Pre-season notes: Abilene to Alaska; Adams State needs a meet; Western State won't leave CO in '09

In my quick review of regional D2 cross powers, I have to say the most-interesting early-season meet will be the Sept. 5 race at Alaska-Anchorage.

Abliene Christian will bring its high-powered (and mostly Kenyan) lineup northwards, creating a matchup against Alaska-Anchorage's up-and-coming lineup.

ACU returns only two of their top five from last year's fourth-place squad in Slippery Rock; Anchorage returns three of its top five. While I think Anchorage won't quite compete for a national title this fall in Evansville (they were 11th last year). But they're led by seventh-place finisher Marko Cheseto (and 5k and 10k All-American performer outdoors) and perhaps have a surprise up their racing flats. Mark it on your calendar.

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While I have discussed a supposed controversy over a tantilyzing Adams State-Oregon race, the fact remains that ASC needs a meet or two to fill out their schedule. According to ascgrizzlies.com, they don't race for five weeks after Sept. 19, a situation I'm sure they want to fix -- and perhaps already have.

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Meanwhile, ASC's rival Western State won't leave the state of Colorado during its 2009 regular season campaign. I'll be curious to see how that works out, but the Mountaineers are nearly always ready when it counts.