Cross Country Travels to the Pacific Northwest
9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 30, 2005
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This Week in Cross Country: The Saint Mary's men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the 31st Annual Charles Bowles Invitational on Saturday, October 1, at Bush Park in Salem, OR. The invitational will feature 77 teams and nearly 1300 runners over the course of the six races. The men will start things off at 9:30 a.m. followed by the women at 10:10 a.m.
Last Week Recap: The Gaels put forth their best effort of the season at the Stanford Invitational. Several SMC runners set personal bests and etched their names in the record books. In the women's race, sophomore Clare Schwallie ran the fifth fastest 6k in the history of the program with a 24:07. Collectively the women ran well with the close knit pack of Karri Hagedorn (25:55), Jamee Thomson (25:59) and Deanna Price (26: 01). On the men's side, junior Sean Hanley set a personal best time with a 27:51 and senior James Bolger followed suit with a 28:26. Senior Travis Biziorek ran a season best time of 28:49.
Scouting the Competition: The first race of the day features nationally competitive individuals and teams. Oregon, Portland, and Washington all come in ranked among the top 33 teams in the country. The Washington Huskies are currently ranked 33rd and will be led by senior Mark Mandi. Portland, led by 2005 Outdoor 10k All-American John Moore, is currently ranked 22nd in Division I and will be looking to improve that ranking this weekend. Oregon will bring its men's team to the Willamette Invite for the first time in over a decade, and it could be a group that would surprise. Galen Rupp, 10k junior national record holder (28:15 is scheduled to make his collegiate cross-country debut. The 21st ranked Air Force Academy will be joining this solid group of teams and will feature a solid group of seniors including Mark Walter (NCAA 1500 qualifier), Nick Wilson, Jeff Gosselin, and Travis Patterson.
The women's university race will be similarly competitive with Oregon, Washington, Portland, Iowa and Idaho all being teams to watch. Washington, currently ranked 30th, will bring a very young and talented team that features freshman standout Tori Tyler. Idaho will be looking to defend its title from last year's invite with the aid of standout runner Mary Kamau, winner of last year's invite. Iowa's women's team will make the trip all the way out from the Midwest, bringing home a native Oregonian Meghan Armstrong who won three state titles while running at Tualatin High School.
A Look at SMC Head Coach Randy Rau: Randy Rau enters his seventh season as the head men's and women's cross country coach. In his first season at the helm he was named WCC Coach of the Year. Under his tutelage, runners have earned four All-WCC selections, a Freshman of the Year honoree and five honorable mention accolades. Individually, both the men and women's school records have been shattered. Members of his men's team have posted 29 of the 30 fastest times in the history of the program.
Next Week for the Gaels: The Gaels will take a well deserved week off before participating in the Bronco Invitational on Saturday, October 15. The race will serve as a tune-up, as the West Coast Conference championship is the following weekend.
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