West: Chico, mon

One year after losing their individual national champ to the "pros," Chico State has reloaded.

Buoyed by Humboldt State transfer Jimmy Elam, who has traded top finishes with Beau Gradone-Rogers.

The team kicked around some more D1 pretenders at Irvine, Calif., and Willamette, Ore. meets this season.

Chico can't be complacent, though. Western Washington and Alaska-Anchorage won't be far behind.

While Anchorage's Marko Cheseto and Micah Chelimo are my picks for the individual crown, WWU has gotten the better measure of them this year.

And if Anchorage's fourth- and fifth-man blues are acute, Western Oregon emerge with tickets to Evansville.