
The Washington University men’s and women’s cross country teams look to continue last season’s success as they kick of the season this Saturday. In its only home event of the season, the Bears host the Washington University Early Bird meet at the Central Fields in Forest Park. The women’s 4K run begins at 9 a.m., while the men start their 8K at 9:30 a.m.
Head coach Jeff Stiles, who begins his seventh year at Wash. U., believes Saturday will be a good indicator for this season.
“We’ve had a great summer and our goal is to be the best team we can be,” said Stiles. “But we don’t know how other teams are doing.”
Last season, the women’s squad finished fourth at the 2006 NCAA Championships, marking its fourth top-four finish in five years. Two-time UAA runner of the year and 2007 graduate Beth Herndon led the team in the championships, finishing fifth overall. The Lady Bears also won their second straight Midwest Region title and placed second at the University Athletic Association Championships.
On the men’s side, the team made its fourth overall appearance at NCAA Championships, the first since 1997, coming in 25th. The Bears also finished second at the UAA Championships and fifth of 37 teams at the Midwest Regional.
Coach Stiles is pleased with the team’s upward trend and is excited about the upcoming season.
“We have shown a lot of improvement,” said Stiles. “This is the deepest team we’ve ever had.”
Seniors Tricia Frisella, who garnered All-America honors last year, and Lisa Sudmeier, another member of the championship squad, captain the women’s team. Seniors Kate Pentak and Tyler Mulkin, both individual finishers at the NCAA meet also return along with sophomore Colleen Davis.
Though the men lost three of last season’s top runners, including last year’s top runner Kevin Gale, several other key athletes return. Seniors Brandon Brown, a member of the NCAA squad, and Corey Kubatzky lead the men’s team. Senior Jesse McDaniel and sophomores Donald McClure and Alex Bearden round out the rest of last year’s top runners.
Although both teams have taken long strides in recent history, Stiles feels there is still a bit of uncertainty regarding this season.
“We’re all competitors and we need to compete to see where we are at,” said Stiles. “There will be a much clearer picture after this weekend.”