Freshman cross country runner and consistent top five placer this year, Lance Lundine is the Beloit Athlete of the Month.

This season Lundine was big for Beloit on the cross-country circuit. He won the Norton Regional and placed 15th at the state meet. Lundine started running and competing when he was in the seventh grade.

“I tried playing youth tackle football. My teammates would actually get mad at me because when we would do our walk, jog, run drill they had to run more if I caught up with the last person in line. I actually had one friend tell me after our sixth-grade season that he wouldn’t let me on the football team because he knew I would be better at cross country,” said Lundine.

This season was somewhat of a breakout season for the freshman.

“I really enjoy my coach Brad Mason. He makes practice fun and is really funny. Making it to state cross-country and placing in the top 15 as a freshman is a great memory I will have forever,” said Lundine. “I placed top five in every meet besides one last year in the regular season, so I guess try to continue that success, and then improve my times in all these races also. My goal in the postseason is to hopefully repeat as regional champion, and then place top 10 in state.”

Lundine said he will miss running with Jacob Porter, the only senior boy on the team.

“He taught me a lot about how to handle the pressure of running in varsity races,” said Lundine.