The 2010 cross country season concludes this upcoming weekend with the NAIA Championships on November 20, at Fort Vancouver, Washington. UBC has qualified men and women's teams with at-large berths following their 2nd and 3rd place performances at the AII Conference Championships. This marks the second consecutive year the men and women have qualified for the Championships together. Both were ranked in the top-15 in the season's final national coaches' polls, the men 15th, and the women 9th.

Last year the men were 9th at the NAIA Championships, behind Luc Bruchet's All-American 17th place finish. The women ran their way to 8th, led by Sabrina Reeve, now-graduated, placing 26th, and Nelly Amenyogbe finishing in 35th, both earning All-American decoration.

"I think having had both teams compete at the Championships last year will definitely be an advantage to us," says head coach Marek Jedrzejek. "There have been a few changes in the athletes due to graduation, but the core of the team has stayed the same."

The Fort Vancouver site is a typical Pacific Northwest cross country course that will almost surely end up muddy and wet by race day. Cold any rainy November weather will suit the UBC teams, who are used to training in that climate.

"We have been training on surfaces similar to what we'll be facing at the Championships to get prepared, and I think we are going to see that effort pay off next weekend, " Jedrzejek notes. "Most athletes ran there last year, and won't be surprised by anything."

"The race is almost a home meet. We don't have to travel far or deal with issues like jet lag, or a new climate," Jedrzejek says of the Fort Vancouver venue. "And many current and former athletes, and fans will make the trip down to support us. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Men's team at a glance

The men should challenge for a top-10 finish. They have gained experience in facing some tough competition this year, including the top-ranked team in the nation, Southern Oregon University, at the Charles Bowles Invitational back in October. UBC's depth will be advantageous against such a large field. A 46-second spread separated the T-Birds' 1st from 5th scoring runner at the AII Championships.

Up front, Luc Bruchet and Jordan Smith lead the men to Fort Vancouver, fresh off 4th and 5th place finishes at the AII Championships. These two are the top returners from last year's Championships, where Bruchet was 17th, and Smith 125th. Making his second appearance at the Championships is senior Nigel Hole, 152nd in 2009. Behind these three, a cohort of 'Birds will be making their first Championships appearances: Theo Hunt, rookie Justin Kent, and Aidan Kennedy, and Tim Huebsch.

Women's team at a glance

The women have made a late season push towards the Championships. Having seen five of the eight teams ranked in front of them in competition this year, they will know what to expect in Fort Vancouver. Nelly Amenyogbe leads the way for the women coming off yet another personal best at the AII Championships, her second in as many races. The women finished that race fairly tightly bunched, with a spread of just under a minute for their scoring runners.

A mix of newcomers and veterans will toe the line for the 'Birds in the season finale. Maggie Woodward, who finished 9th at the AII Championships, makes her second appearance at the national meet. She placed 100th there last year. First-timer Sarah Reimer, 11th at the AII Championships, has also been consistently performing well all season, and she and Woodward will look to stay up front with Amenyogbe.

Veteran Brittany Imlach contests her third Championships race (108th in 2009), the most of any runner on the teams, and Jenny Strong makes her second go at it (199th in 2009). Heather Slinn and Rhiannon Evans are making their first trips to Fort Vancouver.

"The minimum goal is to do better than we did last year, which was 8th and 9th for the women and men's teams," states Jedrzejek. "The men had some injury issues in the past few weeks, but those are over now, and the women are just flying. I am confident we'll be able to reach our targets. We are all excited about the race."

Race information

The women's Championship race starts at 10:30 a.m., and the men set off at 11:45 a.m. Race distances are 5-kilometers for the women and 8-kilometers for the men. The race will be held on the grounds of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and is very spectator friendly and free to attend.