Talent? Marian's Tina Capparell has it in spades.

Capparell enjoyed a breakout freshman campaign last fall, winning Schuylkill League and District 11 titles before finishing her season with a 16th place finish at the PIAA Cross Country Championships in November.Things certainly didn't slow down after that for Capparell, as she spent the winter playing a key role on the Fillies' basketball team, averaging just under four points per game in 21 appearances.The transition was just as swift into the spring as Capparell made her mark during the track and field season by qualifying for the state meet in the Class AA 800.While undoubtedly talented in a variety of disciplines, Capparell decided during the offseason to concentrate solely on running this upcoming year rather than also playing basketball, something she and her coaches hope will have her better prepared for both the fall and spring."I know it was a tough decision for her," said Marian cross country coach Jeremy Dormer. "But I think it's the best choice to have her concentrate on running because that's something she really excels at doing."While summer is typically the time for most runners to be getting miles in and building a base for the cross country season, Capparell last year spent time attending open gyms to get acclimated for what would be her first year of varsity basketball.Though the workouts helped Capparell with general conditioning, it didn't allow her to work on distance training. With a full summer of workouts under her belt this year, Dormer has already seen the difference heading into Capparell's sophomore year."I think she's definitely ahead of where she was last year," the coach said. "We're trying to change the philosophy of the whole team. We want them to learn race pace in practice, because you can't just hop in (to a race) and do that. We have them doing different workouts, and so far, times are down."I'm very excited to see what she's capable of, as well as the rest of the team." Dormer is also looking forward to seeing what Tina's sister, Nicole, is capable of during her freshman season."It's really nice to have her on the team," he said. "We're kind of hoping that gives us a nice 1-2 punch this year."With Capparell making her mark as one of the best runners in the state so quickly, Dormer is hoping her success will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team."I hope that the other girls see what Tina did last year and that motivates them," he said. "She's a great inspiration for the other girls, and she's such a team player. It didn't matter how much success she had, she was always supporting the other girls and she always wanted everyone else to do well."We know it will be difficult to compete with some of the top teams in the district and in the Schuylkill League, but if we can get other girls to step up, we can be right there."And if all goes according to plan, expect Capparell to once again make an appearance in Hershey, maybe this time with her teammates.