Putting on the miles through runs in the sweltering heat, 6 a.m. practices and offroad treks have helped the Panther cross country teams get ready for what should be an exciting season.

On the girls’ side, the Panthers return nearly all its roster from a team that finished sixth at the state meet last year.

Powell’s top returner, sophomore Kinley Cooley finished in 20th last year at the state meet. 

Another sophomore expects to be at the top for the Panthers, Jordan Black finished third on the team last year and took 27th overall at the state meet.

Junior Brynn Hillman was the fourth runner for the Panthers last year, after she came in 41st place at the state meet.

Sophomore Salem Brown was the final scoring runner for the Panthers at state last year, finishing in 61st.

Junior Gracie Wolff also advanced to the state meet, finishing as the seventh runner for the Panthers in 82nd place.

“They put in the work over the summer and I really think that they have a shot at a trophy this year,” Panthers cross country coach Ashley Hildebrand said. “If we can keep everybody healthy I think they should have a really good season.”

In addition to those returners, the Panthers have added two new, but familiar faces to the roster this year.

The Panthers will get senior leadership this year from Megan Jacobsen, who made the switch over from volleyball to cross country.

Powell also received another strong runner in Megan’s younger sister, sophomore Kenna Jacobsen, who also made the switch over from volleyball.

“I think they will definitely make an impact,” Hildebrand said. 

Both Jacobsens are not new to distance running, as both participate on the distance team for the Panther track team in the spring.

On the boys side it will be a strong mix of youth and experience this season.

The top returner for the boys will be senior Daniel Merritt, who looks to take one additional step his final season to make the top 10 after finishing 13th last year.

Hildebrand said that Merritt has seen renewed confidence in recent months after he broke the school record in the mile during track.

“I look for him to get top 10 at least,” Hildebrand said. “I think that he will make some noise for sure, he put in the work this summer and he is getting stronger and faster.”

Behind Merritt will be an interesting mix of Panthers, with junior Breckin Streeter, seniors Kyle North and Justin Hobbs alongside sophomore Liam Taylor returning on the varsity team.

“It will be interesting to see how things start to shake out,” Hildebrand said. “We have a lot of talented kids and I am happy with some of our new runners that have come out.”

Another athlete expected to be in the mix for Powell this fall will be Korbyn Warren, an incoming freshman who ran the mile under 5:00 in the spring for the middle school track team.

The season kicks off in Montana this weekend, with the Panthers heading to Billings to take part in an invitational on Friday.

“The first meet is a really big meet, and that is one reason I love it,” Hildebrand said. “That will give us a really good idea of where these kids stand out individually.”