The Westside boys and girls cross country teams will be combining for the upcoming season. The previous boys head coach, Education Consultant Andrew Easton, has decided to step down from coaching. In replace of Easton, both teams will combine and the girls coach, Librarian Teresa Gosnell, will become the head coach of the combined team.

“Easton has a lot going on right now so he decided to step down, and we have decided to combine the teams,” Gosnell said.

Freshman Minh Nguyen said Easton had a great influence and passion for the boys cross country team.

“All of us on the cross country team are going to miss him so it is kind of a blow [to the team],” Nguyen said. “One of my favorite things Easton did was [personal record] bars. Basically, after every meeting, Easton would hand out [bars] to the runners who beat their personal record at the meet which was really fun and I thought it was a very positive experience.”

The combining of the two teams will occur during the track preseason. Gosnell will be leading the summer running program where the runners meet at eight a.m. every morning and record the hours they run.

“I think the team will be adjustable and they will get used to it pretty quick,” Gosnell said.

During the upcoming season, both teams will run together at practice but will run separately at the meets. Junior Eva Collins said the combining of the two teams will make practice a lot more competitive and fun.

“I’m looking forward to all the changes happening on the team,” Collins said. “I think combining with the boys team will bring a new energy to the team and help everyone become better and closer as a whole.”