Cross Country Impresses Tyson In Season Debut
9/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head cross country coach Pat Tyson got his first look at his troops under fire Saturday at the Clash of the Inland Northwest and came away with a good first impression.
With some of his top runners participating unattached or sitting out due to injury, Tyson thinks the meet gave him a good idea of where the teams stand early in the season.
"I'm not scratching my head wondering what changes I'm going to make," Tyson said. "It's early in the season and I liked what I saw today."
On the men's side Chris Boyle, fourth in the West Coast Conference Championship a year ago, is redshirting while Tate Kelly sat out with a slight hamstring pull suffered earlier in the week. On the women's side, Lauren Bergam ran unattached as she may still redshirt because of a heavy academic load this semester.
But those that did wear the Gonzaga singlet Saturday - most of the freshman ran unattached to preserve a potential redshirt year - performed well.
Sophomores Willie Milam and Robert Walgren were the top two Bulldogs on the men's side with top 20 finishes. Milam was 16th in 19:10 over the 6.2K Mead High course, while Walgren was 19th in 19:15. Freshman Colin O'Neil, running unattached, was 17th in 19:11.
"O'Neil will definitely be in a jersey next week," Tyson said.
With Kelly out and Boyle redshirting it definitely gives the Bulldogs a different look.
"With Tate nursing a slight hamstring strain and Boyle redshirting it mixes things up a little bit," Tyson said. "Willie was our top guy and O'Neil was right behind him. Then there are massive characters. Patrick Richie was up there and was our top guy early in the race. Nate Gesell and freshman Braeden Van Deynze were in our top five"
Tyson likes the depth of his men's squad.
"We have a lot of young athletes and that's one of the reasons we are redshirting Boyle because we know this is going to be a very special team," Tyson said of the future.
The Bulldog women also drew the praise of their coach. Veterans Lindsay Drake and Emily Thomas paced the women. Drake was the top Bulldog finisher at 14:14.5 for third place over the 4.2K layout. Thomas was seventh in 14:37.6.
Bergam was 15th in 14:54.4; freshman Maggie Jones was 16th in 14:58.8 and freshman Erin Bergmann 19th in 15:18.8.
"We had a couple of upperclassmen and a couple of freshmen right up there so that's a pretty good four with Lauren redshirting," Tyson said. "Then there was a little bit of a gap so we have to get our fifth up there a little higher and that will be huge."
Krista Beyer, Elizabeth Ryan, Emily Albrecht and Becca Barad were all bunched from 23rd to 27th.
"There are a lot of girls in that mode," Tyson said of the chase for spots. "That second group was right there and looked good so we have some depth. We just need to move them up the pack a little bit."
Tyson looked at this race as an extension of training camp.
"We've been working hard, and the freshmen have been doing 16 and 17 mile runs. There's not much life in their legs. Plus, they are dealing with the first week of classes and the first week or two of being away from their families for the first time in their life."
The Bulldogs have a dual meet with the University of Oregon in Sunriver, Ore., next Saturday followed by the Erik Anderson Memorial at Plantes Ferry in Spokane prior to heading to the University of Montana, a meet "we'll use for more for grooming," according to Tyson.
"The setting is perfect in Missoula. We have to decide if we want to run our top people in back-to-back 8K races, but Missoula is really our showcase for who we think will be our WCC contingent."
