FRUITPORT – The Fruitport girls cross country team had some very successful moments last season.

Tatum Dykstra, who graduated in the spring, set a new school record at last year’s Portage Invitational. She posted a time of 18:42, smashing the old record of 18:59. She also qualified for the state finals and finished a very respectable 39^th.

The Trojan team also had its share of success, taking first place at the Muskegon Catholic Central Invitational and the Fremont Hill and Bale Invitational, and finishing second at the GMAA City Meet.

This year the Trojans are at a bit of a crossroads, with Dykstra gone and quite a few new faces on the roster.

The good news is that the Fruitport girls have the most runners they’ve had in a long time, including one former state qualifier. The roster is expected to include about 17 athletes.

The big question is how well the new runners develop.

“It’s one of the largest teams we’ve had in a while,” said head coach Randy Johnson, whose team will open the season on Saturday at the Muskegon Catholic Central Invitational. “It’ll be interesting to see. A lot of the girls are right around the 25-minute mark. If I can get some of them into the 22’s, we’ll be competitive.

“Some of the girls have run over summer and some have not. With that, we might get some kids who develop fast.”

Three of the runners returning from last year’s team are senior Valerie Pollock, sophomore Treasure Fleese and junior Aubrey DelaBrena.

“With Treasure and Valerie leading, you can’t ask for better,” Johnson said. “They’re just extremely nice kids and put the team first. They really have a great work ethic and leadership.”

Pollack will be trying to return to her previous form and pick up where Dykstra left off.

She qualified for the state finals as a sophomore but missed the cut last season. Johnson thinks she has what it takes to return to the finals this fall.

“She’s had some up and down years,” the coach said about Pollock. “She’s struggled with times a bit. I’m pretty sure she can make it to state this year, but we just have to keep her healthy.”

When asked about his new runners this season, Coach Johnson mentioned sophomores Zoe German, Sophie Christopher, Genevieve Franklin, Brynley Merkins and freshman Peyhton Beardsley.

“It’s fun,” he said about the group of new athletes. “It’s a whole new dynamic when you have so many kids who are new. It makes the atmosphere totally different.

“I have to explain myself more thoroughly to them. Sometimes you rely on routines from the year before, and these kids have no idea. It’s fun to watch them all develop as runners, though.”

While Johnson is unsure what to expect from his team, he’s hopeful to have a strong season, which would include another strong finish at the city meet.

“Western Michigan Christian will probably run away with it,” he said about the GMAA competition. “I haven’t really looked beyond that, but I think we’re capable of being top three.”