Will 5th Year be the Charm for C of I Harriers?
CALDWELL, Idaho -- The College of Idaho cross country teams are poised to have another outstanding season, as the Coyotes begin their fifth-year since distance runners returned to the Caldwell campus. The men’s team will have to replace their top-two runners from last season – but will have outstanding depth, while the women’s team returns four All-Cascade Conference performers from a team that finished second in the league.
LADY YOTES PICKED TO WIN CCC: Earlier in the week, the Cascade Conference coaches picked The C of I to win the women’s title in 2008. The Lady Yotes picked up seven of the 11 first-place votes and picked up 117 voter points, four ahead of defending champion, Eastern Oregon. Corban, Concordia, and Northwest round out the Top-5. Last year, the Lady Yotes were picked third by the league coaches in the preseason poll.
COYOTE MEN PICKED SECOND: For the second-straight year, the CCC coaches picked The C of I men to finish second in the league standings in 2008. The Coyotes did not pick up a first-place vote, however, earned 100 voter points, one ahead of third-place Southern Oregon. Defending league-champ Eastern Oregon captured ten of the 11 first-place votes to sit atop the ranking, with Concordia in fourth and Corban fifth.
PRESEASON NATIONAL POLL: For the first-time ever, The C of I women were ranked in the NAIA Top-25 Preseason Coaches Poll, as the Lady Yotes achieved the No. 11 spot in the polling released by the national office in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday. It marks the highest-ever ranking by the Coyotes in program history, eclipsing the No. 14 mark they notched midway through the 2007 season. They are joined in the Top-25 by fellow CCC rival, Eastern Oregon (No. 13), with Corban receiving votes. On the men's side, the Yotes received five voter points, or ranked No. 37 in the presesason poll. Eastern Oregon (No. 8) and Concordia (No. 21) were the other two CCC teams in the poll. Last season, the Coyote men were ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll.
LAST SEASON / PLAYERS LOST: The 2007 season was a banner year for the Coyote cross country program – as the Purple and Gold had their first-ever conference champion, five All-CCC selections, their best individual finish at the NAIA Championships, and their second team to qualify for the national meet. The Coyote men will have to replace their top two runners – as four-year standouts Tyler Hopper and Jesse Chlebeck, have graduated, along with fellow senior, Tyler Gross. The Lady Yotes graduated just three seniors, including Lauren Plymire, who was among the Top-5 for the squad all season.
ABOUT THE WOMEN: The Lady Yotes have high expectations coming into the 2008 season – and with just two seniors on the roster, the expectations may be there for years to come. Leading the charge for the Coyotes is Stephanie Helm (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS), who had the most dominant season by a C of I runner. As a freshman, she not only set school records in the 4,000 (14:30) and 5,000-meters (18:26), but captured the CCC individual championship, earning CCC Women’s Runner of the Year honors. Helm placed 31st at the NAIA Championships – the highest finish by a C of I runner in school history, while also finishing as the runner-up in the 3,000-meters at the NAIA Indoor Track Championships. Not far behind Helm are a trio of runners who earned All-CCC honors last year – juniors Stephanie Sparks (West Jordan, Utah / Juan Diego HS), Chantel Varland (Meridian, Idaho / Mountain View HS), and Molli Lee-Painter (Moscow, Idaho / Moscow HS), all of whom ran the 5,000-meter course under 20-minutes in 2007. Three others – Kristine Smith (New Meadows, Idaho / Meadows Valley HS), Jayne Saunders (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS), and Tegan Troutner (Lake Fork, Idaho / McCall-Donnelly HS) should battle to be in the Top-7. Two newcomers also figure to be in the scoring mix – true freshman Kayloni Jones (Nine Mile Falls, Wash. / Lakeside HS) and transfer Maggie Miller (Anchorage, Alaska / Lane CC).
ABOUT THE MEN: The Coyote men, who have qualified as a team to two of the last three NAIA Championships, will be led by senior Sam Hardy (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS), who is coming off an injury-plagued 2007 season. Hardy joins juniors Geoff Williams (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) and Mike Tobiason (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), along with sophomore Paul Sartin (Meridian, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), as a solid scoring contingent for the Yotes – all who have run 8,000-meters under 26:40. Adding depth for The C of I is Kiprotich Langat (Nairobi, Kenya / United World College-USA), who ran for the Coyotes in track last Spring, along with freshmen Zeke Wilson (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS), who won a state championship last Fall.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH: Pat McCurry is in his fifth season has the head coach for The C of I cross country and track programs. In just four seasons (after the Coyote running programs were dormant for nearly 30 years), he has built the Coyote men and women into NAIA Top-25 programs, with the men's team achieving berths to the 2005 and 2007 NAIA Championships. Both programs have also had at-large runners at nationals each of the first four seasons. He has also coached three NAIA All-Americans, and numerous All-Cascade Conference and All-NAIA Region I competitors. A native of Boise and graduate of Bishop Kelly High, McCurry came to C of I after serving as the assistant coach at Eastern Oregon University, his alma mater, for two years. He helped the Mountaineer men achieve a No. 1 ranking in the 2003 NAIA preseason poll. As a head coach, he led North Powder High to a track and field state championship. He also competes at a high-level post-collegiately, running for the Nike-Portland Track and Eastside Club, having won the 2005 Race to Robie Creek and the City of Trees marathon. McCurry and his wife Andrija live in Caldwell.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I cross country team, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm.