Taking another run at it

It’s been a slow start this season for the defending 5A state cross country champion Coeur d’Alene High girls team.

After the euphoria of capturing the 2004 title wore off, Coeur d’Alene began thinking about a repeat. But there’s been significant change.

The Vikings’ top two runners, senior Kristin Palmer and junior Anna Stone, returned, but the other three runners who scored either moved or graduated.

Palmer finished fourth overall and Stone was two places behind her. With just one higher-placing runner back, the Vikings’ leaders figure to finish in the top three at state late next month.

So the key for Coeur d’Alene pulling off a repeat is filling the third-through-fifth spots (five of a team’s seven runners score). Since teams qualify seven runners for state and also take an alternate, the Vikings actually need to fill six slots.

They have the candidates. Seniors Erin Lionberger (30th at state last year), Mallory Radford (43rd), Jacque Detienne (alternate), Krissy McCoy and Sarah Vetsch along with a couple of freshmen are in the mix.

So the challenge between now and state is bunching up the back pack. There was a 2 minute, 30-second gap between second and fifth last year. Going into the first major meet of the season Saturday at the Super 1/Farragut Invitational, the Viks must slice about a minute off the current gap.

Neither Palmer nor Stone is concerned at this point. They remember back to last year when they went to state ranked sixth before winning the state title. CdA was ranked first in the preseason poll this fall, but fell to sixth in the most recent rankings.

“I think we can repeat if we start improving our times,” Stone said.

Stone and Palmer have improved measurably over last year. CdA coach Cathy Compton hopes the work ethic of her leaders will rub off on the others.

“They’ve been absolutely fabulous,” Compton said.

Stone would be satisfied finishing in the top three. Palmer chuckled when told of her teammate’s individual goal.

“She wants to win,” Palmer said. “And she can. When she puts her mind to something she can do it. It’s awesome for me having her on the team.”

Last year was Stone’s first season in cross country. She played soccer through her freshman year, but she was recruited away from that sport.

Palmer, the Vikings’ top runner as a freshman and sophomore, faded slightly into Stone’s shadow last year until Palmer broke through at state. Stone has set a leading pace this season, and Palmer doesn’t mind playing second fiddle.

“She’s pushed me. We needed somebody like her on the team,” Palmer said.

Radford, Detienne, McCoy and Lionberger all want to get their times in the mid-22-minute range. That would give CdA a solid chance at a repeat.

“The potential is there, it just hasn’t emerged yet,” McCoy said.

Detienne has bounced back from a late-season injury last year that relegated her to going to state as an alternate, not in the top seven. Detienne doesn’t need any other incentive to crack the lineup.

The challenge of repeating certainly would be motivation enough for most teams. But CdA got a dose of inspiration by way of a comment made recently by a Boise-area coach.

“Coeur d’Alene is the defending state champion and on paper they’re still pretty good, but I don’t see them contending with us (Mountain View) or Boise,” Mountain View coach Tracy Harris told The Statesman newspaper in Boise.

CdA will get a chance to go head-to-head against Mountain View at Farragut. Mountain View is ranked second behind Boise.