A slew of new runners are leading the charge in 2019 with just one returner and plenty of excitement.

The Cyclones saw the graduation of last year's veterans, including the trio that competed at the NJCAA championship, leaving Isaiah Flores (Solorio Academy) as the lone returner. This will be the first time since 2001 that the men's team does not have a sophomore runner who ran at nationals. However, seven speedy newcomers are bringing some energy to the table.

Incoming freshmen Grant Wright (Stagg) and Suhayb Froukh (Bremen) are expected to lead the way, followed by Carlos Galvan (Argo), Nate Hackett (Tinley Park), Nick Marfoe (Tinley Park), Matt Pierce (Shepard) and Chris Santoyo (Stagg), who played soccer in high school.

A largely new team means a big learning curve as they adjust to running in a pack in 8K races instead of the 5K distance in high school. The race on Friday, Aug. 30, will be their first test.

Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas, in his fourth year leading the program, aspires for a conference championship, but he has a few other goals in mind for this squad. "I always want them to be Academic All-Americans, which is what everyone can achieve," he said. "Because they're from different high schools, I also want to see them get closer as a group, see them form friendships and connections beyond cross country."

Assistant Coach Sarah McCann is back this season, bringing with her a strengthening program to help prevent injuries. Although there are plenty of unknowns heading into the first competition, the Cyclones are working hard and pushing to see how far they can go.

"What I'm most looking forward to is the progressive growth of this team especially because there are so many new people. I will see how they act and react during the first race and how they'll mature by the end," Dimizas said.