Boyle, Withers Ready For NCAA West Regional Championship
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 13, 2009
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University's men's cross country team will have two participants in the NCAA West Regional Saturday at Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ore., located east of Eugene.
Sophomore Chris Boyle, who automatically qualified as a Top 10 finisher at the West Coast Conference Championship, and senior captain Brett Withers will represent the Bulldogs with a spot in the NCAA Cross Country Championship at stake.
The duo became the first Bulldogs since Joe Miller in 2006 to compete at the regional meet. Miller, who finished second in the WCC Championship that season, competed four straight years at regional. His best finish was 39th as a junior in 31:18 over the 10K Stanford University course. The Bulldog men sent teams in 2003 and 2004 and Miller was a part of those teams as well.
Boyle was 10th in 25:33 for 8K at Crystal Springs in Belmont, Calif. Withers finished 28th in 26:16.
"It's nice to have Chris break into the top 10," Gonzaga head coach Pat Tyson said. "It's my philosophy that it's nice to have a partner to warm up with, to connect with and to room with so you are not a lonely bird down there. So we're taking Brett Withers who is our senior captain and very deserving. I think this is exciting for the program."
Tyson said he has told both runners their goal is "to beat anybody who beat you in the WCC Championship. See how high you can climb the conference. We'll be looking at those numbers."
The second-year Bulldog coach said the University of Portland will probably be putting in a couple more of their top runners into regional to "stimulate their ability to qualify for the NCAA, so maybe it's a bit of a challenge what I'm asking of Chris and Brett, but it's a good challenge."
The regional and NCAA Championship are 10K runs as opposed to the conference championship 8K layout and, in some cases, the 5K or 6K runs that comprise the regular season. But Tyson said that could be to his runners' advantage.
"Chris has never run a 10,000 meter, and both Chris and Brett are kind of 10K guys anyhow," Tyson said. "But Chris will get a taste of it and a feel of it and he can bring that wisdom back to the crew because hopefully we'll be able to have teammates - men and women - that will be competing in the regional meet next year," Tyson said.
The Springfield Country Club course will be an interesting layout, according to Tyson
"The course is a golf course and for the most part flat. But it could be very, very muddy so it could be slow and you better be prepared with some long spikes. Since they (Boyle and Withers) are both Seattle mud rats, this will be a good thing for both of them. Bring on the rain and bring on the mud. It's probably to our advantage. There aren't many hills, for the most part it's flat even though they both run hills very well. It's more of a speed 10,000 meter and that is not necessarily a bad thing," Tyson said.
Boyle attended Blanchet High in Seattle while Withers is from Woodinville, located north of Seattle near Bothell, and is a Woodinville High grad.
Tyson said the West is a power base for cross country.
"There's no doubt the individual champion and the team champion in the NCAA Championship could come out of the West," Tyson said. "Oregon has some solid runners, Stanford is loaded and Portland can be one of the top four teams in the country on any given day. Those three teams are ranked in the Top 10. This region, no doubt about it, is the top region in America," Tyson stated. "This region is not about entitlement, it's about you better show up to compete because that's the nature of the beast and that's very good for us."
