Happy trails. Come Saturday morning (Sept. 7), the Seattle Pacific University men's and women's cross country teams will be off and running. The Falcons will be joined by the likes of Central Washington, Saint Martin's, Washington, Western Washington and host Seattle University for the Emerald City Invitational at nearby Lower Woodland Park. Men will run 8000 meters and the women 5000 on a trail just east of the zoo. It's the first of six regular season meets prior to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships Oct. 26.

Glass starts half-full. While it's the first race, SPU will be at anything but full-strength this weekend. What with injuries and the impending arrival of several newcomers later in the month when classes begin, Coach Doris Heritage starts her 25th year with two squads whose best days are yet to come. The men's team appears strong at the top but has precious little depth. Meanwhile, the women have strength in numbers yet at least five harriers are currently sidelined with injuries, including some of their projected top scorers. Still, Heritage is hopeful that, if healthy, the teams will improve their 2001 finishes in both the GNAC and West Region of NCAA Division II.

A Castle with wheels. Coming on strong near the end of his collegiate career is Nathanael Castle (Sr., Gooding, Id.). A year ago, Castle finished among the top 10 in five fall meets and became the Falcons' first NCAA qualifier. He then built upon that success, winning conference track titles in both the 800 and 1500 meters and earning All-America status in the latter event at the NCAA Championships last spring. Castle's sights are now set on winning a GNAC crown (he was fifth last season) and once again qualifying for nationals.

Witt-less in Seattle. Seattle Pacific will send a relatively inexperienced women's team to the start line Saturday due to the absence of several key returnees. Jamie Witt (Jr., Folsom, Ca.), the top scorer as a sophomore, is injured along with Sarah Kraybill (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard), Nicole Seana (Jr., Carnation, Wa./Kamiakin) and Brandi McCoy (Fr., Richland, Wa.). Heritage anticipates having most of them back by late September although McCoy, the top recruit, will likely redshirt while recovering from foot surgery.

Looking to improve. The Falcons should improve on their seventh-place finish among the GNAC men, given the addition of redshirt Tim LeCount (Fr., Battle Ground, Wa.), Tim Reeves (Fr., Beaverton, Or./Beaverton) and Ryan Nash (Sr., Spokane, Wa./Mead). LeCount was all-conference in the 1500 last spring. Nash was the team's No. 3 scorer back in 1999 but did not compete the past two years. Returning from last year's top five are Paul Mach (Jr., Seattle, Wa./King's) and Scott Van Hess (Sr., Salem, Or./McKay).

Roles to fill. The women find themselves rebuilding after losing two-time conference champ Rachel Ross and two other top-seven scorers. Initially, Heritage is looking for veterans Ruth Hawkinson (Sr., Roy, Wa./Yelm) and Kirsten Bjork (Jr., Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) to pace the pack along with Josie Lavin (So., Bremerton, Wa.), who was injured much of last fall. Also back from last year's lead group are Kara Richard (So., Elma, NY/Iroquois Central).

Trail mix. SPU will host only one meet, an Oct. 5 duel with Western Washington at the Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island. While the conference championships return to West Seattle's Lincoln Park, the designated host is Seattle U...At last year's Emerald City meet, Washington easily swept the men's and women's team titles and Castle was the top SPU scorer, taking 11th...Assisting Heritage as coaches this season will be Erika (Botha) Daligcon and Lane Seeley. Daligcon ran for the Falcons from 1995-96 and wed former soccer All-America Nate Daligcon earlier this year. Seeley is a physics professor at Seattle Pacific and previously was an assistant to the Blanchet High School program.

Coaching staff. Coach Doris Heritage (25th year) has guided the SPU women to 10 top-10 national finishes and conference titles in six of the last nine years. In 1996 the Falcons won the West Region and her teams finished as high as second in the AIAW (1979, '80) and third in the NCAA (1983, '86) championships. Nineteen harriers have been All-America, including two national champions. The world's premier distance runner of the Sixties, she won five consecutive world cross country titles from 1967-71, and was a member of the 1968 and '72 U.S. Olympic teams. Heritage has coached the U.S. world cross country championship team, served as an assistant at many international meets, including the 1988 Olympics, and is a six-time women's conference coach of the year at SPU. In July of 2002 she was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. Heritage was already a member of the U.S. Track & Field and U.S. Track Coaches halls of fame.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.