As the girls cross-country team prepares for another competitive season, first year varsity head coach and LT alumnus Alex Lyons has taken a new approach in strengthening the program.

“His style of coaching is different from our previous coach,” varsity runner Ali Hamilton ’17 said. “It will be a good change for us.”

Lyons’ coaching style is based on the philosophy of self-progress. Instead of pushing the girls from beginning to end, Lyons does something very rare: holds them back.

“My job as a coach is to pull the reins and help them see the big picture,” Lyons said.

Lyons has started practices more conservatively, Hamilton said. The workouts, though difficult, are at a slower pace and progress each week. This progression will prepare the girls for the final month of the season, which includes the most important meets: conference, regionals, sectionals and state.

“That is the championship season,” Lyons said. “That month defines our year.”

Participating in arguably the most competitive conference in the state of Illinois, Lyons wants to ensure the girls know the importance of their own self-progress as the season develops.

“The way you succeed in a sport like cross-country is paying attention to you and your progress instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing,” Lyons said.

The team’s unique relationship is another key factor that contributes to this season’s success. With a mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen on the team, senior captain Maddie Hilling ‘17 has taken a huge part in creating the team’s unbreakable cohesion. Hilling proves her leadership skills in practice every day, Hamilton said. She completes every workout going the extra mile each time, all while encouraging and including her many teammates.

“We are very lucky with the team environment we have and that has nothing to do with me or the other coaches,” Lyons said. “They create a really special, familial atmosphere.”

While this is Lyons first year as head coach, he is a familiar face with the upperclassmen on the team as well as the LT cross country program. During the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons, he was an assistant coach for the girls team and created relationships with many of the varsity runners.

“He has a lot more responsibilities now, but he is taking it head on and doing a fantastic job at it,” Hilling said.

Although Lyons took a coaching job at Downers Grove North last year, being head coach has been something he has wanted to do since the age of 14, Lyons said.

“It gave me a greater appreciation for how great [LT] was when I went somewhere else,” Lyons said. “This is home for me in a lot of different ways.”