With the 2023 season underway, the Oakville girls cross country team has a few returning faces, as well as a new teammate all the way from the European Union.

“We are off to a good start,” Tigers head coach Kelsey Tunze said. “We have a pretty new team and we’ve gained some good freshman, as well as an exchange student from Italy, which is very exciting.”

Senior Maria Parisi returns for the 2023 campaign and is focused on having a memorable season.

“She’ll be pretty good for us this year,” Tunze said. “We need to get her healthy because I know that she wants to have a good senior season.”

Another senior to watch this year is Sydney Baker, who’s a three-sport athlete for the Tigers.

“She’s by far the best athlete overall that we have on the team,” Tunze said. “She’s a very good role model for the team.”

Lucy Caira is another senior on this year’s squad that will serve a key leadership role in the Tiger’s success this season.

“Lucy is really looking forward to her senior year,” Tunze said. “All of the girls on the team look up to her as a leader.”

The fourth senior to return in this year’s lineup is Samantha Wetteroff.

“Samantha is now going on her fourth year on the team and is another good, positive role model on the team,” Tunze said. “A lot of the younger girls on the team look up to her.”

Junior Emilie Brower returns this season and has already shown improvement from her 2022 form.

“I can tell she’s been working hard on her overall strength and agility,” Tunze said. “She’s having a really good start to the season.”

Sophomore Elinor Kreisz is a runner on this year’s squad that is focused on going under the 20 minute mark this season.

“Elinor’s goal is to go sub 20 this year and I’d really like to see her do that,” Tunze said. “She’s starting off the season healthy and strong already.”

The final addition to the Tiger’s lineup is senior exchange student Martina Broggi of Italy. Broggi has an extensive amount of track experience, but this is her first adventure into the world of cross country running. “Martina’s a very good 400 runner,” Tunze said. “She’s never done cross country but she definitely has the form and the fitness. I think she’ll be a really good asset for the team.”