WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Familiar faces are many on the roster of the Whitman College men's cross country team. Name recognition with the Missionary women's roster, on the other hand, is just a bit more challenging.
Topped by Braden Burkholder, a senior from Helena, Mont., the men's roster has a total of 14 runners, including six of last year's top seven. Meanwhile, the women's squad lost its top three from last fall and starts the season with just eight athletes in all.
Burkholder, who qualified for last November's NCAA Div. III national championships, is the clear-cut front-runner for the men's team. Burkholder was Whitman's top finisher at each of the last three Northwest Conference championship meets.
While she hasn't run competitively since high school, senior Laura Matzen (Seattle, Wash.) might emerge this fall as Whitman's most fleet-footed female.
A more precise pecking order for both teams should start coming into focus this Saturday, Sept. 6, when the annual Whitman Invitational takes place at Ft. Walla Walla Park. The women's 6,000 meters starts at 10:45 a.m., to be followed by the men's 8,000 meters at 11:30 a.m.
Whitman head coach Carol Feezell and assistant coach Neal Christopherson are expecting five schools, including Northwest Conference rival Whitworth. Other teams will come from NCAA Div. I Boise State and three schools from the NAIA ranks -- Northwest Nazarene, Eastern Oregon, and Lewis-Clark State.
"It's going to be a very good field," Christopherson says.
Burkholder is Whitman's best bet for a strong, early-season showing. "Braden is clearly in good shape to start the fall," Christopherson says. "He could be our top runner in every race this fall."
After placing 23rd at last year's NWC Championships, Burkholder ran a season-best time at the NCAA West Regionals, placing 20th, to qualify for the nationals championships. He had the 11th-best NWC time in the regional race.
Conor Flynn, a junior from Aspen, Colo., was Whitman's No. 2 runner on the men's side last fall. He placed 28th at last year's conference meet, finishing less than 20 seconds behind Burkholder.
"Conor also came back to campus in good shape," Christopherson says. "He should be able to improve his times and place well at conference and regionals."
Three more juniors -- Mike Orcutt (Great Falls, Mont.), Ryan Choi (Bellevue, Wash.) and Patrick Cade (Riddle, Ore.) -- are solid returning runners. "They give us a good core group for our top seven," Christopherson says.
James Voelckers, a junior from Douglas, Alaska, also was a fixture among Whitman's top seven runners last fall. For now, however, Voelckers is sidelined by leg problems.
Other returning runners are junior Miles Barrett (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and seniors Chris Brewer (Anchorage, Alaska) and Charlie Gardner (Boise, Idaho).
Five first-year runners complete the men's roster. Elliot Brian (Fairfax, Calif.) and Nick Johnson (Portland, Ore.) both "ran good times in high school," Christopherson says. "Elliot is in decent shape to start the season, although Nick is still returning to fitness following an injury."
Jonathan Loeffler (Seattle, Wash.) also posted decent times in high school and over the summer, Christopherson says. Adam Kopet, another freshman from Portland, has "logged a lot of miles over the summer and has shown great improvement from his senior season in high school."
The fifth freshman, Sam Clark of Colorado Springs, Colo., appears to be the less experienced of the newcomers, Christopherson says. "This is his first season of cross country."
The void in the Whitman women's roster is due in part to the loss of junior Sierra Witnov to foreign study. Witnov, Whitman's top runner last fall, placed fourth in both the conference championships and NCAA West Regionals.
The Missionary women also lost one runner to graduation, one to injury, and one to another varsity sport on campus.
Jeanne Knechtges, a senior from Bellevue, Wash., is the top returning runner. She placed 48th at last year's NWC meet. "Jeanne ran well in our time trial last week," Christopherson says. "She's our most experienced runner, and she's going to be a good team leader."
Maureen FitzMaurice, a junior from Grangeville, Idaho, has shown "great improvement over the last two years, and that should continue this fall," Christopherson says. "She had a great summer of training and should continue to improve her times and placing."
Laura Matsen, a senior from Seattle, has shown plenty of promise in early workouts, even though she hasn't run competitively since high school. "She a lot of miles over the summer and could very well be one of our top runners," Christopherson says.
Also back from last season are sophomores Sarah McConnell (Newport, Ore.) and Katherine Magid (Palo Alto, Calif.). Libby Winters, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn., returns to the squad this fall after missing last season.
The women's roster includes a pair of newcomers. Emma Catmur, a first-year student from Crested Butte, Colo., "brings solid high school times and could be in our top four this season," Christopherson says.
Emily Johnson, a junior from Bainbridge Island, Wash., is running her first-ever season of cross country.