The Saluki women’s cross country team starts off their training with a 30-minute easy run Monday around campus. The team will be running the Saluki Early Bird at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2 at Carbondale.   -Lynnette Oostmeyer |Daily Egyptian

Experienced direction and young, able talent are two things the SIU cross-country team can hang their hats on.

The season kicks into gear the Saluki Early Bird meet at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. With this meet, the team will be back to their mission of working to secure a conference title.

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Head coach Matt Sparks said the men’s team hopes to continue to challenge for the title as last year’s runner-up. He said the women’s team is looking to establish themselves among the top three teams within the conference with strong leadership and incoming help.

A Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, posted on the MVC website, has pinned the SIU men’s squad to place second, only three points behind 2010 champion Indiana State with 74 points and three first-place votes (cast by MVC coaches), according to the MVC website.

The poll projected the SIU women’s cross-country team to finish in fifth place, with only three points separating them and fourth-place Missouri State.

“Our goal is always to try to challenge for the conference title,” Sparks said. “Then if the team can’t get to the national meet, at least send somebody to the national meet.”

Graduated runner Dan Dunbar, conference-champion for the Salukis last fall, left behind some swift shoes to fill. Sparks said he believes that senior Neal Anderson can bring those qualities to the team.

“You just look for the next big gun to step up and take some of that, some of his leadership,” Sparks said. “That’s where we’re looking for Neal, who had a great track season to step up for us.”

To keep tempo on the men’s side, Sparks said runners have been keeping active during the summer months.

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“We’ve had guys run between 50 miles a week and 100-mile weeks,” Sparks said. “We have a few guys who’ve hit that 90-mile week, which is 12 to 14 miles a day.”

Sparks emphasized time management as a large factor of being a successful runner. He said he makes a point to explain to his athletes the importance of properly planning out daily schedules and this mentality has translated well in the classroom.

“The men’s cross-country team last year actually had the second highest GPA in the country with a 3.60 GPA,” he said.

On the women’s side, the team said goodbye to two all-conference runners, Emily Toennies and Megan Hoelscher. Sparks said they will be greatly missed.

“Our top two finishers,” Sparks said. “They were … fourth and fifth which is our highest individual finishes in several years, and losing those two is a huge hit to the program.”

Sparks was, however, optimistic despite the losses. He said leadership from senior Jamie Pfister and continued high performance from sophomore Eileen Schweiss will be the driving forces in the team’s success.

“Expect a lot of leadership out of Jamie this fall with such a young group,” Sparks said. “I’d like to see if they could break into the top three; that’s the goal for the ladies.”

Sparks said the incoming class on the women’s side is the largest that has been introduced during his 9-years as head coach, and is itching to compete.

“This is by far my largest recruiting class ever for freshman with 14,” Sparks said.  “My most competitive group that we’ve ever brought in, in my 10 years here on the women’s side.”

Zach Dahleen, a junior from Orland Park studying information systems technologies, said there are roles on the team that need to be filled with the departure of some of last years runners. He said, however, it is a position they are familiar with.

“Last year was pretty much the year where we lost a lot of great runners on our team, so we needed everyone to really step up,” Dahleen said. “Now this year, again we lost Dan (Dunbar) who had won conference last year, so this year we’re actually coming from a lower point again.”

Dahleen said despite the men’s second-place finish last season, he was very aware that injury plagued the team. He said this year’s runners seem to be in good shape thus far.

“We’re all looking pretty healthy this year,” he said.

Sparks said the expectations he has for freshman have changed.  He said they will be asked for more than they have in the past.

“We’re looking for some of the freshman to step up into contributing roles when we traditionally haven’t asked a whole lot of freshman to do that,” he said.