GRAHAMSVILLE –– Success breeds success, but only if you train even harder than you did before. For the Tri-Valley boys cross-country team that lost only one team member (Caleb Edwards) through graduation, winning the state championship last fall was emblematic. But any thoughts of resting on their laurels are totally non-existent as the core group of runners that include state runner up Adam Furman, along with teammates Van Furman, Thomas Houghtaling, Vincent Mingo, Connor Weyant, Craig Costa and John Woods took to the road and trails this summer to build mileage. New to the team this year are Sean Woods, Noah Edwards and Dayne Wall, the latter two bringing their track and field experience in tow as they train for distance running. 

For Coach Chip Furman, recipient of last fall’s Sullivan County Democrat Outstanding Coach Award, assuring that his team remains injury free, has challenging competition, gets to run on this year’s state course meet and trains according to plan with the state meet as the most salient goal, living up to the preseason Number One State Ranking will be about following the blueprint that led to the state title a year ago. With a carefully scripted training regimen that includes one tempo workout per week along with one that involves repetition and intervals, the team will focus on “hammering away at distance,” adds Furman. Tri-Valley will begin its season two days prior to the opening of school (September 6) by hosting a home meet against John S. Burke, Homestead School and Tuxedo. 

For team leader Adam Furman, this marks the opening salvo in his quest to become a state champion, something he nearly accomplished last fall. The following week on September 13 the Bears will host Livingston Manor. On September 29, the team will fly to North Carolina for the prestigious Great American Race. Other invitationals are planned as well prior to the OCIAA and Section IX championships. It figures to be a banner year for the Bears.

T-V girls field a full team, aspire to win Section 9 and head to states

This fall Tri-Valley will field a full girls team as it enters the fray with seven girls in the fold and a new Co-Head coach in T-V grad and Coaching guru Skylar Musa, who moved back to her roots after a position opened up at T-V. That and her marriage to Co-Head girls coach Tyler Eckhoff reunites the coaching pair that worked in tandem at TC Williams High School in Virginia, made famous by the movie “Remember the Titans.” While at Sullivan West, Musa proved herself highly effective in recruiting girls from her undefeated junior varsity basketball team to track in the spring. The Sullivan County Democrat Most Outstanding Female Spring Coach led the Lady Bulldogs to a Section IX championship. Now at T-V, Musa will hopefully bring the same coaching expertise and recruiting force to bear. 

Eckhoff and Musa have success for the girls team as their blueprint. With Section IX champion and runner up in Amelia Mickelson and Brynn Poley leading the team, along with Delaney Hoffman who finished ninth in the section, missing states by one place and veteran Chrissy Wacher, the team will also feature the addition of Anna Furman who figures to be a force to be reckoned with as well as track standout Lily Siciliano and Tabby Mulholland who both registered strong performances in track. 

The girls will follow the same schedule as the boys, thereby taking them to compete at meets that will challenge them to excel. Mickelson, Poley, Holland and Wacher ran over the summer. According to Musa, their split times this fall are already at the level of where they were when last fall’s season ended. That alone bespeaks the progress, hard work and serious intention that is very likely to produce medals and headlines. 

A first look at the team and a talk this past week was cut short by the rumble of thunder that sent the group onto the bus and back to the school. Looking even further ahead, the entire T-V girls team will be back to compete in the 2023 campaign. Look for coverage of the September 6 meet and many others this fall.