The Mary Washington College cross country team has high hopes for the 1984 season. In 1983, with a year of consistent improvement, the Blue Tide team built a nucleus of young, talented runners. Next season, with only one of that group graduating, those high hopes may be realized. "We went into the season with two main goals," MWC Coach Rick Wagenaar said, "to improve each week ofthe season and to win our third Tidewater Conference championship and we achieved both of those goals."
In the three-team Tidewater Conference, four MWC runners finished in the top seven to earn All-Conference honors and all five team members hit personal best times on MWC's home course. Freshman Mike Good (Woodbridge, VA) led the team in that meet. His third place overall finish, with a 26:55 time, was the fastest ever by an MWC runner on that five mile course.
Senior Dave Modrak (Vienna, VA) capped his fourth cross country season with his second All-Tidewater award. Freshman Don Zdancewicz (Vienna, VA) placed sixth overall to win his honor. Sophomore Ray LaMura (Morganville, NJ) took over a minute offhis previous best on MWC's hilly course to capture seventh place and key MWC's narrow victory.
Wagenaar's goal of consistent improvement was satisfied by the group's times. Good's times lowered in every one ofthe squad's eight meets until he ran to a 26:21 time, good for 17th place in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional meet. Paul Gautier (Salem, VA) likewise lowered his times with every event. The team's seventh man in early season meets, the freshman took nearly two minutes off his time over the course ofthe season and, in the final meet, placed fourth for MWC with a personal best time of 28:36 in the regional meet.
The team compiled a 5-6 dual meet record, just missing a third consecutive winning year. However, according to Wagenaar, "we had a successful year." The record reflects a 5-3 mark versus comparable Division III teams, and two of those three losses, narrow decisions at Catholic University and Hampden-Sydney College, were avenged in later, larger meets. The MWC Blue Tide cross country program compiled its first winning season at 6--5in 1981, and improved that to 10-4 in 1982. In 1982, freshman Jeff Byers highlighted the year when he qualified as an individual for the NCAA Division III national meet.