After taking 15th overall at the Missouri Class 5 State Championships last season, the Lindbergh girls cross country team is determined to get back to state in 2021.

“We’ve got a good group coming back that’s done a good job at running over the Summer,” Lindbergh head coach Bryan Hilton said. “They’ve got a good vibe and I’m really excited about it.”

Lindbergh’s top returning runner from the 2020 campaign is junior Maria Eckrich, who took 35th overall at last year’s state championship.

“Maria is really committed to whatever it is that she does,” Hilton said. “If she continues to improve, I expect her to be a leader of this team on and off the course.”

Also providing some key leadership on and off the course this season will be senior Catherine Adams, who also competed at state last season and took 142nd overall.

“Catherine is a consistent runner and a real competitor,” Hilton said. “She’s the kind of person that is always going to show up for her team because she’s always concerned about the team being successful.”

The sophomore duo of Taylor Forbes and Claire Warren will provide a 1-2 punch for the Flyers after both competing at state in 2020.

“Taylor brings a lot of energy to the team with her being a fierce competitor who’s steadily improved throughout the year,” Hilton said. “Claire was our fastest freshman on the team at state and ran really well for us.”

Junior Lizzie Jackson is another runner that has shown improvement since the 2020 campaign and Hilton believes that she will continue to be a key to the Flyers success this season.

“Lizzie keeps making huge strides since last season,” Hilton said. “I expect her to continue to improve and be incredibly dependable in our lineup.”

Seniors Lucy Lorenz, Corinne Fox, Shua Jeon, Lauren VanCardo, Kiley Arling, Edie Lievetreu and Sophia Unzicker will also be key pieces to the puzzle of success for 2021.

“They’re a really good group of kids that are just great to have on the team,” Hilton said. “Our seniors will be the foundation of the program this year.”

The Flyers start the 2021 season at Jackson  Aug. 28.