With every new season comes a new first-year class of college athletes, and this year, Georgia College & State University has brought in a lot of new-generation first-year athletes.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams have brought in a combined 15 first-year athletes to begin the season, which to some coaches may be seen as a negative for their teams, as freshmen are less experienced in comparison to their upperclassmen; however, cross country head coach Alexander Bruno is ready to approach this season with a positive mindset towards his large first-year class.

“They’re very moldable and very responsive to everything that we’re doing. We rely a lot on the upperclassmen, and we’ve got a really good group of sophomores that have just gone through it, and so they know exactly what we want,” said Alexander Bruno, the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams. 

The cross country team brought back many returning upperclassmen, and they’re showing a lot of responsibility when helping along the first-year students. 

“Some of the kids who stepped up really, really well on the freshman side. Carl Ritzler was, I think, our 2nd runner as a freshman. I don’t want to say he came out of nowhere, but it was really impressive to see how well he ran in his 1st college race. Nolan Lane is somebody who in workouts has looked really good and really strong and we kind of expected that.” said Bruno. 

Bruno and the GCSU cross country teams have a group of first-year students that they are determined to develop, and they have already shown signs of success on the track. 

Aside from cross country, which brought in the most freshmen out of the GCSU sports, women’s basketball also brought in quite a few new first-year students, but also brought in a new coach in interim coach Catrina Green.

“We have a pretty new team, a lot of transfers and freshmen, and a new coach. So it’s definitely different from what I saw before, but I like it a lot and I’m enjoying it so far,” said Sloane Vick, a freshman guard for the women’s basketball team.

As a first-year student, many athletes have their four years of eligibility, allowing them to focus not only on their current season, but also on the following seasons as well and focus on their future endeavors as a collegiate athlete.

“I’m hoping to do really well in conference play. Last year, we finished fourth, which was really good for Georgia College. 
So, hopefully, we can repeat that, or do even better sometime when I’m here,” said Vick.

On the other side is women’s soccer, which brought in nine new first-year athletes this season—athletes who have never had the opportunity to enjoy a collegiate athletic experience.

“I think the facilities are great and the community is really supportive. The other girls, especially Bridget Johnson, have been extremely supportive and helpful. They have helped me through this transition and made me feel really welcomed in our team,” said Kaisa Fagerström, a freshman defender for the women’s soccer team.

First-year athletes will be a significant contributor to the success of the GCSU athletic programs this year, and not only the coaches but also the athletes themselves are determined to excel on the court and field this season.