UW moves on after transfer of top runner

The Washington women's cross-country team, national champions in 2008 and the third-place finisher at the NCAA meet a year ago, enters a new season stocked with an impressive freshman class but missing one of its brightest stars from the past two years.

Kendra Schaaf, a two-time Pac-10 athlete of the year in cross country, transferred to North Carolina this summer.

Schaaf, now a junior, placed second individually at last year's NCAA finals, five seconds out of first. In 2008 she finished 12th.

Coach Greg Metcalf, in his ninth season at UW, said he is sad to lose the Saskatchewan native. A minor foot injury at the Canadian championships one week after the 2009 NCAA race might have played a role.

"She tweaked her foot a little bit," Metcalf said, "and that's the second year in a row this had happened.

"I think her club coach and some folks who were in her corner planted the seed then that maybe a change of scenery would be good for her.

"She's from a very small town in Saskatchewan, and she said she didn't necessarily feel comfortable in Seattle. This is maybe going to come off the wrong way, but there are 22 other really good women on our team, and that was an adjustment for her. I think she just thought she needed a change of scenery."

Metcalf says their good relationship was good.

"We didn't want her to go," he said. "We've never had an athlete leave before.

"She's 20, and she wasn't completely healthy, so you add those things up and maybe she believed she was going to be healthier someplace else. I thought we did a great job taking care of her. I wish Kendra the best."

Washington's key returnee is junior Christine Babcock — 34th individually at last year's NCAAs and seventh in 2008. Joining her will be a freshman class that Flotrack.org ranks No. 1 in the nation.

The top newcomer is Megan Goethals of Michigan, the Gatorade national cross-country athlete of the year. She won the 2009 Footlocker national championship plus a pair of 2-mile national track titles.

New teammates Katie Flood, Megan Morgan and Liberty Miller all finished in the top 20 of the Footlocker race. Chloe Curtis was the California state 1,600-meter champ.

"We have a phenomenal group coming in," said Metcalf, who also lost nine-year assistant coach and recruiting specialist Kelly Strong this summer.

Men's cross country

The UW men have placed 18th at the past two NCAA championships — the first time in 20 years Washington's men have posted back-to-back top-20 finishes.

Metcalf cites junior Max O'Donoghue-McDonald as a key 2010 contributor. The Seattle Prep grad was UW's No. 5 finisher (183rd overall) at last year's NCAAs.

The first meet for the UW men and women is Friday vs. Washington State in Ephrata.

Women's soccer

Opening the season just barely out of the top 25 in one preseason poll, coach Lesle Gallimore thinks her squad is a Pac-10 title contender.

Washington last won the conference in 2000.

Key players include junior midfielder Kate Deines (Issaquah HS) and senior forward McKenna Waitley, 2009's top scorer.

"This team, on any given day, can beat any of the opponents on our schedule," Gallimore said. "We're aiming pretty high."

Men's soccer

Junior Brent Richards, this summer named most valuable player and top rookie in the Premier Development League while playing for the U-23 Portland Timbers, will be a key figure for a team forecast by Pac-10 coaches to finish last.

"I thought that was a mistake when I saw it," coach Dean Wurzberger said. "That's added motivation. I guarantee you we'll turn that thing upside down. We'll be closer to the top than the bottom, if not win it — if things fall into place."

The Huskies, 5-7-6 last year, scored 19 goals while yielding 19. Wurzberger said: "We've got to score in the 30s."