Prep Cross Country / State Championships -- Prep Boys Chase State Title

Seattle Prep is in contention to win its first state cross-country title since 1972 because the team's No. 4 and No. 5 runners have improved all season.

"We've talked all year about getting our No. 4 and No. 5 guys up closer to 1-2-3," Prep Coach Mike Niggemeyer said. "A lot of years that's just wishful thinking. This year it happened, mainly because of hard work. Our guys have narrowed the gap between 1-5."

None of Prep's boys runners are favored to win the individual title, but no school may be able to match Prep's balance.

At last week's tough district meet, Prep runners finished eighth (Tom Chapman), 10th (Dan Boniface), 12th (Stephen Moore), 15th Walter Haugland and 25th (Eric Chamberlin).

Competing in the sixth and seventh spots are sophomores Riley Lovejoy and Benjamin Carter Gauen.

Prep's girls team narrowly missed qualifying for state. But Prep sophomore Megan Johnson, who finished second last year, is expected to finish near the top in a season that started with her hospitalized for E. coli. She was second at district last week to Newport freshman Jodee Adams-Moore. The other Prep girl qualifier is Emily Showman. ----------------------------------------------------------------- State cross-country meet at a glance

When/where - Tomorrow, Pasco, Sun Willows Golf Course. Race times - Class A-B girls, 10 a.m.; 2A girls, 10:30 a.m.; 3A girls, 11 a.m.; 4A girls, 11:30 a.m. A-B boys, noon; 2A boys, 12:30 p.m.; 3A boys, 1 p.m.; 4A boys, 1:30 p.m. Distance - 3.1 miles (5,000 meters). What's new - 1) Course is one-tenth of a mile longer than previous Pasco races. 2) Two more races because of reclassification. Last year's team champions: Mead won last nine Class AAA boys championships and now is in 4A. Snohomish won last two girls AAA championships. East Valley-Yakima won last year's boys AA title (the school is one classification lower, 2A, in new system) and East Valley-Spokane won the girls AA title. Chewelah won the A-B boys title and Omak ran off with the girls A-B crown. Top contenders - 4A boys - University-Spokane, Mead-Spokane, Gig Harbor, Ferris-Spokane. 4A girls - Snohomish, Eisenhower-Yakima, South Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Woodinville; 3A boys - Seattle Prep, Lynnwood, Lakeside, West Valley-Yakima, Capital-Olympia; 3A girls - East Valley-Spokane, Newport (Bellevue), Blanchet, Issaquah; 2A boys - Ephrata, Omak, Lakewood; 2A girls - Ephrata, Newport-Spokane, Hoquiam. A-B boys - Chelan, St. George's, Pomeroy; A-B girls - Chelan, St. George's, Lynden Christian. Returning individual champions: Kim Stone of Bethel won last year's girls AAA title as a sophomore; Dustin Duke of Jackson won boys Class AA title as a sophomore. Others to watch - 4A girls, Jeannette Zimmer, South Kitsap (won AA title in 1994 as freshman at Cheney and beat '96 AAA champion Stone last week at district); Emily Hawkins, Ferris-Spokane (sister of two-time AAA winner Isaac Hawkins); Johnna Haberman, Juanita; Krissi Mathers, Woodinville; Lindley Pauls, Snohomish; Amy Blair (Mountain View-Vancouver). 4A boys, Seth Mott, University-Spokane; Tom Becker, Mount Spokane; Matt Koenigs, Marysville-Pilchuck; Peter Lindquist, Redmond. 3A girls, Jodee Adams-Moore, Newport; Robin Dixon, Newport; Megan Johnson, Seattle Prep (second last year in AA); Kate Bradshaw, Issaquah (second last year in AAA); Leann Hymas, South Whidbey; April Gagner, Yelm; Melanie Frostad, East Valley-Spokane. 3A boys, Matt Johnson, Lakeside; Javon Broderick, O'Dea; Adam Tenforde, Hanford (beat Duke this year at Richland Invitational; Duke beat Tenforde at Wenatchee); Mark Wicklander, Franklin Pierce; Ben Koss, Capital. 2A boys, Jeremy McCullough, Lakewood; Matt Harriman, Omak; Bill Warner, Riverside; 2A girls, Barrett Ebright, Vashon; Staci Hunter, Ephrata; Sarah Bell, Newport. A-B girls, Kristy Fournier, Bellevue Christian; Brooke Ralston, Naselle. A-B boys, Ned Miller, Darrington; Rosario Blanco, Chelan; Hans Petersen, Colfax.