Lansing cross country aims high under new head coach

Since 2016, Lansing cross country had been led by Becca Lovenheim. Under her guidance, the Bobcats have become one of the premier running programs in the area. With Lovenheim leaving her post last spring to take over the cross country and outdoor track and field programs at Ithaca High School, the Bobcats have a new head coach for the 2024 season.

Mia Cote takes charge of both teams. Cote is heavily involved in the school in just her second year in Lansing. Not only is she a health and physical education teacher at the middle school, she also coaches club volleyball and modified outdoor track and field. When she came across this new opening, it was Lovenheim who convinced her to take the job.

“I remember seeing a job posting for cross country, and I talked to Coach Becca through email and on the phone about if this was a great opportunity for me,” Cote said. “All she had to say was great things about the kids and the team, how supportive the parents are, how the seniors would be very helpful with me and be very supportive. Now that I have [volunteer assistant coach] Teresa [Garcia]—who also went through the program [during] her high school years—[she] has been supportive, as well. It was kind of a no-brainer.”

Another reason why Cote decided to coach cross country was the opportunity to coach a new sport to her. She comes from a strong swimming background, winning five sectional titles in high school at Glens Falls before competing at the Division I level for two schools in college (St. Bonaventure University and East Carolina University). Still in the early stages of learning cross country, Cote has already found some common ground between the two sports.

“Swimming and running are somewhat similar when it comes to tapering and training,” Cote said. “I would say the hardest part is figuring out workouts, because swimming has less impact on the body, while runners are always having that impact on the ground. But that’s why I have Coach Teresa. She leads great workouts and knows what she’s doing.”

Cote has had plenty of other support to help her adjust to her new role.

“I talked to my swimming coach from high school because I was really nervous going into it,” Cote said. “He was like, ‘Don’t be nervous. If you know how to coach one sport, you know how to coach another.’ And it’s just kind of transitioning coaching philosophy, coaching tactics and strategies over through a different sport. I read a lot about cross country over the summer. I started researching the sport so I could be prepared. I’ve had an immense amount of support from the captains… The experience they have when they started freshman year to now has really helped me kind of develop the program that we’re doing this season.”

The boys team captains this season are senior Hunter Kozlowski and junior Troy Moody, while the girls team are captained by seniors Kathleen Sullivan and Kelly Miller. Cote lauded Sullivan and Miller for their immense leadership.

“Kelly and Kathleen are very tight with each other,” Cote said. “Right from the first day of practice, I remember I did my little team meeting and then they knew what to do, because I was like, ‘What do you guys do for a warm-up?’ I can always count on them. As a teacher, I do get up to practice late unfortunately, and Kathleen and Kelly know to start warm-ups right at 3:15 p.m.. They’re very reliable. When I sent out a Google Form for nominating captains, those two were the number one picks across the board.”

Performance-wise for the girls team, Sullivan has gotten off to a strong start, coming out on top in their season-opening meet at Trumansburg. She finished runner-up at both IACs and sectionals last year. Evelyn Jackson finished right behind Sullivan at both postseason meets in third place as she looks to build off those strong outings in her junior year.

For the boys team, it’s no surprise that Trent Thibault will lead the pack once again. The junior claimed the Section IV Class C title last year to go along with a runner-finish at IACs. 

“I was mind blown by how fast he was,” Cote said. “It’s great because you see some kids let their ego get to their head and their speed and, and Trent is the total opposite of that. He’s fast, but he’s also supportive of his teammates. He gets in on teammate stretches and sometimes leads them. He’s honestly just an overall great guy who is focused on the sport, but also cares about the team and makes sure that he’s putting the team before himself.”

The Bobcats have their sights set high this season. The boys team aims for a top-three finish at IACs and sectionals, while the girls team is gunning for an IAC Championship. With their strong combination of talent and leadership, the Bobcats are primed to have another successful campaign.