Last season, the Calvary Lutheran boys cross country team qualified for the state championship meet for the first time.
The Lions proved they weren't satisfied just to be there, either, leaving with a third-place trophy.
That same drive and determination remains heading into the 2020 season.
"The boys are motivated," Calvary Lutheran cross country coach Kerri Morris said, "and I think they've done the work and they are going to continue to do that and hopefully the outcome is there for them come October and November."
The girls will hope to reach the state meet for the first time since 2017, when the Lady Lions finished 12th.
The Calvary Lutheran girls team is made up of three returning runners, an incoming freshman and a sophomore newcomer.
Rebecca Schatte is one of two seniors for the Lady Lions. She's coming off a 19th-place finish in the Class 1 District 4 meet last season.
"I anticipate her to have a strong year," Morris said.
Fellow senior Baileigh Morris was a top-10 runner at the district meet last season and is working toward a strong finish to her high school career. She'll enter the season at the team's No. 2 runner.
"She put a lot of miles in this summer," Kerri Morris said.
The top returner for the girls is Maddie Homfeldt, who earned all-state honors as a freshman with a 14th-place finish at state.
"Obviously Maddie is our standout," Morris said. "Who knows what she would have done had we had a track season, but she's in great shape. She looks really good in practice."
New to the team are sophomore Madelyn Goodson and freshman Sydney Morris.
The boys team is led by four seniors: Cole Going, Grant Going, Isaiah Barg and Josh Thieme.
"Cole has actually looked as ready as he ever has," Morris said. "He's just showing a lot of drive this year."
Entering the season, sophomore Kyle Hagemeyer is the No. 1 runner for the Lions after placing 15th at the state meet last season.
"He'a matured even more," Morris said. "He's just got a level of competitiveness to him. He's kind of driven some of the others up in their work ethic. They're putting in the extra miles. They're working hard."
Already showing varsity capabilities is freshman Jaxson Jobe.
"He's relatively new to cross country," Morris said. "He's showed some talent. He's competitive."
Rounding out the varsity team is junior Lars Marion.
There could be quite a bit of a rotation at the back end of the varsity squad, Morris said. Alex Roettgen ran varsity last season as a sophomore and will be in the running to compete at that level again. Matthew Johnson, a sophomore, will also battle for a varsity spot.
The season begins today at the New Haven Invitational.
Calvary's home meet will be Oct. 3 at Binder Park.
"Those kids are just hungry to be out there competing," Morris said. "They've missed it. They want to be out there."