At 8 in the morning at Shedd Park on a rainy Friday, Chris Gendron already was getting warmed up. He ran two laps around the muddy dirt track before doing some strides across the baseball field. He then set off on a run around each part of the park that was his home cross-country course when he ran for Lowell through four years of high school.

Gendron, who will report to Stonehill College in Easton on Aug. 21, is one of many recent high school graduates from the region who earned All-Scholastic honors from the Globe and are preparing for their first season at the next level.

Gendron has some solid history behind him. His father ran competitively at Lowell High and got his mother into running after they met. His brothers ran at Bentley and Stonehill.

And now it’s his turn.

“I’m most excited and most afraid of the fact that cross-country races go from 5K to an 8K, then 10K at nationals and regionals,’’ he said. “I’m most excited about that because I feel I do better at longer distances, but also afraid because it’s something I’ve never tackled before.

“My favorite part of the sport is the team atmosphere that it brings and the bond you build with your teammates through all the struggles you have, and Stonehill is a lot like Lowell High where it’s such a team atmosphere.’’

Also moving up is Kristen McCarthy, a field hockey player from Danvers who will attend Assumption College in Worcester this fall.

Previously an ice hockey player, she picked up field hockey going into her junior year of high school and was recruited by Assumption at the start of her senior campaign.

“I’m a little nervous because I’ve only played two years, I don’t know rules as well [as ice hockey],’’ McCarthy said. “I’m definitely intimidated for preseason. I leave in [two] weeks, which is earlier than the whole school.’’

No matter how long an athlete has played the game, the transition to college is always a challenge. Whether it is the higher level of competition or balancing sports and study, student-athletes always have to make major adjustments.

Kayla Locano has been there and understands the sentiment.

A rising sophomore from Chelmsford at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Locano came in her freshman year and started every match for the Corsairs’ women’s soccer team in 2015.

“Definitely the level of play and physicality of it,’’ Locano said when asked what the biggest change was in college. “High school and club soccer — it’s mostly skill, but in college it’s skill plus strength and endurance.’’

Locano had to discover some versatility in her game under a new coach — both to her and the school — which ultimately paved the way to her mainstay presence on the pitch.

“[UMass] had gotten a new coach [Kate Thomas] just two weeks before preseason started and no one had contact with the new coach, so we were just kind of thrown into it,’’ Locano said. “Up until senior year [in Chelmsford], I was a center back. Going into college they didn’t need that position so the coach looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to play wingback,’ and I was like, ‘All right. Whatever you need coach,’ ’’ Locano said.

Another local newcomer to college soccer is Aidan Wood, an Ipswich native who attended the Waring School in Beverly and will attend Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., this fall. Wood committed to Hamilton prior to the start of his senior year, allowing him to enjoy the season without the concerns of recruiting.

“It was a blast,’’ he said of his last year at Waring. “It was relaxing and a great season; we actually went on to play in the [Massachusetts Bay Independent League] championship. There was a big community aspect, we tried to bring the younger players along to keep that success going. It was very refreshing but still very competitive.’’

Wood’s training has been “completely different’’ compared to previous summers.

“In high school, I kind of messed around. I went for a run maybe once a week to stay in shape,’’ Wood said.

This summer, on top of camps, he’s been playing with his club team in tournaments and working with a trainer to stay at a high level of soccer shape. That need is pivotal since Hamilton — like all teams in the New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference — has a very short preseason before the games begin in early September.

With that in mind, Wood and the other athletes starting their college careers in the fall have made the best of their summers.

“I’ve been trying to work a lot and save up money for spending money at school,’’ Wood said. “That’s been the cornerstone of my summer. . . . I’m enjoying time with high school friends since we are all going different ways, so I’m getting some time in with them.’’

Logan Mullen can be reached at logan.mullen@globe.com.