EUGENE, Ore.  – An experienced group of runners, bolstered by a strong recruiting class, have the Bushnell women's cross country team looking to make a move in 2021.    
 
The Beacons were seventh in the CCC last season and will be returning six of their top seven runners. Third-year head coach Tom Boldon said, "If this team can get and stay healthy, we could qualify for an at-large berth to the NAIA championship. We have the potential to have a strong pack of 4-5 runners that can all finish really close together."
 
Junior Rebecca Kuskie takes the lead for the Beacons this season and will slide into the No. 1 slot occupied by All-Conference graduate Tea Chatelain last season. Plenty of other returners are expected to fight for top-five scoring positions for the team, including junior Aneykah McCall and sophomores Kaitlin Cook, Kennedy Larson, and Skye Urban. Also returning to the team after a year away to focus on school is junior Isabell Webber, who coach Boldon considers to be a wildcard for the team.
 
Four newcomers join the team this season in freshmen Hannah Beers (Medford, Ore.), Alsea Diffenderfer (Eugene, Ore.), and Hannah Scott (Klamath Falls, Ore.), along with transfer Liz Jarvis (Roseburg, Ore./Umpqua CC).
 
Beers, who prepped at South Medford High, will train with the team but may not compete as a freshman. Diffenderfer ran for the competitive Sheldon High team and will become one of the great runners for the Beacons. Boldon said, "Alsea is going to be very good. We really like her work ethic and as soon as she is health, she will be a key scoring member of our team."
 
Scott, from Henley High, has been one of the best surprises of fall camp, according to Boldon. "Hannah already looks like she is in mid-season form," he said. "She was our teams second runner at the alumni challenge and she is showing signs of a very promising career. She works hard and has responded well to an increase in weekly mileage."
 
Jarvis transfers in as a relatively new distance runner, but is showing some signs of strength. Boldon said, "I think Liz will improve significantly this year and it is going to be fun to see her develop during her career as a Beacon."
 
The Beacons open up the season on Friday afternoon as they travel to McMinnville to compete in the Linfield Harrier Classic.