Members of the HHS girls cross country team get off to a good start during a Sept. 23 victory over Ashland at Hopkinton State Park. PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

Hopkinton High School girls cross country coach Jean Cann said that her relatively inexperienced team might suffer some losses this year, but she’s hoping the squad can find a love for running that will outlast the 2026 season.

“I tell them this should be the highlight of the day, not an added stress,” Cann said. “I want them to come and participate and to make running a lifelong thing.”

The Hillers do have goals for the season, including a top-three finish in the Tri-Valley League meet and setting as many personal bests as possible on the various courses throughout the year.

Senior Lila Heling was the top Hopkinton runner during the season-opening meet, a loss to defending TVL champion Westwood. Heling, who also paced the Hillers during a preseason meet, earned a third-place finish overall.

Cann also had high praise for the improvement shown by junior Caitlin Pletcher.

“She trained really hard this summer,” Cann said. “Last year was her first year of cross country, and she was kind of feeling it out. This summer she committed, and she is running very well.”

Jillian Toran is another senior who could factor in as one of Hopkinton’s top runners this fall. Phoebe Klein returns after running in the divisional meet last year, and she was consistently among Hopkinton’s top eight a year ago. Cann said that Klein thinks of herself as a middle-distance runner, but she is showing her potential in longer races as well.

Isabel Walker started running cross country last year and is an experienced and versatile track athlete. Although Walker’s longest event in track is the 800 meters, Cann said she has stepped up in tackling the longer distances. Similarly, junior Mairead Flynn is a newcomer who has run track and is running cross country for the first time.

“I think she will step up,” said Cann, adding that senior Megan Han has improved significantly and sophomore newcomer Ireland Resteghini is showing great promise.

The Hillers also will look for contributions from Wafiya Syeda and Audrey Evans, both of whom had to miss some time at the outset of the season.

Cann described this fall as a building year.

“We have a couple of experienced runners up front, and some of them have made big improvements,” she said. “But we have a lot of new people stepping into top spots.”

The building process does not end once the season is over, or even once a Hopkinton runner’s high school career comes to an end. Cann still follows many of her alumni’s running on the app Strava.

“It’s great just seeing how many of them are still running, whether they are competing for colleges, some are running marathons, some just go out a couple of times per week,” Cann said. “It’s rewarding to see that they are still enjoying it.”