UW women cross country runners find recipe for success

The dirty, no, sweet little secret about the best women's cross-country team in America:

The University of Washington runners love to bake.

They all take turns making and consuming sugary treats. They enjoy muffins and banana bread with white chocolate and homemade ice cream cakes, to name a few things, and the wonderful part is that they run so much that they maintain their slender frames.

Guess you can have a sweet tooth as long as you put in 60 miles a week.

"There's a lot of baking going on," junior Lauren Saylor says, laughing. "A lot."

Of course, those snacks pale in comparison to their greatest indulgence — winning. They're a giggly and goofy bunch when their running shoes are off, but when they're on, they epitomize dominance.

The Huskies have won 11 straight events and two Pac-10 championships over the past two years. They've been the overwhelming top-ranked women's cross-country team for more than a year. And on Monday, they are favored to repeat as national champions in Terre Haute, Ind.

They are a machine, a monster, a menace to all competition. And for the second straight year, they're the Great Sports Hope for what has been another disastrous fall for football in this city. It's a responsibility they accept openly.

"We all want it," junior Mel Lawrence said. "We all want that challenge, and there's pressure. But you go to school to be part of something, to keep building that program. If we can win another national title, it's to show that we're still building and that we didn't just build for one year."

Washington has plenty of stellar programs that are in the national title discussion every year. Men's crew. Women's crew. Softball. Volleyball. Currently, women's cross country might be the most overpowering of that impressive bunch, which is interesting to think because the athletes are so slight and their margin for error is so small and their legs endure so much trauma.

The fact that this team keeps winning defies the fragility of excellence in this sport, and it speaks both to how gifted and determined these athletes are.

"They're unflappable," coach Greg Metcalf says. "They have not wavered from the goal. They've just gone out every day and done their thing."

It's an interesting team, and somehow, despite the individualistic nature of running, it's a true team. The Huskies are good not just because they have the deepest collection of fast runners, but they work well as a unit. They look out for each other during races. They make sacrifices so that the team can prosper.

And, oh, they have fun together, too. So much fun.

They memorize the flavor of the week at Peaks Frozen Custard in Ravenna and talk about it during their training sessions throughout the week. To pass time on long team runs, they sing songs or do something they call the picnic run. It's basically reciting the alphabet using food. They go from A to Z thinking of foods.

"So the person who has Z has to repeat everything," senior Katie Follett said. "We're about business when we're running, but it's also a chance to catch up with your best friends for like an hour. You build strong relationships because you're chatting. But our mission is still to compete."

Says a giggling Saylor: "We're great multi-taskers."

They're an intriguing combination of talent and personality. Sophomore Kendra Schaaf, the Canadian wunderkind, leads the team, but this is a balanced group of fearless All-Americans and overachievers.

As good as Schaaf is, steady sophomore Christine Babcock led the Huskies last season at the national championships. Metcalf considers Lawrence "the rock" of the team. Follett is the senior leader, an energetic, outgoing and poised presence. Junior Kailey Campbell, who didn't run cross country at Ballard High School because she played soccer, has slid into the No. 5 spot and been the surprise of the year for the Huskies.

In addition, redshirt freshmen Allison Linnell and Kayla Evans will also run at the national championships Monday. The Huskies are so deep that they might be able to win without Saylor, who along with Lawrence led a landmark recruiting class three years ago. Saylor won't compete because she's still fighting mononucleosis.

The Huskies have remained No. 1 all season, but they don't act like they're being hunted. Instead, they're hunting another championship. They faced a moment of truth a few weeks ago during the Pac-10 championships, edging Oregon in a race that came down to the final 400 meters.

Last season, Washington solidified itself as national title contender in the Pac-10 meet, running away from the field, sweeping the top six spots and setting a historic mark with a perfect score of 15.

This time, Follett was ill and labored through the race. Schaaf ran out to an incredible early lead, but then she heard a clicking sound in her knee, fell back to fifth place and willed her way to a second-place finish. Campbell re-aggravated an ankle injury in the race but turned it on at the end. And Lawrence, who hadn't raced in a month because of an Achilles injury, had to do her part, too.

"It was crazy," Metcalf recalled. "It was high drama. It was like being in the last few minutes of a college basketball game and having no timeouts. We should've gotten beat on that day. But our team functioned like a great team. They won with maybe less than their A game, and then we got better."

The Huskies followed it up with their most impressive performance to date at the West Regionals. Now, they're one great effort away from national title No. 2.

"I don't feel like there's an extra amount of pressure on us," Campbell said. "There's a bull's-eye on our back, maybe, but we're not going to panic."

No, if recent history holds, they're going to win again. And bring another trophy back to Montlake.

For these ladies, all dual running and baking threats, it would be the sweetest feat of all.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer