Oct. 31, 2008

By Brett Hess
Special for NCAA.com

The "silly season" is over. The calendar has turned to November and collegiate cross country gets down to business. Now, every meet includes the word "championship" and titles are etched in stone.

The next three days are conference championship weekend. For some of the nation's top runners, it will be their season debut. And there are obviously some star-studded fields like the Pac-10 men and the Big Ten women. But one of the best story lines comes from the ACC men's race where star pupil meets his former teacher.

"It's special to compete against family," said the star pupil himself, Jason Vigilante. "I'm glad to be back in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Competing against Coach Geiger is an honor."

Vigilante brings his No. 14-ranked Virginia team into Chapel Hill, N.C. for Saturday's meet. No. 29 North Carolina State is Vigilante's alma mater and the Wolfpack is still coached by his coach, the venerable Rollie Geiger.

"It's exciting to be back, it feels like coming home," Vigilante said. "My family can drive to the meet and a lot of my old teammates [from N.C. State] will be there at the meet."

Vigilante is "back east" from his very successful stint at Texas where, among other stars, he coached U.S. Olympian Leo Manzano. But if there is anyone who should be able to handle coaching against his "old coach" it would be Vigilante.

"I came from the Big 12 where I had to coach against my high school coach, Coach Wetmore," Vigilante said of Colorado coach Mark Wetmore. "So now I go back to the ACC and coach against my college coach, Coach Geiger."

All coach talk aside, it's the runners who tally the score. And Vigilante's Cavaliers appear ready to successfully defend their championship. Virginia won the ACC last year under coach Jason Dunn but return its top three runners from that meet: Andy Biladeau (second), Ryan Foster (third) and Emil Heineking (fourth).

"We have a very experienced team," Vigilante said. "We have the runner-up (Biladeau), a young man who was granted his sixth year of eligibility (Foster), a runner who was in the Junior World Cross Country meet (Heineking), another who was at the Junior Worlds track (Ryan Collins)."

As any coach knows, inheriting a successful and veteran team can be a sort of hex. It's often a no-win situation. But Vigilante says he's been fortunate.

"Coach Dunn did an excellent job of recruiting and developing this program," Vigilante said. "The transition has been very easy; these are great young men and women welcoming me and being patient."

Vigilante continued: "They've been very willing to work with me instead of against me. They have been open to different ideas."

All niceties aside, Vigilante knows it will be a war on Saturday. Just like in the days he ran in the ACC Championships.

"Florida State is ready (to challenge for the title)," Vigilante said of the nation's 15th ranked team. "And NC State (No. 29) has won, what, 12 (men's) titles? That is really something. Nothing is going to be easy."

Pac-10

The Pac-10 men's championships will be held Friday in Eugene, Ore. and pit the nation's top two ranked teams: Oregon and Stanford. Oregon is the defending national champions and are led by defending Pac-10 individual champion Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott and national runner-up Galen Rupp. Stanford is led by senior all-American Garrett Heath. Also in the meet are No. 13 UCLA and two teams tied at No. 24: Washington and California.

The Pac-10 women's championships also line up the nation's top two teams: No. 1 Washington and No. 2 Oregon. Washington is led by two freshmen, Kendra Schaaf and Christine Babcock. Oregon is led last year's third-place finisher, Alexandra Kosinski. Also in the meet are No. 15 Arizona State and No. 18 Stanford.

Big Ten

The women's championship Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. represents a literal log-jam in the national polls. Teams ranked No. 7 through 10 are in the meet along with another three teams. No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 10 Illinois, No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 19 Penn State and No. 21 Iowa represent one-third of the top 21 and more than half of the conference.

The men's meet doesn't have the same star power, but will be strong nonetheless. Perennial champion and sixth-rated Wisconsin is a favorite to win its 10th straight league title. Holding home-course advantage will be No. 9 Michigan. Also, a resurgent No. 19 Indiana and No. 20 Minnesota hope to be factors.

SEC

One of college athletics' greatest streaks could likely end Monday in Starkville, Miss. The Arkansas men's string of 34 straight conference titles is in jeopardy as the No. 26 Razorbacks must do battle with No. 5 Alabama and No. 11 Auburn. Also, No. 28 Florida is in the field.