Press Release
8/31 - PREVIEW: Bruin Veterans to Shoulder Key Loads in 2007 Cross Country Seasons
NEWBERG, Ore. - After watching his teams finish in the top half of the Northwest Conference and NCAA Division III West Regional races in 2006 in his first season, George Fox University associate head coach Mike Hickey expects the Bruins to continue their improvement during the 2007 men's and women's cross country campaigns.
The Bruin men placed fourth in the NWC Championship and seventh in the West Regional, while the GFU women were fourth in the NWC and fifth in the West. The major loss for the men was Jake Moe, who was All-NWC (5th) and All-West Region (16th). The women will be without Jessica Beach, who was All-West Region (30th) and four-year runners Whitney Warren and Leighann Fischer, the latter now an assistant coach for the Bruins.
Despite those losses to graduation, the optimistic Hickey professes, "I prefer to concentrate on what we have, rather than on what we don't have, and I think we have a chance to move up in both the conference and the region."
Women
"We have three seniors on the women's side," Hickey notes, "and should be a better team because of the progress they have made since last year."
Included in that trio are Anna McLain (Sr., Medina, Wash. / Bellevue Christian HS), Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh (Sr., Renton, Wash. / Christian Faith HS), and Bethany Adams (Sr., Portland, Ore. / Westside Christian HS). The Bruins' other returning letterwinner is Bethany Strutz (So., Billings, Mont. / Billings HS).
McLain, who went to the NCAA Division III Nationals as a freshman but has battled injuries since, earned All-West Region honors last fall (14th) and was the Bruins' top finisher in the NWC race (16th). Giffey-Brohaugh, who went to the NCAA track and field nationals and set a Bruin record in the 800 meter run in the spring, was 26th in the NWC and 37th in the regional, while Adams was 23rd in the NWC and 40th in the regional. Strutz was 70th in the region.
"Rachel is our team captain this year and has come off the summer looking stellar," observes Hickey. "She has set the pace for us early in the year and may have a shot at the nationals if she can continue to progress at this rate. Anna and Bethany have also come back strong and ready to have excellent senior seasons."
The Bruins have added two freshmen to the squad with whom Hickey has been impressed in Nicole Fleming (Fr., McKenzie Bridge, Ore. / McKenzie HS) and Sarah Curry (Fr., Portland, Ore. / Beaverton HS). Fleming finished second in the Oregon IA State Championships, while Curry competed for one of the top programs in the state at the 6A level.
"We have some great attitudes on this team, and this is the most enjoyable group I've had to work with in nine years of coaching," proclaims Hickey. "We will be more competitive this year, and we're going to have to be better and ready to go - there are a lot of returning runners at other schools and the West Region is going to be highly competitive."
Men
Despite the loss of Moe, one to the top 10 runners in school history, Hickey believes his men's team has a chance to move up in the conference and region, predicting that "while Jake was a big loss, some of the slack should be taken up by improved efforts from some of our younger athletes."
Grant Finney (Sr., Tigard, Ore. / Southridge HS) is the only senior on this year's squad and will be the team captain. He placed 62nd in the West Regional race last year.
"Grant is as strong and fit as I have ever seen him," Hickey comments. "He has worked extremely hard and has been leading the field in our hard runs. We expect an outstanding senior season from him."
A trio of returning sophomores who provide a solid nucleus for the Bruins' future include Cam Eberhart (So., Albany, Ore. / West Albany HS), Paul Rapet (So., Medford, Ore. / South Medford HS), and Jordan Ware (So., Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS). Eberhart earned All-West Region honors by placing 31st and was 22nd in the NWC championships, Rapet was 38th in the region and 25th in the NWC, and Ware was 56th in the West and 40th in the NWC.
"Jordan had an excellent summer of training after a strong freshman year," Hickey remarks. "Paul and Cam have a little bit of catching up to do but are working extremely hard to get in shape and should have fine sophomore seasons."
The Bruins' fifth returnee is Adam Haldorson (Jr., Creswell, Ore. / Springfield HS), of whom Hickey says, "Adam has worked hard and is beginning to reap the benefits of his perseverance. He should make some nice contributions this year."
This year's two newcomers to the men's team are Bradley Higgins (Fr., Grants Pass, Ore. / Grants Pass HS) and Clayton Pugsley (Fr., Canby, Ore. / Canby HS).
"One of our pleasant surprises has been Bradley," says Hickey, "a high school all-conference performer who gives us a solid No. 5 runner. Clayton is a mid-distance runner who comes to us from a strong program at Canby."
The season begins for the Bruins Saturday, Sept. 1, in the Whitman College Invitational at Ft. Walla Walla Park in Walla Walla, Wash. The women will compete in a 4K race at 10:45 a.m., followed by the men's 6K race at 11:15 a.m. All the other races this fall will be 6K for the women and 8K for the men.
George Fox will host two events this season at their new home course at Willamette Mission State Park in Brooks, Ore.: the Wes Cook Bear Fete Invitational on Sept. 22 and the Northwest Conference Championships on Oct. 27. The men will run at 10:00 a.m. and the women at 11:00 a.m. at both events.