LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola Cross Country has a long history of success at the conference and national level, but the 2017 season brings a new challenge to Head Coach Sean Henning's teams as they step up to the NCAA Division II and compete in the PacWest Conference for the first time.
 
Henning is casting a vision of service for his teams, with the goal of having teammates work and sacrifice for one another and the good of the program as a whole.
 
"We want our student-athletes to show up to practice thinking 'What can I give to the program today? What can I give to my teammates? What can I give to my God?' Not thinking, what am I going to get out of this experience," said Henning.
 
Both teams should be able to compete with the top teams in the conference from the get go. The Eagles' have competed regularly against teams like California Baptist and Point Loma over the past few years and if all falls into place they should be able to run neck-and-neck with the competition.
 
Henning has high hopes for both his programs, with the men's side looking especially strong in the early going.
 
"We are entering a new conference. It is definitely going to be more challenging," said Henning. "I think what we have talked about is not so much the talent we have on the team, but the type of men we have on the team and the type of men we have added."
 
The Eagles brought in five new runners this season to join a strong core that returns the likes of Miles Brubacher, Ryan Thompson, Gabe Plendcio and five others from 2016. Brea Olinda HS is well represented among the new student-athletes on the men's side as three newbies are former Wildcats have joined this year.
 
"We brought in five new guys who are all fantastic fits for Biola. We're really excited about it," said Henning. "We think the characteristics we have can make something really special. If we can focus on being great at all the little things you control as an athlete then we can be very special."
 
Henning hopes for a top-3 conference finish for the men, which would qualify them for a postseason trip to Jackson, Mississippi and a chance to earn a National Christian College Athletic Association title.
 
The men begin their season at the second annual Biola Invitational at Ted Craig Regional Park on Saturday, Sept. 9. The season culminates at the end of October and in early November as the Eagles compete in the PacWest Championships (Oct. 21) and NCCAA Championships (Nov. 11).
 
The women's team looks fairly different than it did one year ago. The Eagles will work through the loss of standout senior and NAIA All-American Lyndee Dawson, but will still have a strong returning contingent.
 
Stephanie Croy, Stephanie Chaires and Hannah Hunsaker are the vocal leaders of this 2017 team and have helped foster a welcoming environment for all of the new faces on the roster. Emily Ransom is the top returning runner, having split time with Dawson as the Eagles' No. 1 finisher in 2016.
 
 
"There is a lot of change on the women's side. We are forming a new identity this year," said Henning. "What makes this group special is work ethic. They each had to work very hard to get where they're at."
 
The Eagles' hard work over the years led them to conference titles in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, but that was in the GSAC and Biola faces a whole new challenge as it looks to rise to the top in the PacWest.
 
"The women have done a great job of creating a very special bond, where they are connecting well and working well with one another so far," said Henning. "Our goal is to try to be in the top-3 in the conference this year and then be able to compete for a title at NCCAA nationals.
 
Biola's chance to see exactly where it falls into the conference lineup will be on Oct. 21 up at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont, California. Henning notes that he plans to have both teams on a staggered taper in order to prepare them to log their best times at both the PacWest meet and NCCAA meet.
 
"Both teams are still forming their identity as we're just two weeks in," said Henning. "The teams we are now, I think, are significantly different than the teams we will be in two months."
 
Catch both programs competing at their home meet at Ted Craig Regional Park two Saturdays from now. The men's competition begins at 8:30 a.m. and the women compete at 9:15 a.m.