After her freshman season, Dani Pluchinsky was at an athletic crossroads.

A longtime softball player, Pluchinsky wanted to play a sport in the fall. She admittedly had trouble kicking a ball and ruled out field hockey because of its rules. So, cross country came into the picture.

Yet, it wasn’t a sport that was totally unfamiliar.

Pluchinsky’s mother, Lisa, is an avid runner and has run in races of various lengths. The younger Pluchinsky knew it would be a good fit.

“My mother runs a lot,” she said. “She has competed in 5Ks and half marathons. I was learning how to run and she was running with me. It was about learning how to breathe and how to pace myself.

“She was and still is a big help to me.”

Now, two years later, Pluchinsky is one of three captains on the team and has reached a comfort level with the sport. She has seen the team grow in many factors, and credits head coach Kyle Rusnock for the direction and development.

“Coach Rusnock has done a really good job,” said Pluchinsky. “He has really molded us into a team without having a middle school program.”

Pluchinsky certainly has taken the cue.

In her sophomore year, she was the oldest girl on the team among a group off freshmen and she’ll continue that trend this fall with a young squad. Pluchinsky quickly understood the mental aspects of the sport.

“When I first started running, I would get out of breath,” she said. “But I realized that running was really all mental. I knew I couldn’t stop and had to push myself to keep going. If I stopped or was getting ready to stop, I knew I wouldn’t be a better runner.

“It was hard for me at first. But I knew I just had to keep on working at it.”

Last season, Pluchinsky began to take a more assertive role as she was named one of the team captains and began to relish the capacity.

“I came back last year with a different feel and it was a different type of year,” she said. “I enjoyed working with the younger girls and I always have tried to be a team player.

“My goal was to be able to finish a race under 30 (minutes) and it has been a good goal.”

Rusnock has seen plenty of growth in his veteran runner.

“She (Pluchinsky) is one of the hardest workers,” said Rusnock. “She really came into her own after her freshman year. She has stepped it up and will continue to become a strong runner.”

Pluchinsky also sees a nice balance between cross country and softball.

“It really has been,” she stated. “I wanted a sport in which I could stay in shape and this also has helped me with running during softball. There really are two different sports. That’s what has made it good for me.”

Pluchinsky plans to attend Ithaca College in the fall to pursue a degree in sports journalism/ media. She currently is the editor of the school newspaper and would like to be involved in multimedia. Pluchinsky believes she is on the right track, one that started with a simple Google search.

“When I researched my major on the Internet, Ithaca College was the first school that came up,” she said. “I went to visit and fell in love with it. I like the location and it is a great college town that is not too big or too small.

“I think I will look into overall communications. I announced it at Tournament of Champions the first night and I really enjoyed it.”

Pluchinsky does plan to forego her cross country career, but she may pursue road races. Until then, Pluchinsky is confident her team can advance to the next level this fall.

“We may only have 10 girls, but we can be as competitive as a team with 30 girls,” said Pluchinsky. “Our coach has watched us develop and lower out times and now he expects to be very competitive. We have won some meets in the past, and we will be looking to win more in the future.”