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	Photo courtesy PVCC Cross Country teams
	Cross country team members in the front from left include Abby Andrus, Morgan Stanton, Jessica Hetler, Krysta Young, Amanda Lennon, Tarah Baker, Tona Saponaro; in row two, from left, Steven LeSueur, Kevin Deasy, Jamison Rohner, Jose Campos, Orlando Florea, and Joshua Robles; in row three, Junior Michael, Nathan Heck, Matthew Keeler, Benjamin Slaughter and Jared Cienega.
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The PVCC woman's cross country team is currently ranked first in the nation while the men's team is ranked second.

Additionally, the teams are ranked among the highest in the state. The men's team is ranked third, and the women's team is ranked first in their conferences, both of 15 teams.

This year the team's motto is: take back the planet; save the America long distance runner. Coach of the men's and women's team Dave Barney says this is their motto because America should be the best worldwide.

In Wisconsin this month the team competed against 23 universities. The men tied for third overall with 52 points. The women finished 9th overall with 186 points.

The teams are preparing for regional competition Oct. 26 and for the National Athletic Association of Junior Colleges championship in November. The women's team took first place at the NAAJC championships in 1998 and 99. Last year the men's team ranked second in the nation.

Training this season began for the team on June 1 at 5:45 a.m. Everyone then proceeded to run 75 to 80 miles a week in the summer.

Returning runner, Nate Heck, says, " We work harder, train better and believe in ourselves more than any other team. The only way we will lose Nationals is if we give it to them."

Barney says, "The team cares a lot about each other."

Once a week the entire team trains at the coach's house, and he makes waffles for them afterwards. Some of the women share an apartment, and one of the men's goals is to spend time together like brothers.

Sophomore Morgan Stanton is one of the top female runners on the team. She gives a lot of credit to the coach for the teams' achievements.

"He's the awesomest coach ever," she says of Barney.

She also says. "In order to do well at anything, not just running, you have to be passionate and love what you're doing."

The teams' passion can be seen through the amount of time they spend training and also through their smiles and closeness as they train. One member of the team held an American flag high in the air as they ran down the side of 40th Street on October 12, the day before their meet with Central Arizona College, causing people to honk the horns of their car and yell words of encouragement.

Last updated: April 12, 2002
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