Coaches selected Utah Valley as the favorite to win both the men's and women's titles. UVU will defend their titles from 2009, when they lived up to preseason expectations by finishing first at the championship meet in New York.
In 2009, Seattle U's men's team placed second at the Great West Conference Championships, and the women fourth, exceeding the preseason expectations.
Returning to the squad on the men's side is senior Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who was the top finisher of the first four events last season and finished 17th at the championships. Junior Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.) is also coming back to run for the Redhawks, having placed 11th with an all-conference performance at the GWC Championships in 2009. Senior Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) and sophomore Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) placed 22nd and 23rd respectively and will also return this fall.
Leading the women for Seattle University is junior Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.), who finished 18th at last year's championships. She will be joined by sophomore Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) and senior Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.), who also competed at last year's championships.
The cross country teams will kick off their 2010 season at the University of North Dakota's Ron Pynn Classic on September 4.