The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Girls Cross Country Team is three meets into their season, as Head Coach Steve Brown highlights the biggest improvements that have been made so far.

Brown explains that the top two runners through the first three races are sophomore Elliotte Von Roden and junior Allie Eggleston, which were apart of the front pack last season. However, he pinpoints that the senior Ella Popp is having a breakout year after she spent the past three seasons playing volleyball for ADM. Brown illustrates that Popp is placing within the top-5 on the team, and looks at her as a pivotal asset.

“She’s turned out to just be a naturally gifted runner that’s just really adding a lot to our varsity group there. And another runner that we got back this year, who was injured for a couple of years, she went to state as a freshman and now she’s back as a senior, Alaina Nelson giving us some great leadership and she also had a really great breakout race over in Ames, so excited about that.”

Brown expresses that the entire team is making positive strides, as he refers to junior Lydia Georgick as the most improved runner. The Tigers marked 8th out of 20 teams at the Gilbert Invite in Ames this past Thursday, and will be competing in the Mike Carr Invitational, alongside the boys, tomorrow at the Ballard Golf and Country Club. The varsity girls will run at 5:10pm.