I f only trees could talk. Or, better yet, if they could scream, stomp and put their limbs together for some applause. Perhaps then Seattle Pacific University's cross country runners would get the recognition deserving of the national power they have become. Yet despite the lack of crowds and commotion around their meets, these women, who are regularly ranked among the top 10 in the nation, and who were conference champions four of the past five years, love nothing better than a Saturday race through the woods.
Few sports allow athletes to relate so freely with nature as cross country.
The relative sterility of a brightly lit gymnasium, the freshly mowed grass of a soccer field or the straight-away waterway for a rowing regatta are tame in comparison to the undulating hills, twisting trails and breathtaking sights awaiting a harrier with each workout and competition. Distance runners typically compete in cross country during the fall and on the track in the spring. But as longtime SPU coach Doris Heritage points out, running is all that the two sports have in common. People don't mind running a long race, but running around a track is nothing like racing along a beach or forest trail. Wallace, a senior, is a two-time Pacific West Conference champion and key figure in Seattle Pacific's past three teams, which finished eighth, ninth and seventh, respectively, at the NCAA Division II Championships.