigger next season.

“We had some kids come in after we got started because they heard about what we had going on,” Eloi said. “The kids enjoyed practice and they all have great energy.

“We’re hoping to get some of the current eighth graders will hope grow the program next year.”

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