BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The inaugural Northeast Mississippi Community College men's and women's cross country teams will feature a collection of homegrown talent.
Each roster is solely made up of racers from inside Northeast's traditional five-county service area of Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo and Union counties.
"I'm excited about the athletes that we have here on campus," said Northeast head coach Aaron Hight. "All of them are working hard. They're not skipping out on workouts and doing what they're supposed to do. They're excited and motivated."
Preparations started in earnest over the summer as some members of both programs ran on Saturday mornings with the Lunatic Fringe, which is an interactive running community based in Corinth.
There is a difference between racing on paved roads and the grassy or dirt trails, but Hight is not concerned with that transition. He also believes his competitors can overcome the increase in the distance of collegiate meets.
"Most of our runners are already course ready," Hight said. "Jumping from the 5K to the 8K is their big thing. You wouldn't think it's a big jump, but it really is when you go from 3.1 miles to essentially right at five miles. We've had a lot of dialogue about that."
The Tigers are getting a boost from a pair of transfers from in-state four-year institutions in Dawson Boyd and Sam Lamy. They suited up as freshmen for Blue Mountain Christian University and Millsaps College, respectively.
Boyd (New Albany) was a part of the Toppers' track and field program as well. Lamy (Wheeler) posted a season-best 32:18.3 in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Championship last fall with the Majors.
Northeast boasts four former Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) state title winners in Adam Galloway (West Union), Briley Lesley (East Union), Ethan Nelms (Corinth) and Eva Null (Kossuth).
Galloway, Nelms and Null are multi-time champions. Lesley, who is an excellent pole vaulter with a Class 2A record 10-foot leap, secured her lone title during her junior campaign at 21:52.86.
Null bookended her prep career with Class 3A championships. She placed eighth as a freshman with a time of 21:37.8 before claiming individual state runner-up accolades in her final outing at Choctaw Trails.
Galloway finished identically at 16th in back-to-back Class 1A meets on the campus of Mississippi College beginning with his junior season. However, he improved his time by over a minute to 19:06.3 as a senior.
Reagan George (Thrasher) and Ellie Pellizzer (Alcorn Central) were three-sport standouts for their schools. Neely Rorie (Alcorn Central) participated in four, including archery, basketball, cross country and track.
Rounding out the lineup for the Tigers is Austin Harrell (Tishomingo County) and Isaac Vega (New Albany). That brings the total number of representatives for Northeast in its first year to 11.
"It's fun to be a part of their journey," said Hight. "It's exciting to see their development not just from the runner side, but the mentality and professional side. They have to be consistent in their training. I want to see where these kids go."
The Lady Tigers and Tigers will match up against some of the top racers from all levels during its regular season schedule, including teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
It all culminates in late October when Northeast contends for berths to nationals at the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Championship in Huntsville, Ala., at John Hunt Park.