Cross Country Yote Notes - Edition 10

11.16.2009

LAST WEEK: Idle

COMING UP: at NAIA National Championships, Saturday, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, Wash. – Men’s Race at 10:30 a.m. (PT), Women’s Race at 11:45 a.m. (PT)

NATIONALS CALLING THE YOTES: For the second-straight year, both The College of Idaho men’s and women’s cross country teams will be among the 64-teams vying for a national title on Saturday, as the Yotes travel up I-84 to the NAIA National Championships in the Portland metro area.  It marks the fourth time, and the third-straight year that the Coyote men have advanced to the national meet as a team, while it is the second team appearance for the Lady Yotes. 

BACK IN THE NORTHWEST: Outside of the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, it marks the first NAIA Championship event to be held in the Pacific Northwest since the NAIA Division II men’s basketball tournament left Nampa in 1999.  The NAIA in the past has held the football, swimming, and women’s soccer national championships in the region – but not since the Northwest Conference left the NAIA in 1997.  It also marks the first time that the NAIA Cross Country National Championships have been held west of the Mississippi River.

SIZING UP THE MEN’S FIELD: With the Yotes ranked among the Top-10 in the final national poll of the year, The C of I with a quality race, will definitely be in the mix on Saturday.  However, on paper, it looks to be a two-team race, as Cascade Conference champion Southern Oregon – who has won all five team meets they have entered this season, will look to dethrone two-time defending national champ, Malone (Ohio).  Other teams in the mix are Concordia (Neb.) and Cal State-San Marcos – who have been in the Top-5 all season, along with perennial power, Simon Fraser.  Two other CCC schools – Eastern Oregon and Concordia (Ore.) are in the field, along with individual runners from Oregon Tech, Evergreen State, Northwest Christian, and Warner Pacific.  No CCC school has won an NAIA title, however, Eastern Oregon has the highest finish among CCC teams at the meet, placing second in 2002.

MEN’S HISTORY AT NATIONALS: It will mark the fifth time that the Coyotes will be competing at Nationals, and the fourth time they will send their entire team.  In 2004, the Yotes sent two runners – David Fluckiger and Tyler Hopper to the national meet, with Fluckiger finishing in 94th-place.  A year later, the Coyotes sent their entire team to Louisville, Ky., with the Yotes finishing 17th overall – with Fluckiger recording the highest finish by a C of I men’s runner, taking 26th.  After narrowly missing the event in 2006, the Yotes returned to the meet in 2007, this time in Kenosha, Wisc. – with a 75th-place finish by Hopper helping the Coyotes to a 23rd-place finish as a team.  A year ago, also in Wisconsin, the Yotes placed 20th as a team, thanks to a 59th-place effort from Paul Sartin (Meridian, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS)

SIZING UP THE WOMEN’S FIELD: Ranked in the Top-6 for the majority of the season, the Lady Yotes have the ability to find themselves on the podium following Saturday’s race.  The odds-on favorite to win the event, however, is top-ranked and defending champ, Azusa Pacific – who has been near unstoppable this fall.  Two other California schools – CSU-San Marcos and Biola, along with ten-time NAIA champ Simon Fraser will be hot on their heels.  Although the meet has never been held in the West, the West has dominated the event – winning 20 of the last 22 national titles, including Northwest University’s 2002 national championship.  The CCC will also be represented by Concordia (Ore.) as the host institution, while Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, Northwest Christian, and Warner Pacific will all have individuals competiting.

WOMEN’S HISTORY AT NATIONALS: Although it is the second time the Lady Yotes have competed at the meet as a team, it marks the fifth time that the squad has had an entry at Nationals.  In both 2004 and 2005, Shannon Edwards represented the Lady Yotes – finishing 112th during C of I’s first year as a program, backing it up with a solid 48th-place finish the following year.  In 2007, Stephanie Helm (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS) carried the Coyote banner at Nationals, recording a 31st-place finish – before earning All-America honors last season after a school-record 12th-place finish, helping The C of I to a ninth-place finish overall as a team.

THE NIKE EXPERIENCE: The Yotes have an exciting trip planned for the weekend – as the team will embark from Caldwell on Thursday morning.  Following a preview of the course along the Columbia River on Friday, the team will head to the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton – getting a tour of the 176-acre campus, before a dinner at the Tiger Woods Center with keynote speaker, famed American distance runner, Alberto Salazar.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I cross country program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.asp. 

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