Klein High School's cross country team is training with ice baths, weight room sessions and a new head coach for the 2026 season.

Franchelle Coleman, who comes from a track coaching background, took over the program this year. Runners told The Bearchat, Klein High's student newspaper, that Coleman is blending track strategies into cross country workouts and adding recovery tools the team did not have before.

The most visible change: Friday ice baths. Every week since the season started, Coleman has set up ice baths for runners after practice.

"Every Friday since the season started she's been busting out the ice baths," Boys JV junior Brad Goebel told The Bearchat in a Sept. 3 article. Goebel, who was recovering from an injury at the time, said the baths help with recovery and have made a noticeable difference for him.

Coleman also opened the weight room to the team. Junior Alondra Salazar told The Bearchat that runners were not allowed to use it under previous coaching. She said the added strength work gives the team more chances to improve and avoid injuries.

Boys varsity junior Samuel Lam described Coleman as more positive and upbeat than the previous staff. Sophomore Sarai Hernandez told the student paper that Coleman's track experience is shaping their training with new strategies.

Not everyone is fully sold. Varsity senior Chase Roca, who placed second in a recent varsity boys race, said the team still needs a coach willing to push hard. Roca told The Bearchat the team needs consistency and discipline, adding, "We don't need anyone who's gonna be too nice to us."

Varsity senior Charlene Ramirez, who ran for Klein High as a junior during the 2025 season, offered a middle ground. She called Coleman a good coach who puts in the effort to show up at practices and races but acknowledged the transition is still early. The team is "being patient with her," Ramirez told The Bearchat.

Klein High's varsity boys placed second at the district meet last fall. The program had two new coaches during the 2025 season, according to The Bearchat's semester magazine.

The Klein ISD Cross Country Invite is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11, with 9th-grade and JV divisions listed on the Klein Cain athletics calendar. A full Klein High schedule for the 2026 season was not available as of Sept. 4.