The Collegian

Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Courtesy of www.smcgaels.com Karrie Hagedorn '08 looks to improve on her NCAA Regional appearance.

The men's and women's cross-country teams have begun their 2007 season and both teams are already well on their way, practicing two times a day despite the three-digit weather and humidity.

Both teams are looking forward to better finishes this season. Looking back on the men's West Coast Conference (WCC) results last year, Daniel Reyes '08 said, "We worked hard but were not as successful as we wanted to be. We finished the season last in conference, so we're looking to move up in the ranking this year."

Teammate David Stiles '09 said, "I was disappointed last year. We had a good summer, worked really hard, kept putting in a lot of miles in and didn't get the results we wanted."

However, according to the team, their goal is to not only move up from the bottom, but to break the bottom half.

"Our goal is top four in conference. We've all put a lot of miles in already and we're still looking to work harder, so our expectations are much higher. The teams we want to attack are Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and USD," said Stiles.

However, "putting in the miles" is only one of the factors cross-country is expecting to uplift them this season. "We have two new transfers this year-juniors. They are by far the best on the team. One is from Davis and the other from Carmel. We also have two freshmen that have really high potential to help the team," said Reyes.

The two transfers are juniors Mario Mendoza and Nick Shea. Shea, who holds the all-school record for cross country at his last college, Hartnell, said, "I really want to be able to lift this team up from the bottom. With the four new guys and the returning veterans, we have the right elements to become a surprising force."

Bringing their experience in past successful programs, however, is not the only element Mendoza and Shea are hoping to contribute to the cross-country program. "All the members on the team already have the right attitude and the right mentality. Now, it's all about leadership, and that leadership is what Nick and I want to bring," said Mendoza.

As mentioned earlier, the men's cross-country team will be returning some runners, one of which is Stiles, who finished first for the Gaels in last year's WCC Championships.

Continued...

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