Cougars boast returning All-Americans and depth

PROVO — Last season, the BYU men's and women's cross country teams swept the Mountain West Conference, and entered the postseason with top 10 rankings, with the women going on to finish eighth in the nation while the men finished 13th.

And with each team returning at least four of its top seven runners from last year, including a pair of All-Americans to anchor each squad, 2006 should just be another season at the office for BYU's storied programs.

The men's team will once again be built around senior Josh Rohatinsky, who led the team in every race he ran last year. He also captured All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

"He's certainly our number-one man; he's our low stick, he's the guy we're depending on to go out and lead the way," men's coach Ed Eyestone said. "We think he's going to be a big factor for us in every race this year — he's back, he's fit and he's ready to assume the leadership position that he fills very well."

BYU's overall success, however, will hinge on the performance of the second through fifth runners, most of whom are back this year after inching ever closer to Rohatinsky last season.

Leading the charge should be the one-two punch of juniors Chandler Goodwin and Dustin Bybee, who were in the top three for BYU in almost every race last year. Goodwin, who joined Rohatinsky as an All-American last year, has looked particularly strong in training camp, Eyestone said.

BYU also returns sophomore Jacob Gustafsson and junior Tyrel Jensen. Both were on the fringe of the top five all last season and are expected to play a bigger role this year.

As in years past, the team's principal goal is to finish in the top four at the NCAA meet, which Eyestone acknowledged is a high bar, but one the team has the potential to clear.

"We have two returning All-Americans, and the challenge this year is to find one or two more," Eyestone said. "Typically, if you're going to finish in the top four at Nationals, then you've got to have anywhere from three to four All-Americans, so hopefully we'll have some people who can step up and fill that."

On the women's team, graduation and injuries took their toll over the last year. The Cougars will be without the services of last year's No. 1 runner, Chelsea Smith-McKell, who graduated.