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closeThe Western Washington University cross country teams have ample reasons to be exited about the 2008 season.
The Vikings have talent, experience and a level of depth that coach Pee Wee Halsell said the program hasn't had in some time. It all adds up to a formidable combination, Halsell said, and the team is looking forward to getting out and proving it's worth the attention.
"I think we've got talent and depth on both sides," said Halsell, in his 22nd season leading the Vikings. "Our first hard workouts were encouraging, and we've got a couple of lead runners. The gap (between the top runners) on the men's side looks to be close. We won't know until we get into some competitions, but we've got a competitive group there and the gap's not too big - probably one to five and possibly one to seven."
Coming off a 2007 season during which it finished 11th at the national meet, the Western men's team is No. 12 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II Cross Country preseason national rankings.
Halsell led the Vikings to their third Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship in five years and was named the conference's men's cross country coach of the year, and Western took second in the NCAA Division II West Regional meet.
The Vikings return five of their top seven runners from the 2007 squad, including sophomore Bennett Grimes, who took 43rd place at the national meet, earning a spot on the All-America team.
Other top returnees include sophomore Jordan Welling, senior Jon Skelton, sophomore Blake Medhaug and sophomore Daniel Phillips.
For the Western women, sophomore Sarah Porter leads the way, and she earned the GNAC Female Freshman of the Year award in 2007, placing ninth in the conference meet as Western finished seventh in the team race.
"On the women's side, Sarah Porter's going to be out in front, it appears," Halsell said. "We're going to have a gap there behind the lead runner - that's not really a bad thing - but we're closing that gap, and beyond that I think we're going to be a real close group.
"It's pretty exciting. I think we're going to be better teams than we were last year."
That's a lofty premise, because the Western men's team in particular, had a strong run a year ago. Halsell sees some similarities with the 2007 squad, especially when discussing depth.
"Last year's men's team was a solid squad," Halsell said. "I think we're similar to what we were last year, so I think we've had that luxury on the men's side for a couple, three years.
"On the women's side, I think we're closing the gap. We've got some new girls that are going to come in and spice it up, but a lot of our returners have come back and answered the call. They've trained, and they're looking good and really solid. It's very exciting."
No one is going to hand the Western men any championships, however. Chico State stands at No. 3 in the national rankings and first in the West Region. The Wildcats have won the California Collegiate Athletic Association and West Region titles in each of the past six seasons. Chico State finished sixth at the national meet in 2007 and have placed in the top ten for nine consecutive years.
The Seattle Pacific women area expected to set the pace in the GNAC and the West Region, Halsell said. The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in the region, while the Vikings are ninth. Northwest Nazarene is ranked No. 6 and Central Washington is at No. 8.
"It's a strong, strong women's region," Halsell said. "Every one of our runners is working so hard, because we know we just can't expect it (success) to happen. That's the exciting part as a coach; it's fun to see the athletes getting ready."
Reach Craig Parrish at craig.parrish@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2279.
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