Nov. 18, 2002

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Just by going to the NCAA Division II National Championships, Western Washington University cross country runner Paul Kezes already has accomplished one first.

On Saturday, he'll be aiming for a first of an even better kind. First place.

Kezes, a junior from Sehome High School in Bellingham, is the first Viking ever to reach the national meet in Western's five years as an NCAA II member. He enters Saturday's championships on the Brookside Golf Course in Ashland, Ohio, with a legitimate shot at winning the individual title after taking the West Regional crown at Fresno, Calif., on Nov. 9 by a 12-second margin.

It was the narrowest margin of victory of the season for Kezes, who has won all four races he has run this year, including two at the 10-kilometer distance of the national championships.

"For me, it will be interesting running with competition again," said Kezes. "All season long I've been running in front on my own."

Kezes transferred to Western after spending a year at Western State, Colo., where he sat out the cross country season because of an injury, but was third nationally in both the indoor mile and the outdoor 1,500 meters. He was the top American finisher in both races.

"There's probably 10 people legitimately in the running for the individual championship, and he's one of them," said Western coach Pee Wee Halsell. "His workouts have been going really well, and his confidence is high after regionals."

With his strength in the middle distances, Kezes believes his closing kick could be one of his greatest advantages.

"Patience will be a true virtue, because the race really begins after four miles, when there's two miles to go," he said. "I want to run that last two miles the fastest I ever have. I've done it in 9:20, I'm going to try to do it in two 4:30s (or nine minutes).

"I feel like if I'm in the mix with 800 meters to go, my kick is strong enough to win it."