While it may be hard to fathom because of this week’s intense heat wave, it’s running season for the Washington University men’s and women’s cross-country teams. Jeff Stiles, the reigning University Athletic Association Men’s Coach of the Year, is at the helm for his 14th season to lead the teams when they open their season on Aug. 29 at the Greenville Dual Meet.

Courtesy of Jamie Germano

Senior Lucy Cheadle leads the field at the University Athletic Association Championships in the 2012 cross-country season. Cheadle is a three-time All-American and is contending for a national title this season.

Men’s team

Last season:

The men’s team continued its historical excellence by winning its fourth straight UAA title and finishing fourth at the Division III Championships, marking the third consecutive year that the Bears have placed in the top five in the country.

Key runner: Senior Drew Padgett

Padgett, who was the UAA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, will hold the torch for the men’s team. Padgett jumped from 86th place at nationals two years ago to 25th last season, so he will be looking to make the next leap to the top of the table. Stiles, who is also the coach of the track-and-field team, highlighted Padgett’s All-American honors from last spring as a reason to believe that he will compete for a national title this fall.

“His goal is to win nationals. By the end of track, he made it very clear that he was one of the best runners in Division III, and he’ll have a chance to win a national title,” Stiles said.

Season outlook

By returning four of its top seven runners this year, the men’s team figures to be in the thick of things for a team title. The return of senior Garrett Patrick, who nabbed 38th place at nationals, and sophomore Ethan Brodeur, the UAA Men’s Rookie of the Year, portends another top-five finish at nationals this season.

Women’s team

Last season:

The women had a disappointing season according to their standards, as they finished fourth at the UAA Championships and 21st at the Division III Championships. A program that finished second nationally in 2010 and won a national championship in 2011 will look to rebound this season.

Key runner: Senior Lucy Cheadle

Three-time All-American Cheadle will attempt to build on last season’s fifth-place overall finish and contend for a national title. Cheadle is also the reigning UAA Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, so she will look to do some damage at the UAA Championships as well.

Season outlook

Similarly to the men’s team, the women’s team returns four of its top seven runners from nationals. With junior Ellen Toennies and sophomores Sarah Curci and Annie Marggraff returning along with Cheadle, Stiles is optimistic for a bounceback season.

Cheadle “is one of the best leaders we’ve ever had, and we’ve had a lot of really good leaders, but she has a chance to have a pretty special senior year,” Stiles said. “She’s a special talent, but she’s never lost sight of doing it for the team, so because of that, I think we are going to have a really great rebound season. I think we’ll be ready to surprise a lot of people. We finished 21st last year, and we have all the pieces to climb the ladder.”

Key meet: UAA Championships, Nov. 1 in Forest Park

Wash. U. hosts the conference championship meet, which is one of the final tuneups before the NCAA Championships three weeks later. The men will look to win their fifth straight UAA Title, while the women will hope to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish.