Last fall, Hawken’s boys’ cross country team surprised its Chagrin Valley Conference opponents by winning the league title then advancing to the Division II regional meet.
The Hawks hope to repeat as league champions this season with a deeper run into the postseason.
“We peaked at the right time last year and really surprised some teams by finishing ninth at regionals,” said Hawken fifth-year coach Joel Rabe. “Repeating as CVC champions and qualifying to regionals again as a team are two of our fundamental goals. Beyond that, we hope to challenge for a district championship and advance to states as a team.”
Those goals are realistic considering the talent experience the Hawks return this year.
“We have a veteran team this year with five seniors and three juniors in the varsity mix,” Rabe said. “The leadership the seniors provided over the summer was key and the team has come into the season ready to work and compete. The collective summer mileage base is the largest it’s been in my tenure and I’m excited to see what we can build on that foundation. We have a lot of depth this year and hope to see 10-plus guys run under 18:00.”
Junior Michael Snyder finished 34th at the regional meet last season and is one of the Hawks’ top individual runners.
“Michael is just a natural athlete,” Rabe said. “He’s on the varsity basketball team and is coming off of a state appearance in the high jump during track last spring. He put in a lot of work this summer and is poised to step up to the next level of running with the elite area runners this fall. He will be a true frontrunner for the team this year.”
Sophomore Carlos Botella returns after placing 59th at regionals.
“Carlos finished sixth among freshmen who ran at regionals last fall and had a strong track season this past spring,” Rabe said. “He battled some knee issues last summer that prevented him from running a lot coming into the season, but this summer he was healthy and really put in the work. His form and running efficiency in particular have improved after working specifically on them over the summer.”
Hawken’s senior class, which includes JP Hlifka, a four-year varsity runner, David Gold, Andrew Griffin and Mills Moosbrugger, has stepped up to lead the way for the younger runners.
“This senior class has been incredible in their leadership throughout the last four years and is responsible for creating the culture that has elevated Hawken boys cross country to a new competitive level in the last four years,” Rabe said.
Hlifka finished 78th at regionals while Gold was 87th and Griffin finished 125th.
“Andrew is an example of one of those kids who gets every ounce of athletic achievement out of the body he was given,” Rabe said. “His work ethic and attitude are an inspiration to the team and keep everyone working hard.”
Moosbrugger began running cross country last season and also ran the 200, 400 and 800-meter races for the track team.
“Mills had to learn how to conserve energy for the critical zone in a 5K and really came on at the end of last season,” Rabe said. “This year, he ran over 250 miles this summer to prepare for the season and it shows. I expect him to put some serious pressure on the top guys to keep improving unless they want to watch him running by them.”
Junior Spencer Berlin also is expected to make a key contribution to the team this fall.
“I’m excited to see what Spencer can achieve this year,” Rabe said. “He caught the running bug after last season and ran 250-plus miles this summer to prepare for the season. I expect him to take a big step forward and challenge to be in the top 5.”
To achieve their goals, the Hawks will have to continue to work hard, stay healthy and focus on running strategic races this fall.
“We have to stay focused and trust the process,” Rabe said. “We altered our traditional meet schedule this season to run in some more competitive races on more challenging courses. If everything goes right, these changes should help us be more competitive at the right time at the end of the season, but we have to be mentally prepared for the season to feel a little different than it has in the past. All in all, the team is really excited for the season and I think they are ready to set a new standard for the program moving forward.”
