Other returning letter winners for the boys include sophomore Jonas Hagemeister and freshmen Peter Newark and Talyn Setterholm.  Coming back for the girls are senior Allyson Goodman and junior Laney Frost.

The OTC boys finished second in the Park Region Conference meet last year and the girls were third.  Both teams improved their section placement from the previous year.

“We lost six seniors from last year and will be looking for some new faces to lead the way for the Bulldogs this season,” reported Coach Speicher.  “Our guys’ team is young, but I don’t see that stopping them from being very competitive in the conference and section.  I think our girls’ team is going to surprise a lot of teams as we put in some quality summer miles.  Overall, I believe both squads will improve their section placement from last year and keep trending this program the right way.”

Speicher is looking for senior August Wicklund, junior Nathan Russ, sophomore Emily Christensen, freshman Mae Hagemeister and eighth-grader Delia Tebrugge to make an impact at the varsity level this fall.

Staples-Motley is Speicher’s pick as Section 6A favorites for both girls’ and boys’, while Bertha-Hewitt is the top boys’ team in the conference and Wadena-Deer Creek is his pick on the girls’ side.

Leslie Setterholm and Joe Demars will serve as assistants to Speicher.