Winning is the common denominator for BYU runners

Two coaches, two strategies, one result.

That pretty much sums up BYU's cross country program, where men's coach Ed Eyestone and women's coach Patrick Shane approach their posts with diametrically opposed styles, but still come together where it counts: winning.

Coming off a fifth-place finish at the NCAA meet last year, Eyestone said his team has based this season's goals on last year's.

"Our goals for 2005 are very similar to our 2004 goals, and those goals are to win the conference meet and then to make the NCAA meet and finish in the top four there," Eyestone said.

A team that finishes in the top four on a consistent basis should be able to capture a national title every few years, said Eyestone, whose Cougars squad started the season ranked No. 4 in the nation and are now ranked No. 5.

"That's what we're working toward, and getting fifth place last year was a great step in that direction," he said. "We just need to keep the ball rolling."

His counterpart, Shane, is no stranger to winning. His teams have won 17 straight conference titles, been to 16 NCAA championship meets and captured national titles in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

So then, what are his goals for the new season? None.

"We don't set goals," Shane said. "Never have. I'm not a believer in setting outcome goals, so we don't do it. Even when we had that incredible run where we were first or second for seven straight years, winning four national championships, we never, ever talked about winning a national championship. I've just never believed that's the way to go in our sport."

It's hard to argue with success. Shane said he prefers to instead focus on what needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis.

Shane said he and his runners don't put the national meet out of their minds, but approach it as a chance to line up and prove how good they are as individuals, not as links in the school's title chain.

"I've taken that approach where I'm kind of deflecting that pressure and allowing the athletes on what it is we're doing today and this week to get ourselves ready for November," he said.

Both teams will benefit from strong veteran leadership in 2005, though it comes in different forms. The men are led by returning all-American Josh Rohatinsky, a junior, who is closely followed by sophomores Dustin Bybee and Chandler Goodwin.