Buoyed by a successful August training camp where top returning runners meshed with incoming freshman recruits, Gonzaga cross country begins the 2011 season Saturday with the Inland Northwest Cross Country Classic at Mead High School.
"We brought 18 men and 18 women to training," Head Coach Pat Tyson said. "I wanted our incoming freshmen to shadow our best runners, and understand what this program is all about."
"We had some guest speakers, and we showed a great video of Joan Benoit-Samuelson called ‘There is No Finish Line.' [The video] taught that you can do two things well — academics and athletics. If you become distracted by other things, that complicates the task. That's the kind of message we're trying to give to our runners."
With that message fresh in their minds, the team heads to Mead to race against a number of Inland Northwest schools on Saturday.
"The Mead area is a nice setting, and it's almost a no-brainer to use for an opening competition against schools like Washington State, Eastern Washington, University of Idaho and Whitworth," Tyson said.
"It's a great opening test, and it allows the freshmen a chance to wear a jersey. The meet is a smooth, pretty forgiving course, allowing these young guys to get out and run."
Tyson is undeterred by preseason rankings, which have both the men's and women's teams finishing sixth in the WCC.
"They picked the men's team to finish behind three teams — LMU, Santa Clara, and USF — that I think we can pick off. If we beat one of those three, we've beat the odds. We want to get fifth, but it'd be nice to be in the hunt for the top three," Tyson said.
"On the women's side, they picked us to finish sixth as well. Santa Clara is ranked just ahead of us, but we'd like to beat the odds and get in that top three. That's the standard we want to set."
Newly hired assistant coach Patty Ley is the perfect example of the proven, pervasive winning culture that Tyson has set for the program.
"Patty Ley is amazing," Tyson said. "She generates instant respect because she has so much experience. She was a very good runner, and she knows how to communicate what needs to be done. She always has the runners' best interests in mind.
"I've given her a lot of leeway with the women's team, and they really admire someone of her caliber. She is elevating the expectations for this program. We know that this can't happen overnight, but she has great instincts. She's all about winning."
Redshirt senior Andrew Walker, who shares team captain duties with Tate Kelly and Chris Boyle (who is also redshirting this fall), feels one weekend's race will give the team a perfect chance to start the season off well.
"We're pretty confident going into this weekend," Walker said. "There are a lot of question marks about who will contribute this season, so it'll be interesting to see who'll be in the top five, or top seven. If any freshmen make a splash, they'll be sure to contribute this season.
"It's a good time to be in a senior leadership role. The freshman class is very talented, and as captains, we can help teach them about the system and help them move up."
Tyson feels that the team is very close to becoming an annual postseason contender.
"We'll be pretty good this year, and even better next year. It takes about two years to get in the groove, and by the third year you're really hitting your stride as a program. It'll be helpful having Chris in the lineup next year, with everyone a year older, and we'll look to make a push for the top 10 in our region."
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