Lady Outlaws runners expected to be a force

The Lady Outlaws cross country team is preparing to defend its district title and improve on its third place finish at the state meet.

With seven of its top eight runners returning from last season, the Lady Outlaws are a formidable force, according to head coach Charlie Kanzig.

"We were the deepest team among 3A teams last year and thanks to experience and some good summer training, the girls look stronger than ever," he said.

The depth factor became obvious at the state meet last year as the Outlaws' seventh runner, Amy Cretsinger, finished ahead of every other team's fifth runner, including champion Philomath and runner-up Rogue River.

"We'll need that kind of depth to compete with Rogue River, which also returns most of its varsity runners from last year," said Kanzig.

In the Capital Conference, Molalla and Cascade will provide the strongest competition to the Outlaws.

"We three teams should be among the top 10 in the state," said Kanzig.

Returning varsity team members include seniors Resa Hodson, Melissa Little, Amy Cretsinger, and Anna Morton, junior Rikki Glick, and sophomore Iris Powell.

Sophomore Lindsay Chick, who won the junior varsity district meet in record time, looks to figure into the varsity squad. A host of returning runners and newcomers will compete for varsity spots during the season.