Senior stakes

November is a runner's month, and for the Husky men, it starts on the first.

Heading into this weekend's Pac-10 cross-country championships, the Husky men are on a mission to win the conference and get back to the NCAA championships for the first time since 1993.

Four senior runners -- Eric Garner, Ben Koss, Todd Arnold and John Russell -- lead Washington. After the men's team returned six of its top seven runners from the 2002 regional meet, the senior class wants to bring the Purple and Gold back to the promised land.

The journey begins tomorrow when the men and women race for the league crown in Pullman.

"Eric has ran great all year, while Ben did great at the Sundodger meet before becoming ill at regionals," said coach Greg Metcalf. "John Russell is getting there, and Todd Arnold and Ben Koss have done a great job as emotional leaders."

While Metcalf serves as headman for both cross country and track and field, the autumn sport is more than just track preparation for his male harriers. He said the team, the senior class especially, has put in endless amounts of hard work to help beat the drought -- including handling injury hardships many runners have dealt with.

"These next three weeks is the time for this group to leave their signatures on the program," Metcalf said. "Any kind of adversity makes you tougher, and in cross country, there is not a lot of immediate rewards."

The top Husky runner in 2003 is arguably one of the best ever in school history. Garner has led the UW in every regular-season meet since his junior year and is aware of the stakes for the league title.

"It's another step toward regionals, and our conference is really tough so it is a good chance to go out against some of the best guys in the country," Garner said. "Truthfully, a lot of the top contenders are right in our conference; Stanford has a ton of guys that could essentially win the national title."

Russell was once the team's top gun, winning the Emerald City Invitational crowns in 2000 and 2001. He has made considerable strides back to winning form with middle-of-the-pack finishes this year, but was held back along with Koss at regionals because of the flu.

Captains Arnold and Koss are the voices behind the effort. They have been the workhorses while maintaining motivational attitudes since they came into the program.

Although their times are not always dynamic, they make up for it by leaving it all on the course. Koss said these final races are not only preparation for regionals and nationals, but also a time to reflect on past hard work.

"You just want to think back on all the hard work you've done in the last four years while realizing this is the last opportunity to give 100 percent physically and mentally," said Koss. "Our best team experiences are still ahead of us with the next two races here, this is the best team we've had here in a long time."

After placing fourth in the 2002 Pac-10 meet, the Huskies will be attempting their fourth straight top-five finish at the league championships. Unlike the women's team that has been to six straight NCAA championships, the Husky men are senior-laden, while the women have none.

For the four senior Husky men, the stakes are high. They don't want to go their entire careers without a visit to the top of the NCAA mountain, or at least one of the highest peaks.

"It is very reasonable for us to expect to get to nationals, it will be a huge disappointment if we don't get in," Garner said. "We've been running OK, but not as good as we can be. Washington is still improving and the NCAA as a whole has gotten a lot better too, but it's good for a challenge."