Cross Country Faces Aggressive Schedule To Raise The Bar
6/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University's cross country program continues to build a competitive schedule to challenge the Bulldogs and ascend to a higher level.
This fall is no different.
"It's a perfect schedule," director of cross country/track and head men's coach Pat Tyson said of the 2014 schedule released Friday.
"Each year we look to build a schedule that continues to give us opportunities to grow as competitors and yet to be stretched to respond to greater expectations," women's head coach Patty Ley said.
For the first time in Tyson's seven years with the Bulldogs the men's and women's schedules won't mirror each other, and Tyson is looking forward to a couple of marquee meets for the men.
As part of the Erik Anderson Invitational at Planets Ferry in the Spokane Valley Sept. 20, the Bulldog and Navy men will run an 8K dual meet beginning at 10:45 a.m., followed by the Erik Anderson Invitational at 11:45 a.m.
Two weeks following the Navy dual the men will compete in the University of Notre Dame Invitational, the first appearance for the Zags in this meet although prior to Tyson's arrival Gonzaga had competed in the National Catholic Championship hosted by the Fighting Irish.
The Bulldog women will compete in the Montana Invitational in Missoula, Mont., Oct. 4, and both squads will be at the Inland Empire Classic hosted by WSU Oct. 18 as the final tune-up for the West Coast Conference Championship Nov. 1.
The season opens Aug. 30 with the Clash of the Inland Northwest at Spokane's Mead High with Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, the University of Idaho, Whitworth University, Whitman College and Lewis-Clark State College. Sept. 13 the Zags will compete in the WCC Preview hosted by Santa Clara University at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, Calif., the site of the WCC Championship.
Tyson is excited to see what the Zags can do at Notre Dame.
"We're going to a higher end meet this season. We're going to Notre Dame this year. We're going to run at Notre Dame," Tyson emphasized. "We're not in the Notre Dame Catholic Championship, but the big one - the Notre Dame Invitational. Let's see what we can do with where we're at. If we just knock it down where do we go from there? What do we do in the WCC? What do we do in Western Regional? And do we knock it going to Terra Haute (site of the NCAA Championship? You just don't know."
Ley said the Notre Dame meet is a good one for the men, while she's looking to ramp up the competition regionally for the Zag women.
"For the first time since Coach Tyson was hired we are doing slightly different meets. The men, after an 11th place at the West Region meet last year and losing no one to graduation, need to take the opportunity to compete at a national level by going to Notre Dame. For the women, we are looking to up the level of competition regionally by facing WCC competitors early and then going to Montana to compete against teams ranked in the Mountain Region in 2013 and on the rise," Ley said. "This schedule should allow the women to develop well while challenging them appropriately as well."
Tyson said the season is perfect because it allows for a race every 14 days.
"We have a nice short race opening up at Mead," he said of the 6K for men and the 4K for the women. "Two weeks later an epic duel against Navy and the Erik Anderson Invitational. Then we roll out our top seven in South Bend. The final tune-up prior to the WCC Championship is the Inland Empire Classic hosted by Washington State University. Thus the perfect rhythm; race once every 14 days. That should prepare us well for Santa Clara. I feel good about the schedule."
Ley summed up the scheduling philosophy of perhaps splitting the men's and women's schedule even more in future years.
"We're looking forward to the day when both teams are aggressively seeking competition to put them in the best possible place to advance to the National Championship," she said.
2014 Gonzaga Cross Country Schedule
(All Times Pacific Time Zone)
August
30 - Clash of the Inland Northwest, Mead High School, Spokane, Wash., 10 a.m.
September
13 - WCC Preview, Baylands Park, Sunnyvale, Calif., 10 a.m. 20 - Men vs. Navy, Plantes Ferry, Spokane, Wash., 10:45 a.m.; Erik Anderson Invitational 11:45 a.m., Plantes Ferry, Spokane, Wash.
October
3 - Men at Notre Dame Invitational, Notre Dame Golf Course, South Bend, Ind., 11 a.m. 4 - Women at Montana Invitational, University of Montana Golf Course, Missoula, Mont., 9 a.m. 18 - Inland Empire Classic, hosted by Washington State University, Site and time TBA.
November
1 - West Coast Conference Championship, Baylands Park, Sunnyvale, Calif., 10 a.m. 14 - NCAA Western Regional, Stanford Golf Complex, Palo Alto, Calif. 10:30 a.m. 22 - NCAA Championship, Wabash Valley Family Sports Center, Terre Haute, Ind., 9 a.m.
