DARLINGTON — In 2021, the Redbirds finished second in the SWAL and fourth at sectionals for both the boys and girls cross country teams. A slew of runners graduated, including top-end talent like Rhett Reuter and Ethan Thompson on the boys side, and Judith Meister and Allyson Meyers on the girls end. All four were all-conference and were state qualifiers.

However, as the program has developed in the 41 years under head coach Arnie Miehe, Darlington’s cross country teams don’t rebuild — they simply reloads.

“We have a mix of experienced runners returning along with a group of new runners who have the potential to be a part of the varsity and have an impact on the team. How we mesh and challenge each other will be a key factor to our success,” Miehe said.

The girls team is underclassmen-heavy, with all-conference junior runners Alexis Murray and Raquel Reuter leading the way. Reuter was a medalist at state in 2020, finishing ninth, then took 36th last fall. She’s also been the team MVP in back-to-back seasons as a freshman and sophomore. Addison DePauw, Shayla Gould and Stella McGowan are also letterwinners returning. Eight others from the program return, while another eight freshmen join in, too.

“Our conference will be strong with defending state champion Boscobel returning 5 of their top 7 runners from a year ago and Albany returning a group of talented runners. Those teams will be joined by powerhouse Lancaster at the sectional meet which will make qualifying for state a difficult task,” Miehe said. “We hope to be in the thick of things at the conference and sectional meet. In order to do that we will have to have everyone pull together and be all in. We will have to make improvements throughout the year and not put a limit on what we can do. Strong leadership from our upperclassmen is crucial.”

On the boys side, George West is the team’s most accomplished runner. He’s been all-conference three times and is a two-time state qualifier and the team’s 2020 MVP. He’ll be flanked by returning lettermen Jason Martinez, Gerson Soto, Ethan Aird, Liam Lansing and Philip McGowan. Lansing was an alternate on the 2020 state team, and Aird is a two-time letterman and ran to all-conference honors in 2021.

Six others return to the program from last year, while five freshmen join the fray.

“We are lacking depth and so we need to have guys step up and fill positions for us to be in the hunt at the conference and sectional meet. We want to be competitive at the conference and sectional level and in order to do that we will have to keep the gap between our first and fifth runners at a minimum. We have a group of runners who are running with a high level of purpose and dedication,” Miehe said. “Boscobel, Albany, and Iowa Grant return the majority of their varsity teams from a year ago to make the conference meet tough. I have been impressed with our work ethic and dedication this summer. Getting everyone to believe in themselves and run at a higher level will be key factors in our pursuit of success this year.”