NOTE: Times listed in preview are from the 1995 CIF Championship Meet, unless designated otherwise.

Army Navy Academy
Division: Five.
Coach: Patrick Dunn.
Home course: Carlsbad beach, near campus. (Boys, 3.1 miles). Course may be slightly modified.

BOYS: 30 to 35 runners.

Returning: Jason Rose (12) 20:28; Josh Hermesten (11) 22:08; Cosmo Ciementi (11) 22:50; Jerry Hsien (10). Also, Cody Rico (12), returning after a year away from the sport.

New: Fred Lozano (12), Shawn Danish (12), Richard Yeung (10), Paul Bearman (9), Jackson Duran (9), Matt Salmon (11), D. J. Johnson (11), Andy Oshay (11). Dunn thinks Lozano, who ran track in the spring, is his best runner so far. He thinks Danish could be the number three runner, after Lozano and Rose. Yeung is a young runner who "could surprise."

The outlook: Watch out, Coastal League. Army Navy's cross country program could be on the way back. Once, the program was consistently among the league's best. Recently the numbers and results have been way down. Dunn plans to change that, and the huge roster is the first step. "We want to build tradition," he said. "I believe in numbers." Programs can turn around quickly in this league, and Dunn said the Warriors have a "pretty strong junior group."

The Bishop's School
Division: Five.
Coach: Wendy Svatek. Assisted by Rafael Moyano.
Home course: UCSD (approximately 3.0 for boys and girls).

BOYS: 25 runners.

Returning: Max Johnson (10) 19:43; Chris Wong (11) 20:59; Joe Wilson (10) 21:49; Daisuke Nonaka (11) 22:57. Also, Chris Pettigrew (11), Tom Suiter (10).

New: Patrick Kinnaird (9), Chris Crowell (11).

The outlook: It was a young team last year, and most of that core remains. The numbers are good, there's some new talent, and the competition within the roster will result in measurable improvement. They need to have a team leader or two emerge from the pack. "The team is a year away," -- Svatek.

GIRLS: 10 runners.

Returning: Heather Ray (11) 18:29; Jenny Evans (12) 18:57; Alison Gordon (11) 19:52; Melissa Alioto (12). Evans and Gordon reported to fall workouts in the best shape of the vets.

New: Shelby Polakoff (9).

The outlook: The powerhouse team of the last few years has taken some heavy hits from graduation, and lost three all-CIF runners from last year's squad, including three-time CIF champ Marissa Hurwitz. Some talent remains, however, and nobody should take this team too lightly. Depth could be a concern, as Svatek expects the league to be "much tighter" this year.

Borrego Springs
Division: Five.
Coach: John Quirk. Raylene Remeika will act as girls coach.
Home course: On and near campus (boys 3.2, girls 2.5). Almost completely flat, but conditions can be very warm.

BOYS: 5 runners.

Returning: Luis Aguilar (12), who is now in his third year, which is as long as the sport has been established at the school. Also, Ben Hernandez (12), who has run bits and pieces of the previous two seasons.

New: Martin Muench (10), Damon Jorgensen (9), Jimmy Collins (9). Of Muench, Quirk said, "This guy's good. He is a really good athlete."

The outlook: "We're still building," Quirk said. "The first year we had a bunch of seniors. Last year, it was mostly the soccer team, who all quit. Now, it's largely the park kids."

Training in the desert: "We try to make the workouts as late as possible, without interfering with family activities," Quirk said. "We run around 5 pm, and we try to run in the canyons, where there are shadows. It's still pretty darn hot in October, and we don't move the time to 4 pm until Daylight Savings ends."

GIRLS: 8 runners.

The strategy: Originally, no girls signed up to run. Quirk then seized upon an old strategy: using cross country to condition basketball players. Raylene Remeika, the girls JV basketball coach, was named girls cross country coach, and she immediately signed up eight of her players.

Calvin Christian
Division: Five.
Coach: Bill Stout. Assisted by Linda Marcus.
Home course: Jesmond Dene Park, Escondido (boys 3.1, girls 2.3).

BOYS: 25 runners.

Best runners: Bart Conner (10) 18:44; and Chad Young (9). Conner and Young are running close together in early meets. Both timed 18:07 at Laguna Hills for a 3.0-mile undulating course, so they're not blazing away yet, but they're young and they will improve.

Returning: Justin Verhoeven (11) 19:26; Dan Dillinger (12) 19:56. Verhoeven has missed some training time with a hip injury; he was running with the leaders when he was healthy. Dillinger is on a family trip and won't be available for a few weeks.

New: Jon Beutlich (10), Ryan Brown (10), Steve Mavis (10). All are new to the sport, but are contributing already. Beutlich is the number three man in early meets.

The outlook: It's an interesting team. Calvin has a strong tradition of excellence in the sport, and Stout was the coach there during some of their best years. There is always some talent here, but the team just took a heavy hit last year, losing all but two of their top seven. It will probably take a year to recover from that, but league opponents better not overlook these guys in the meantime. "I honestly believe we can get our first five to seven guys to run within 30 seconds of each other by the end of the year," Stout said. "We're not real fast yet, but if another team doesn't go 1-2-3 on us, I like our chances."

GIRLS: 7 runners.

Best runners: Karen Memmelaar (10) 18:01; and Lydia Boonstra (10) 19:11. "They're running pretty well," said Stout. "They're already about 1 to 2 minutes ahead of where they were last year."

Returning: Amanda Shipley (12) 19:39; Neili Hall (12) 21:54; Kristi Silva (10) 23:25; Andra DeJager (10). Shipley is the best of this group.

New: Camille Tate (10), who ran track for the Crusaders.

The outlook: It's a very thin team. The two front runners are fine, but there's a gap back to the third girl, and another gap to the rest of the team. It comes down to raw numbers, and you can bet that Stout will work hard to find more bodies for next season.

Holtville
Division: Five.
Coach: Gerardo Lara.
Home course: None.

BOYS: 9 runners.

Returning: Miguel Ramirez (11) 16:37; Jose Gallegos (10) 17:38; Luis Salazar (12) 18:33; Robert-John Gonzalez (10) 19:24; Andres Medina (10) 20:16; Ismael Mejia (12) 21:03. Ramirez was the CIF champ, and was third in Fresno, running 16:09. That's the fastest time of any returning section runner in any division. Gallegos was sixth at CIF and ran 17:43 at state. He was the third fastest freshman in division IV at Fresno.

New: David Padilla (9), Adolfo Garcia (10), Jesus Flores (10). Lara expects one or more of this group to push into the pack.

The outlook: Super. Holtville basically returns its team intact from last year, with all of the runners improved. With the new division setup, they are the favorite in CIF Division V. They could be a state threat as well. Ramirez will be a definite factor at the state level.

The mentality: "We've got the guys thinking about state," Lara said. "We have high expectations." Lara expects the three-four-five positions to be sharply improved.

The league: Holtville is a member of the Southern Conference, but the vast distances discourage participation in dual meets. Obviously, if they competed in this league on a week-to-week basis, they would be the heavy favorite.

GIRLS: No runners.

Julian
Division: Five.
Coach: Bill Porter.
Home course: Heise Park (boys 2.8, girls 2.1). Hands down, it's the toughest course in the county.

BOYS: 5 runners.

Returning: None.

New: Kevin McCarty (12), Sean McCarty (9), Brett Walder (9), Bryan Kirkman (9), Travis Scott (9). All are new to the sport. Walder seems to be the best prospect of the youngsters.

The outlook: It's going to take the bulk of the season before the group gets into racing shape. All seem to have potential, however. The four freshmen could form the nucleus of a good team in a year or two.

GIRLS: 5 runners.

The transfer: Arielle Damron (10), comes from Warner High, where she was a state-meet quality runner last year. She was fifth at CIF in 16:54, and 33rd at Fresno, in 20:27. She may have to sit out the season, however, because of the transfer rule.

Returning: Sara Evins (10) 21:38; Allison Lingwall (10) 21:41.

New: Lindsay Hilz (9), Alicia McAlister (9). Hilz is probably the best runner on the team, after Damron. McAlister has been bothered by a sore knee.

The nature of the team: It's a very young group, but there is a solid core of talent. Damron, if she is able to run, is as good as there is in the league. Hilz, others, could develop.

The outlook: There is talent here, but it will take a year before they make an impact. If the core stays together, and if they add a few more runners, they could be a factor in the league. As of now, with Damron in question, they don't yet have a scoring group.

La Jolla Country Day
Division: Five.
Coach: Renee Milton. Assisted by Ken Hallinan. Milton replaces Pat Wagner.
Home course: At UCSD (boys 3.05, girls 2.45).

BOYS: 14 runners.

Best runner: Justin Scarfeo (11) 17:58. He was runner-up in the league championships as a soph. He also got "some great training" in the off season, according to Milton.

Returning: Christian Navarro (11) 19:57; Chris Rosenbaum (12) 23:02.

Questionable: Evan Fontaine (10), who was third in the league last year as a frosh, may or may not run this year. He had been practicing with the team in early season.

New: David Tetchet (11), Dan Frysh (12), Chris Wollan (10), David Tennant-Jones (10), Jared Ziman (9). Ziman, according to Milton, "looks like a runner. He's got a lot of potential."

The outlook: Last year, the core of the team was very young, but extremely promising. Some of that talent is no longer there, but the replacements might be comparable. If the new talent proves out, Country Day could be a factor in the league.

GIRLS: 9 runners.

Best runner: Lindsay Weinberg (10) 16:52. She was fourth in the CIF as a frosh, and is the top returning league, and CIF, runner.

Returning: Monica Bornemisza (12) 19:32.

New: Sandra Ruiz (9), Cathy Mogilner (11), Ayabo Kwayana (12), Robin Bulster (10). Ruiz is a good-looking freshman prospect, who seems to be right behind Weinberg. The other girls are multi-sport athletes who have some talent. Milton said that there is a pack of four that are within 1:30 of Weinberg, including Ruiz, Mogilner and Bornemisza.

The outlook: This is possibly a strong team. Weinberg has to be one of the league's best, based on last year's results. If Country Day has indeed built a pack that is close to her, they would be very tough in this league.

Lutheran
Division: Five.
Coach: E. J. Hilbert.
Home course: Chollas Lake (3.2 boys; 2.9 girls).

BOYS: 12 runners.

Best runner: Mark Mullert (11), 20:10, who has "trained well all summer," according to Hilbert.

Returning: Nick Taff (11).

New: James Wilson (9), Damian Anderson (9) are the most promising of a crop of freshmen.

GIRLS: 3 runners.

Best runner: Jennifer Lloyd (10), 18:07. Lloyd was one of the best frosh in the league last year.

Returning: Serena Hall (10).

Overall outlook: This small private school is starting to expand and grow. It's been moved to newer, larger quarters this year and there are plans to build a brand new campus soon. Hilbert is in his fourth year as coach, and is starting to build continuity.

Francis Parker
Division: Five.
Coach: John S. Lown. Assisted by Jill Schenk, Stacey Faulk and Maureen Friend.
Home course: Tecolote Canyon (boys 3.1, girls 2.6).

BOYS: 20 runners.

Returning: Steven Scher (12) 19:27; Huw Lewis (12) 19:42; Josh Lipsker (12) 19:49; Max Spevack (11) 20:04; John Freiburg (12) 21:04.

New: R. J. Sparks (12), Karl Rinderknecht (10), Shane McElreavy (9), Josh Jackman (12). Sparks has already moved near the front of the pack.

The outlook: Parker seems to have the most solid group of returning runners of any league team, with four of their top five returning. The numbers are good, too. If one of their pack makes a breakthrough, Parker will be tough to beat in this league.

GIRLS: 15 runners.

Returning: Zoe Landers (11) 17:16; Jenny Dorth (12) 18:54. Maybe: Abby D'Agostino (11) 19:30.

Frosh: Gwyn Leachman (9), Sarah Manley (9). Leachman was third in the frosh race at West Hills in her first test, and has probably moved to the front of this team.

New: Angie Markle (11) has transferred from San Diego High, where she was multi-talented. She'll help solidify this team. Patricia Martin has transferred from Marian Catholic, but must await an eligibility ruling.

The outlook: Parker is always solid, but they should be among the league's best this year. They return their top two runners, they have an impact freshman in Leachman, have added a solid talent in Markle, and are mixing in a few other talents as well.

Warner
Division: Five.
Coach: Richard Sexton.
Home course: At Warners Ranch, next to school (boys 3.1, girls 2.5).

BOYS: 10 runners.

Best runner: Jessee Powell (10) 18:19. Was one of the league's best frosh runners, ran 14th at CIF.

Returning: Warner High is now in their second year of existence, and the school has started a football team. Some of Sexton's runners will run full-time, and four will try to split time between the sports. The full-time returners are Powell, Garret Willat (10) 21:06 and Max Powell (12) 24:11. The four that are playing both sports are Kevin Davidson (12) 20:02; Terry Lane (10) 21:16; Shane Hazlewood (11) 22:52; and Josh Hekel (12).

New: Sexton has a pair of frosh runners: Brian Diaz and John Parry.

The outlook: Sexton had this small school off to a decent start in the sport with fair numbers and a good talent in Powell. But football has encroached, and Sexton will have to battle to keep the numbers involved.

GIRLS: 2 runners.

Returning: None. Last year's frosh star, Arielle Damron, is now at Julian.

New: April Kelly (10), and Carrie Stack (10).

The outlook: Sexton came this close to not continuing his program this year. At what was literally the last minute, a number of athletes came forward, and the sport continues.

Free-Lance:
Guajome Park Acdy.
Division: Five.
Coach: Keith Grauman.
Home course: Guajome Park.

BOYS: 2 runners.

The team: James Anderson (11); Kaiele Lemore (11). Anderson ran for the school last year. The school runs as an independent, but has participated in a few Southern Conference dual meets.

GIRLS: No runners.

The background: Guajome Park Academy is a relatively new, private school located in Vista. It began two years ago with grades six through nine. The older kids are now juniors, and the school has an enrollment of 385 students for grades 6 through 11. The cross country program is building up mostly with participation of middle-school runners. As the school grows and matures, participation in the cross country program will most likely keep pace.