SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth's men's cross country team will travel to Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana for the 2008 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship meet on Saturday. In a season of firsts for the Pirates, Saturday will mark the first time Whitworth's men have raced at the NCAA championships as a team.
Hanover College has set up a host website with previews and entries, as well as links to watch a live video feed and follow results. The host site can be found here: The men will race at 11:00 a.m. (EST). The top 35 runners will earn All-America honors. Thirty-two teams will be competing for final spots in the national standings. While Saturday's race will mark a "first" for the men's team, Nick Gallagher (So., Bedford, Iowa) and Dusty Caseria (Jr., Bellingham, Wash.) have been there before. Each qualified to compete at last season's national championship meet as individuals. Caseria finished 216th, while Gallagher was 219th. There are 280 competitors in a national race.
In addition, Emmanuel Bofa (RS So., Puyallup, Wash.) is the defending NCAA Division III outdoor track and field champion in the 800 meter run, so he also has experience with national-level competition. Aaron Jenkins (Fr., Pocatello, Idaho), who finished eighth at last week's NCAA regional, Tyler Dudley (Fr., Salem, Ore.), Jamie Daroff (Sr., Clearfield, Utah) and Collin Stewart (Jr., Cabondale, Colo.) will also run for the Bucs. "With two guys that have been there before in Nick and Dusty and with a national track champion with Eman and four other guys who see making it to nationals as a step in the process and not the destination, I am very excited about the possible results," said Whitworth head coach, Toby Schwarz. Schwarz believes a top-ten finish could be within reach.
"With last year’s experience, Nick has the ability to finish very high in the race and that should set the pace for the rest of the group," he said. "Dusty and Aaron have the ability to be All-American (top 35) and you can never count out Eman. Tyler, Jamie and Collin all have the ability to finish well as our 5th runner. This should add up to anything from 10-25th place team finish." Schwarz is familiar with the race course and the Pirates have had success there in the past. In 2003 Leslie Nelson finished 14th in the women's race, becoming the first cross country All-American in school history. "This course is not particularly fast. The size of the field and the caliber of student-athletes competing makes it extremely difficult to predict times and places for anyone. It will come down to who competes the best when the starting gun goes off," said Schwarz. The Whitworth men are coming off of two especially impressive performances. The Pirates won their first Northwest Conference championship since 1972 on November 1st and followed that up with their first NCAA West Region title ever last Saturday in Salem, Oregon. Gallagher became the first Whitworth runner to win an individual regional title. Go to Athletics Home Page > Cross Country > Sports Releases > |
