Walnut, Calif. — After finishing third at the 2024 3C2A State Championships, the Mt. SAC Women's Cross Country Team is entering the 2025 season with something to prove — and the mindset to make it happen. With a strong mix of returning talent and promising freshmen, Head Coach Gio Lanaro believes this group has all the ingredients to compete at the highest level.
"Our team captain, Sophia Ebiner, is leading the way — and she's doing a great job," Lanaro said. "Right now, it's pretty even between sophomores and freshmen in that top group, and the sophomores are doing an excellent job shaping the culture. What's exciting is that you can really tell the whole group is buying into what we are building."
Their connection is already evident. Whether during warmups or mid-workout, the women are moving together as a unit. "They're always running together, and it's been fun to watch their progress over the last few weeks," Lanaro added. "This group is really starting to click."
For Lanaro, culture isn't a side note — it's the core of the program. "Cross country is different from other sports. You can't have an outlier. Everyone has to be committed — not just to the training, but to each other," he said. "You need seven girls who are ready to go to battle for one another. If someone isn't fully in, the whole thing can fall apart."
While coaches play a role, Lanaro emphasizes that it's the athletes who shape the team's identity. "We help guide it, but they're the ones building that culture every day," he said. "And I feel like this group is coming together. There's still work to be done — because you can be really good in August, but what matters is what you look like in November. It's our job to keep them locked in through the whole season."
Physically, this year's women's squad is showing exactly the kind of toughness Lanaro looks for. "Just the other day, we had one girl pushing the pace hard — and the two right behind her were hurting, but they didn't let up," he recalled. "They weren't going to get left behind. That's the kind of grit you need. They're not afraid to hurt — and in cross country, that's everything. You have to be willing to get uncomfortable."
Mentally, they're just as strong. "To push yourself that far physically, you have to be mentally tough too," Lanaro explained. "And they are. They want to be great, and they're pushing each other every day to get there."
With a roster of just around 20 runners, the women's team operates with a tighter dynamic than the men's squad of nearly 60. "It's easier for a smaller group to bond quickly," Lanaro said. "And I think we're getting close to finding our top eight. As long as we've got those eight ready to go — on both the men's and women's sides — we'll be in a good place for the season."
Though last year's finish was short of the team's three-year title streak, the tradition and standard of success remain the same. "The goal is always to come home from state with a trophy — that's never changed," Lanaro said. "It's been that way since I was an athlete here. Yes, we were spoiled winning state three years in a row, but getting a trophy — whether it's first, second, or third — still means you did your job. If we're one of those three teams at the end, I'll be proud of this group."
The Mounties begin their 2025 campaign on Saturday, August 30, at the Mark Covert Classic, hosted by Cal State Fullerton at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea, CA.
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