With the dawn of a new season many teams will lose their leaders from a year ago and the need to replace them becomes critical.

The United South Central/Alden-Conger boys’ track team was no different entering this season. The team lost a bevy of strong leaders and head coach Kent Viesselman wasn’t sure who was going to emerge as the team’s leaders this season.

The Rebels were led by a group of outgoing seniors last season and the group that returned this season had never been put in a situation where they were expected to lead.

Viesselman has built his program behind strong leaders and although this year’s seniors are a bit more reserved in comparison to last year’s group, his reservations entering the season have evaporated.

Senior Jordan Haroldson has epitomized the progression Viesselman likes to see in his athletes. Haroldson has developed into one of the team’s strongest runners since his freshman season, but he has rarely been a vocal person.

“He’s always been a good role model and an example,” Viesselman said. “He’s kind of gone out a little more this spring.”

Haroldson started in the track and cross country program as a freshman after his brother ran. Haroldson started to make an impact last season with a trip to the state cross country meet, beating out an upperclassman teammate at the section meet. During the track season he continued his success and helped lead the 4×400-meter relay team to a near-school record time.

Each season Viesselman expects his seniors to help with the younger athletes and often asks them if they remember a senior going out of their way to help them when they were younger.

“It’s a like a relay race you have to receive it and pass it on,” Viesselman said.

The USC/A-C boys’ track team has eight seniors: E.J. Knight, Pete Trio, Justin Melby, Jake Herman, Jonathan Back, Riley Stenzel, and Tyler Utzka, this season and each has taken on a role of leadership this season, including Haroldson.

“Everyone of them is a quiet kid,” Viesselman said. “If you were in a room with 30 people you might not even notice them.”

Viesselman said their emergence as leaders comes from confidence.

“If they gain confidence they’re more willing to talk with a stranger or talk to me,” he said.

It’s all part of the process in the USC/A-C program where the younger athletes rise to the challenge of becoming a leader when they’re time comes.

“I used to always follow along and have someone guide me through, but now I’m going to have to guide everyone,” Haroldson said.

Becoming more assertive and adopting a more prominent role on the team is something that is a bit out of Haroldson’s comfort zone, but he said he’s adjusting.

“It’s kind of becoming standard, it’s not as big of a deal anymore,” Haroldson said. “You never leave anyone out, make sure everyone follows along and make it fun. Us seniors are seniors are stepping up.”

Haroldson followed leaders like Jake Elmer and Bryan Hauge for his first three years on varsity and now it’s his time to give back to the athletes that were just like him not too long ago.

Creating the bond between the younger classes and the older classes is an important facet for the program as underclassmen have often came through to make big contributions.

Last season Haroldson was part of the 4×400 relay team that placed fourth in state and was one one-hundredth of a second away from breaking the school record. The rest of the team included Elmer, Hauge and sophomore Matthew Wood.

Haroldson knows the importance of creating the bridge between the upper classes and lower ones.

“They know they can hang out with us and we’ll respect them and they’ll respect us,” Haroldson said.

Although the 4×400 team lost two outstanding seniors from last year, Haroldson believes the group can accomplish similar feats this season as well.

“I think we’ll be just as good as last year if not better,” he said.

Last year’s team came through at the end of the season. After running around 3 minutes, 30 seconds for much of the season, the team shaved five seconds off its time at state to place fourth.

“It was amazing how much we improved from, like, sections to state, like with all the adrenaline,” Haroldson said. “We were just going for 28 or something and we just pulled something out. It was pretty awesome, a real good feeling. Hopefully we can do that again.”