As the Marquette women's cross country team enters the 2005 season, coach David Uhrich knows that winning a sixth straight conference championship will not come easy.
"We may be ranked nationally at the end of the season and not even finish in the top four teams in the conference," Uhrich said.
It is not that Uhrich does not think his team can win the Big East in its first season, but that the Big East sent four teams to last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships, and had four teams finish in the top 25 nationally.
Marquette returns what is essentially the whole 2004 squad, which took 28th at the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet. This year's team, spearheaded by seniors, is experienced, consistent and extremely well-trained.
"We had so much consistency and success last year, and everyone is back and better fit to run, so we are just looking to build on that," Uhrich said.
Experience will play a key role on this year's team, in which five of the top ten runners are seniors; Jodi Jakubek, Leslie Lawton, Amy Stephens, and Susie and Terri Emond. All five will play a pivotal role in Marquette's run at a Big East Championship. Jakubek has been a regular on the All-Conference team, and led the Golden Eagles in last year's NCAA Championship Meet, finishing 78th.
Jakubek enjoyed an active off-season, some of which took place in her hometown of Ketchikan, Alaska.
"I trained a lot, including a 10K run in my hometown," Jakubek said. "It's good to have the workouts to keep me in shape."
Juniors Heidi Lindeman and Michaela Courtney will also play integral roles. Both participants in the NCAA Championships, Lindeman and Courtney look to build on consistent times from their sophomore season.
Uhrich will look for sophomore Cassie Peller to come into her own during the 2005 season and make major contributions. Peller competed in seven meets as a freshman.
"Peller was pretty consistent last year as a freshman and had a great summer training, so we think she is ready to step it up to an even higher level," Uhrich said.
The training Uhrich was referring to was the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore that Peller lives just a short distance from.
"Running up and down the dunes was great training for me because a lot of the races we will run this season are hilly, so hopefully it will pay off," Peller said.
The women start this Friday at the Bradley Open in Peoria, Ill.The race, which last year saw Jakubek and Peller finish first and second respectively, is 5K. Friday is just the beginning of a grueling and competitive schedule that pits Marquette against some of the toughest schools in the country.
With the eight meets fluctuating between 5K and 6K, the schedule is highlighted with a late October trip to the Bronx, N.Y., for the Big East Championships.
In a season that promises to be challenging, Coach Uhrich will have his hands full. As much as Uhrich stresses the importance of senior leadership this year, his individual experience may be just as important. Uhrich is entering his 18th year at Marquette, and his 13th as the women's coach.
"We feel we can go out and win the Bradley Open to kick start us. It's a great schedule with teams like Providence, Notre Dame, Villanova, Georgetown, and a ton more," Uhrich said. "We are very excited to compete in the Big East."
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 8, 2005.