Highly-Ranked Pirates Open at Whitman Invite

Whitworth Cross Country At Whitman Invitational Ft. Walla Walla Park Sept. 4 - 10:30 a.m.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The bar has been set pretty high for the 2010 Whitworth cross country teams. After all, the men won Northwest Conference and NCAA West Regional titles in 2008 on the way to qualifying for the NCAA Championships. The women surpassed that last season by not only winning both the conference and regional championships, but finishing sixth at the NCAA Division III national meet.

But, according to head coach Toby Schwarz, both teams want to raise the bar even higher.

Dana Misterek

“More difficult than winning a championship is repeating as champions,” said Schwarz. “We have been blessed to win a few championships lately and even place well at the national level, however the goal of repeating as NWC Champs and West Regional Champs, year after year, and even winning the National title are still goals that have yet to be achieved.”

Schwarz has plenty of depth and firepower returning to work with.

The women return their top four runners from last season: Dana Misterek (Jr., Gig Harbor, Wash.), Joy Shufeldt (So., Portland, Ore.), Tonya Turner (Jr., Spokane, Wash.) and Katie Williams (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.). Misterek and Shufeldt went 2-3 at the NWC Championships and went on to earn All-America honors last season. Both Turner and Williams earned Second Team All-NWC and All-West Region honors.

“Dana, Tonya, Katie and Joy are all proven competitors who have the talent, experience and mindset to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves,” said Schwarz. “The question that looms is who will step up to be the 5th runner that is needed to score low? We only have a total of nine women on the roster, therefore we only have 5 options to fill that crucial 5th spot. The blessing is that all 5 ladies are quality runners and any of them could step up and fill that role.”

Nick Gallagher

After a disappointing second place finish in the NWC and fourth place in the West region, the men return seven of their top nine runners. Nick Gallagher (Sr., Bedford, Iowa) and Aaron Jenkins (So., Pocatello, Idaho) are veterans who qualified individually for the NCAA Championships last year. Gallagher is a former NCAA West Region individual champion (2008).

Trevor Barrian (So., North Bend, Ore.), Tyler Dudley (Jr., Salem, Ore.) and Mark Davis (Jr., Gig Harbor, Wash.) have experience scoring for the Pirates. Kalen Darling (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii) joins cross country after an All-American season in swimming. He has qualified to compete in the World Junior Triathlon in Budapest on September 8th.

“An admittedly disappointing 2009 season has lit a fire in the men and that motivation, along with a high degree of talent and experience, is going to suit them very well,” said Schwarz. “If I needed to name a front runner on the team, it would be impossible. There are 5 guys who could, on any given Saturday, lead this team. Our hope is that all 5 men can be at the front of a race and it will lead to positive results for the team. “

The Pirate women head into the 2010 season ranked first in the NCAA West Region and 7th in all of NCAA Division III, while the men are ranked fourth in the region.

Whitworth will open the season on Saturday at the Whitman Invitational. The men race first at 10:30 a.m., followed by the women. The season will conclude with the Northwest Conference Championships on October 30th in Tacoma (Fr. Stielacoom State Park), then the NCAA West Region meet on November 13th in Salem, Ore. (Bush’s Pasture Park). The 2010 NCAA Division III Championships will be hosted by Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.