By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
The 2005 cross country season will get under way on Saturday with the third annual Viking Stampete at Southwestern Michigan College.
Competing in this year's event along with the Vikings will be Dowagiac, Marshall, Mishawaka (Ind.), Three Rivers, Fort Wayne Concordia (Ind.), Michigan City (Ind.), Otsego, Fort Wayne Northrop, Northridge, Lakeshore and Portage Northern.
The meet will begin with the National Anthem at 9:50 a.m. The boy's race will begin at 10 a.m. with the girl's race scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m.
The top two teams will be awarded trophies, while the top 10 freshmen, sophmores, juniors and seniors will all receive medals, both boys and girls.
The top seven runners from each squad will also be awarded T-shirts.
Dowagiac returns seven boys and six girls from last season.
Four of those seven boys, however, are multi-sport athletes.
Senior Jason Tabbert leads the Chieftains, along with juniors Evan Bressler, Andrew Cuthbert, Adam Hess, Mike Kasper and Tony Saviano. Also back is sophomore Clay Hewitt.
Cuthbert, Hess and Hewitt also play soccer, while Kasper is a member of the varsity football team.
Returning for the girl's squad are senior Ashley Willis, junior Katie Hewitt and sophomores Catherine Hamilton, Lori Key, Chelsey Preston and Kayla Saviano.
Dowagiac will compete in Division III this year when the post season comes around.