Millersville cross country coach Andy Young enters his 20th season in 2025, and he's seen it all, developing some of the top distance runners in program history. Just last season, Young helped Morgan Janiuk all the way to the NCAA Championship after a runner-up finish at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship and PSAC Championship. Janiuk and former All-PSAC runner Hannah Sweda graduated, but Young and longtime assistant Akil Stokes have guided the program to back-to-back sixth-place finishes, and the expectation is that they remain in the conference's upper tier. Saturday, Sept. 6 (at Lebanon Valley's Dutchmen Invitational) will be Young's first chance to see the 2025 team against competition. It is a team that returns three PSAC top-50 finishers: Bri Pollock (20th), Marissa Mounce (42nd) and Olivia Sunderland (50th). Pollock recently ran away with a first-place finish at the annual Alumni Run 3K, showcasing her potential for a breakthrough season. Young spoke with the Millersville Athletic Communications staff after the Alumni Run, sharing his thoughts on the upcoming season. 

What have you seen from your team this preseason?
Andy Young (AY): They trained this summer. They absolutely trained hard. To a person, they are in much better shape than last season. All of them. The new athletes have started to step up right away, which is exciting to see.
 
Has there been a particular focus in these early practices?
AY: We are still trying to figure out what our team culture is all about and where we see ourselves in our conference and region. That is a process in this sport. It's different from other sports where every game matters. For us, it is the end of the season. That's what really matters and that's what we build toward.
 
What does it do for the runners on the team to have seen Morgan Janiuk run at nationals last year?
AY: I know the younger girls who watched her and trained with her every day know what it takes from week to week and month to month. The training is a grind. You have to embrace it. Those girls were such good role models for the runners who are now our juniors and seniors. The legacy they left influenced how hard these girls trained over the summer. It left a 'Hey, maybe you can make NCAAs if you train hard enough.'
 
Who has emerged to the front of the pack?
AY: Bri Pollock is the obvious one. Olivia Sunderland, wow, she's really changed from her freshman year to now and really developed as an athlete. It's so exciting to see her embrace her athleticism.
 
We saw some young athletes running at the front of the pack (at the Alumni Run).
AY: Kira Chebishev has some real talent and works hard. It will be fun to see her times. Leanne Hodgson was a bit of a surprise (in the Alumni Run). It will be exciting to see what she can do out there. The kids are all competitive and work hard, and they are fitting in well with the team right now.

You've been in the top third of the conference for a couple years now. What was the key to getting there, and what is the key to staying there?
AY: I think we just need to stay competitive, really work hard at taking care of ourselves on a day-to-day, and get to the race line as healthy as possible. That is the focus. We can't control the other teams, and there are some really good teams out there. We have zero control over what they do, so if we take care of what we can, everything will be fine.