The Wittenberg men's and women's cross country teams have the depth and talent to compete better in 2005 than they have in recent years, and through the first three meets of the campaign it shows. After both teams finished fourth in the five-team Franklin Invitational to open the season on Sept. 3, the men and women have both finished in the top half of the last two meets, including last week's Marietta Broughton Invitational.

Sophomore Mike Echols (Springfield, Ohio/North) is the story for the men's team as he continues to pace the squad in every meet. A year after leading Wittenberg in every race and several months after earning All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors for his performance at the 2005 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Echols has been in the top 10 at Franklin, the Wittenberg Invitational and at Marietta already this year. He is aiming to become the first Wittenberg men's runner to earn all-conference status in cross country in three years.

On the women's side, a pair of freshmen have done the same thing that two now-sophomores did a year ago - lead the team in two of the first three races. Freshmen Abby McCutcheon (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and Erin Hedrick (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) have consistently set the pace for the Tigers in 2005, followed closely by sophomores Mary Beth Lintz (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) and Alissa Goble (Sunfield, Mich./Lakewood). Several other Tiger runners have also scored in 2005, showing the kind of depth necessary to compete with the top teams in the NCAC.