For more than 10 years, when high school athletes from Elgin schools competed in NSAA sports, they did so as the Wolfpack.
That’s going to change this fall as just one school will be competing this fall in a new sport – cross country.
Elgin Public Schools (EPS) will field a cross country team this fall, consisting solely of students from the school.
Earlier this month, Pope John Principal Lisa Schumacher told The Elgin Review that the school’s governing board “voted not to add cross country to the Wolfpack co-op at this time.”
At the present time, she said there is a low number of interested students (at Pope John). The board noted, prior to voting, that there would be the added cost of an additional coaching position and activity fees associated with adding the sport.
“While not closed to revisiting cross country in the future, we did not feel that it was the right time to pursue this opportunity.”
EPS Superintendent Mike Brockhaus said last week the school will move forward with creating a cross country program. Coaching the team will be EPS instructor Tiffany Moser who served this spring as an assistant coach on the Wolfpack track team.
Brockhaus said Pope John would be welcome to participate in future years if they are interested.
The EPS Board of Education voted unanimously to add cross country at their March 2022 meeting. At the time, board member Todd Heithoff said the sport would provide an opportunity for student-athletes not wanting to compete in football or volleyball.
A survey taken before the March meeting showed 12 students were interested in the sport.
Teams can compete in as many as nine meets during the regular season before attempting to qualify for state at district competition.
The state cross country meet is held in October at Kearney.
Among Niobrara Valley Conference schools who field cross country teams are Neligh-Oakdale, CWC, Stuart, West Holt, Elkhorn Valley, North Central, Summerland and Niobrara-Verdigre.
