The Prout School had a solid season on the trails, qualifying for the Class C Championships, where it placed fifth overall. The Crusaders followed that effort with a 16th-place finish at the State Meet.
The good news for Prout—and the reason we think it could make a big jump at the states this fall—is that all seven varsity runners are returning, six of whom were underclassmen in 2024. The gap between their No. 1 and No. 7 finishers was just 1:32, the fourth-tightest spread among all teams at the season-ending meet.
Junior Mia Bottaro is the low stick for the Crusaders. She led the squad at the states, placing 63rd overall in 21:44.45. Earlier in the season, she clocked a personal best of 21:37.25 for 5K at the East Bay Challenge. Bottaro also enjoyed a much-improved track campaign, posting PRs of 4:57.82 for the 1,500m and 2:27.72 for the 800m.
Also back are junior Ella Procaccianti, sophomore Lia Wendoloski, junior Gianna King, sophomore Anna Jelinek, sophomore Elin Macera, and sophomore Emma Silva—all with another year of experience and 5K times ranging from 22:01.74 to 23:31.56. As any cross country coach will tell you, team mentality is key to success, and this is a group capable of proving it with a top-10 finish this fall.
