EUGENE, Ore.  – A transitional year is in store for the Bushnell cross country program in multiple ways, but both the men's and women's teams believe they have what it takes to out-perform expectations as the season begins this week.
 
The biggest transition for the Beacons has been the introduction of new leadership with Kyle Will taking over in August as the third head coach in program history. "I feel coaching is my ministry," said Coach Will upon his hire, "and it is my desire to do that well. To share the light of Christ with my team and hopefully inspire them to discover the God-given gifts and talents they each have and hopefully be a small part of their journey to go and make a difference in this world."
 
With little time to recruit before the start of the season, Coach Will has been able to focus his attentions on the current roster, which includes nine men and five women. He said, "I am really excited about our future. We have some talent and certainly the desire. Everyone has bought into the new training program."
 
Men's Cross Country
 
The men's team is predicted to finish eighth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, but Will believes they have a chance to get into the top-half in his first season. "We have a team full of great leaders," he said, "They want to be involved in so many areas of campus life and have been stretched a little thin with Orientation and other responsibilities. Once we get them rested and ready to go, we are going to have a solid core. I fully anticipate surprising some people with how well we do."
 
The Beacons return six runners from last season including three of their top-five scoring runners from last year's conference championship. Junior Noah Mancione and senior Christopher Rosebrook lead the way, along with sophomore Sayer Pescosolido.
 
Will Callahan, Seth Handman, and Isaac Bodley have all returned as well for their sophomore seasons.
 
Three newcomers join the program, led by freshman Logan Gant, hailing from North Douglas High School where he was a First-Team All-District runner and state qualifier as a senior. "Logan is really going to develop into a good young runner for us," said Coach Will, "and can become a top-three runner for us as he gets some strength training and gets used to the 8000m distance."
 
Wyatt Pepiot comes in for his debut collegiate cross country season after prepping at Cottage Grove High School where he was a multi-sport athlete. "Wyatt has a lot of potential," said Will, "and I am excited to see how he responds to our training, which is different from what he has done before."
 
The third newcomer for the Beacons is junior transfer Andrew Bennett (Lane Community College), who will utilize a red-shirt season.
 
Women's Cross Country
 
For the women's cross country team, not only will they face the transition in leadership, but a major change in the national landscape as the NAIA has shifted the women's championship race from 5000 meters to 6000 meters. This change filters down to the conference-level race and many of the regular-season races as well.
 
Will said, "It is certainly going to be a learning curve. As a coach, I look at it and think 'it's only a half-mile more' but that is a big difference. I love the change and I was one who voted for it at my last school. Our training plan is going to more than adequately prepare them, and we are gearing up for it."
 
The women's program will be five runners strong, including four returners and one newcomer.
 
"Our biggest obstacle is injuries," said Coach Will. "Getting some people through that will be key as we don't have a lot of room for error. Outside of that, our biggest focus is closing the gap between our lead runners and the others, creating a tighter pack which helps our scoring ability."
 
Like the men's program, the women are predicted to take eighth in the CCC. Coach Will said, "Our goal is to be in the top-five and if everyone is healthy at the end of the season, we have the potential to do that. These girls want it. They are hungry and they are responding well."
 
Four returners are led by seniors Kaitlin Cook and Kennedy Larson, along with sophomore Harmony Goodman. All three were part of the Beacons scoring five at the 2022 CCC Championships.
 
The fourth returner is red-shirt freshman Sidney Lane who will officially lace it up for the first time after missing her debut season due to injury.
 
Bushnell's lone newcomer is junior transfer Mariah Summers, who comes in from Umpqua Community College. Her highly decorated junior college career included All-American honors in both the 3000-meter steeplechase and 4x400m relay. Coach Will said, "Mariah has a strong desire to succeed. She has been finishing up classes at Umpqua this month and once we get her in more consistently and on a solid training program, she is going to flourish. She has already shown some strong leadership qualities and has connected well with the girls and is going to be a great fit in this program."
 
Season Outlook
 
The Beacons will compete in four regular-season races this season, beginning with the Linfield Harrier Classic on Friday. That race, taking place at Joe Dancer Park in McMinnville, will be a 4000m race for the women and a 6000m race for the men.
 
The season culminates in the CCC Championship, which is hosted by The College of Idaho this season and takes place at Fairview Golf Course in Caldwell on November 3.