By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Sixth-year coach Jason McCullough said a young Fort Hays State University men's cross country team "definitely paid some dues" last year, especially in the fall. The Tiger men, with no seniors, finished seventh out of eight conference schools at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association meet and didn't qualify any runners for nationals.

However, the Tigers progressed through the fall, winter and spring seasons, improvements that have already helped FHSU move up in the national rankings. Fort Hays is ranked No. 25 nationally in NCAA Division II, the first time it has been nationally ranked since 2004. The Tigers open the year with the annual Tiger Alumni Run on Saturday morning. Start time is 10 a.m. at the FHSU course.

"I think it is going to be a springboard for us into the cross country season," McCullough said. "We surprised a lot of people in track last year in the middle and long distances."

Both the men's and women's teams are picked to finish fifth in the preseason conference coaches' poll. McCullough, though, believes each squad can finish in the top-3. The men could finish even higher. Two years ago, a senior-laden FHSU men's team had a goal of a conference championship. This year's team has similar personnel to the '08 squad.

"The long distance times for our top four or five runners is very similar to what we had two years ago," McCullough said. "You have the same expectations for this team. ... A lot of it just depends on who stays healthy. I know they have the talent to be the first, second or third team, if they are healthy." The Tiger men have six seniors returning, including Cameron Reith, FHSU's top runner in three of eight meets in 2009. Reith, junior Tanner Christensen -- who paced the Tigers in four meets in 2009 -- and junior Jared Shillington lead the pack. Shillington won the Open Range Festival time trial earlier this fall with a time of 44:36, one of two FHSU runners that have ever broken 45 minutes on the 8.4-mile course.

Sophomore Alex Hendee and seniors Eddie Banda and Cole Ginther could be in the top-5, too. Ginther missed last year's cross country season with an injury, but was one of the Tigers' top runners in 2008. Senior Riley Voth, who was injured and ended up redshirting the track season, is healthy and in the mix.

"Reith, he improved a lot," McCullough said. "Tanner Christensen had a great track season, Eddie Banda improved in the middle distances, which I think that should carry over into cross country as well. Those are those three guys that really had significant improvements. Jared Shillington really had a solid season. He didn't quite compete like he wanted to in track. He has been putting in 80 or 90 miles a week this summer, so I expect him to be up there early in the season, definitely."

The Tiger women bring back two all-MIAA runners in senior Amie Algrim (who earned the honor in 2008) and senior Hali Mobley. They paced FHSU in two races, though Mobley was the top finisher at conference and regionals. Sophomore Gentry Linscott, the top runner in two races, and junior Raven Boettger return to a squad that lost just one top runner (graduated Ali Mishler). McCullough sees question marks past the top four with nearly a dozen new girls.

"We had one of the stronger middle distance squads with Amie and Hali and Raven," McCullough said. "I really see those three and then Gentry Linscott to make up that core, that top four."