After a year on the job, Whitehall head cross country coach Brandon Hampton is ready to see a transition in the program with a host of younger runners ready to lead the program.

Hampton, a former assistant, took over the reins after longtime coach Mike Lelko retired at the end of the 2022 season.

Hampton ran track and cross county at Pittston High School, as well as coaching there and at Wyoming Valley West high schools. He also took over the Zephyrs’ track program, which allowed him to have a good handle on the school’s potential runners.

And potential will be a key word this season.

The Zephyrs lost four seniors, and they will return nine to possibly 11 seniors this fall.

“I think we have the potential for a lot of growth this year,” said Hampton. “The kids have been working with me for a full year with cross country and track, and they are hopefully used to how I design things at practice.

“Last year, our teams performed as I had expected. Our boys lost a ton of top runners and their record reflected it. The girls were mostly young and inexperienced, but they showed improvement consistently as the season progressed.”

Hampton will look to his upperclassmen for guidance. Senior Aiden Borkenhagen will help pace the pack. Borkenhagen was 62nd out of a 102-runner field at districts last year.

“We‘ve got a lot of senior leadership on both sides this year,” added Hampton. “We will be counting on them to not only lead us in competition, but also help build the competitive culture we want to have here for years to come.

“Aiden Borkenhagen was our top boy last year. He’s coming off a sold summer training block and is hoping to drop some big chunks of time in his final season with us.”

Tessa Hopkins was the team’s top runner last year and has graduated. Hampton isn’t sure who will take over her spot, but he is looking at three to five girls for the role, all of whom are juniors or younger. Hopkins finished 59th from a 76-girl field at districts last year, and she will continue her track career at Moravian University.

Hampton is optimistic about his teams’ chances this fall.

“I’m hoping both teams can improve their records from last year,” he said. “We want to continue to see the week-to-week personal bests.”