Lowdown on high school cross country, swimming

Here’s a look at what’s going on in high school cross country and girls swimming for area teams:

CROSS COUNTRY

Look hard at the Gig Harbor boys and girls cross country teams and you might be able to spot assistant coach Mark Wieczorek.

“He’s 26 years old,” Tides head coach Kevin Eager said, “but he looks like one of the kids.”

Wieczorek joined the staff this fall and leads most of the team’s training. Bellarmine Prep coach Matt Ellis put Wieczorek, a five-time NAIA All-American at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., in touch with Eager and the two hit it off.

“We got to talking and Mark and I agree on a lot of things,” said Eager, who’s also the head track and field coach. “We want a unified vision for training year-round for the kids.”

Wieczorek joins a team – and league – steeped in success. Gig Harbor’s girls claimed three consecutive state titles (2005-2007) and finished second in 2004 and 2008. But this fall, it’s the Tides boys who could make a run at the state title.

Gig Harbor returns six of the runners who helped the team place fifth at the Class 4A state meet last fall.

“We lost one runner,” Eager said. “He was a No. 4 and occasionally a No. 3 runner.”

Gig Harbor was the top-ranked team in the coaches poll until this week when the Tides fell to fourth. Eager isn’t worried about perceptions a couple of weeks into the season. He said Gig Harbor will let loose this week at the Nike Pre-Nationals in Portland.

“We’re approaching the season slowly,” Eager said. “We’ll open it up in Oregon.”

ELSEWHERE

No surprise that Bellarmine Prep is again highly ranked in Class 4A girls – the Lions are No. 1. But take a look at the core of this squad – they’re all underclassmen. Led by juniors Daryl Phill and Danielle Rowe and sophomores Jordan Thurston, Hannah Derby, Hayley Hustead and Erin McCune, Bellarmine Prep has reloaded for another successful season. … Gig Harbor freshman Brenna Peloquin was a standout in her first meet, posting the fastest time at the Capital Invite. … Auburn Riverside’s Korey Krotzer has also enjoyed a strong start, winning the Capital Invite and Fort Steilacoom Invite. He placed fourth at state last fall. … In Class 3A, keep an eye on Peninsula’s boys and girls teams. The girls placed first at the 53-team Fort Steilacoom Invite and the boys finished sixth. A couple of other local boys teams – White River and Lakes – also ran well at the meet and 4A’s eighth-ranked team, Puyallup, won the boys crown. … Charles Wright, the top-ranked 1A boys team, is poised to improve upon last season’s third-place finish at state.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Jefferson’s Amber Cratsenberg, the reigning Class 4A state champion in the 100-meter freestyle, hasn’t yet made up her mind which events she’ll focus on.

“It’s still up in the air,” Raiders coach Wendy Neely said.

Cratsenberg turned in an automatic All-American time at the state meet last season, finishing the 100 free in 59.96 seconds, winning by almost a full second. She also placed second in the 50 free and helped Jefferson’s 200 free relay finish fourth.

Whatever events Cratsenberg, a happy-go-lucky and likable teammate, chooses, Neely is confident she’ll shine.

“She looks good, she’s in good shape,” Neely said. “She’s excited to complete her senior season.”

ELSEWHERE

Another freestyler, Stadium’s Felicity Cann is building on a successful 2010 season. Cann, who took second to Cratsenberg in the state finals of the 100 free as a sophomore, cruised to victories in the 200 and 500 free earlier this month against Capital and Olympia. … Sumner returns a good portion of the team that placed third at the Class 2A state meet last year, and a few have already secured spots in the 2011 state meet. Madison Munger (100 fly), Sami Hendricks (50 and 100 free) and Ashley Huynh (100 breaststroke) clocked state-qualifying teams last week.