ARCATA — There's a definite advantage in knowing what to expect, an element of Saturday's NCAA Division II West Region Championships that Humboldt State head coach Scott Pesch addressed earlier this season. While many of the schools from the west chose to compete at larger invitationals, Pesch loaded his athletes in vans for the long journey to Spokane, Wash., where they raced at the Erik Anderson Invite.

That preview of the same course that will be used for Saturday's regional meet could give the Lumberjacks an edge they'll need to advance to the Nov. 23 NCAA Division II National Championships, which will also utilize the Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex.  Saturday's racing begins with the women's 6,000 meter race at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's 10K race at 11:30 a.m.

"It should be really helpful to have run that course before," Pesch said. "We've trained for that type of course all season."

The Lumberjacks, who advanced both the men's and women's teams to nationals last year for only the second time in program history, are considered underdogs heading into this year's races. Both squads need to finish among the top five schools to move on, but both come into the week ranked 10th in the region following a disappointing showing at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 26.

Meet Notes
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the Spokane Regional Sports Commission are co-hosts for the event. …Chico State, ranked fourth in the latest USTFCCCA national poll, will be gunning for its 10th men's regional title in the past 12 years.  …The Wildcats reclaimed the region crown last season after Alaska Anchorage, currently ranked second in the region and ninth nationally, had won back-to-back titles in 2010 and in 2011. … Chico State is also the defending champion in the women's division, but is currently ranked second in the region behind the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.   UAA's women, led by 2012 national runner-up Susan Tanui, are ranked fourth nationally just ahead of No. 5 Chico State and No. 6 Simon Fraser. …Coaches were allowed to enter 10 athletes prior to the deadline two weeks ago, but will have to choose seven from the original group to represent their school on race day. Declarations of those seven athletes will be made Friday evening between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Course Notes
The Sports Complex course was the site of the 2011 NCAA Division II regional and national meets, as well as the 2010 USA Cross Country Championships. …The women's course features three laps of two kilometers. The men's has three laps of 2.37 kilometers, with a .9-kilometer final loop to the finish. …Surface is grass and trails.

NCAA Division II West Region Rankings
(National ranking in parentheses)

Men – 1. Chico State (4); 2. Alaska Anchorage (9); 3. Western Washington (16); 4. Cal Poly Pomona (21); 5. UC San Diego; 6. Cal Baptist; 7. San Francisco State; 8, Simon Fraser; 9. Montana State Billings; 10. Humboldt State.

Women – 1. Alaska Anchorage (4); 2. Chico State (5); 3. Simon Fraser (6); 4. Cal State Stanislaus (24); 5. Cal Poly Pomona; 6. UC San Diego; 7. Seattle Pacific; 8. Western Washington; 9. Cal Baptist; 10. Humboldt State.

Lumberjack Men's Notes
Less than pleased with the Jacks' performance at the CCAA Championships, Pesch believes that two weeks of reducing mileage and fine-tuning will help the Jacks to a better showing at the regional. "We're hoping for a rebound," Pesch said. "We've dropped to 10th in the rankings, and rightfully so." …One problem that has plagued the Jacks all season is a lack of consistency. To address that, much of the HSU pack will focus on running with senior Benjamin Stern who has been a steady performer throughout his career. "They'll key off Ben for the first few miles," Pesch said. "If they stay relatively close to him, they'll be in a good position at the finish." …Lumberjack returning senior Joe Ostini, an all-region performer two years ago, has been slowed by fatigue in recent weeks, a development Pesch feels is related to the high mileage workload his top gun has employed. Ostini has responded well to the recent tapering period, however, and appears to be on track for a potential resurgence. "I believe Joe is on a recycle, and his body is feeling better," Pesch said. "Unlike the rest of the pack, we'll just encourage Joe to go out and do his thing. He needs to have a good day for us to have a chance to advance to nationals." …Following an entire season of racing the 8K distance, men's athletes will have to adjust to the longer 10K used for regional and national meets. The extended distance will benefit some athletes, like Ostini and Stern, while potentially limit track middle distance specialists.

Women's Notes
Without a clear frontrunner, the HSU women will rely on a pack race with little separation between the top five finishers. Among that pack should be sophomore Imogene Carson, who fought through a lingering hamstring injury to achieve a solid finish at the CCAA meet. …Also key to the Jacks' chances is the performance of freshman Kori Gilley, who came into the season fit from summer training, and has reaped the benefits. Gilley placed one spot ahead of Carson at the league meet, with only a second separating the pair. …Also racing at a high level throughout the season has been sophomore Caroline Kaufman. Pesch feels that the next two positions behind the aforementioned trio are the key to potential success. "Those three have been consistent this year," Pesch said. "We need our No. 4 and 5 runners to be closer to them. There has been too wide of a gap."

Pesch's Comments
"We have four senior men who should be looking to go out strong. They can end their careers as collegiate cross country athletes with a great accomplishment." … We had a hiccup in the plan at the conference meet with both teams, but our focus has always been peaking for the regional meet." … "We know by now where a lot of the runners from other schools will be at, but we'll concentrate on keying off our own people more than opponents. If we do that, we'll be in the mix for earning a trip back to Spokane (for nationals)."

HSU Men West Region Roster
Tyler Cleveland        Sr.    San Jose, CA
James Dagley          Fr.    Maple Valley, WA
Edgar Lopez            Sr.    Imperial Beach, CA
Jantzen Oshier        So.    Trabuco Hills
Joe Ostini                Sr.    Elk Grove, CA
Benjamin Stern        Sr.    Petaluma, CA
Benjamin Tarango   So.    Petaluma, CA

Head Coach – Scott Pesch
Assistant Coach - Mike WIlliams
Assistant Coach – Chris Benassi

HSU Women West Region Roster
Megan Alfi               So.   Edmonds, WA
Jessica Bath            Jr.    Grants Pass, OR
Imogene Carson      So.   Eureka, CA
Kori Gilley                Fr.    El Cajon, CA
Caroline Kaufman    So.   Cedar Crest, NM
Devon Kelsey           Sr.   Atascadero, CA
Nayeli Santamaria    Jr.    El Monte, CA

Head Coach – Scott Pesch
Assistant Coach - Mike WIlliams
Assistant Coach – Chris Benassi