Anyone who has followed men’s cross country this season has seen the consistency of Joey Cherico.

During the course of the season, Cherico has run no worse than sixth on the team, while finishing as high as fourth.

“(My season) has been very successful,” Cherico said. “I had agreat year of training, and I think that I have done all I can for theteam.”

With his results, Cherico has earned himself a spot on the varsity squad.

“That’s what you strive for,” coach Clay Calkins said. “Anytimeyou have runners that are on even keel and consistent, it makesdecisions for coaches easier on who you’re going to run on a weeklybasis.”

Longer distances were not Cherico’s strong suit. The freshman ran the best in middle distances, such as the 800-meter race.

The coaches were not sure if he would be able to make the transition to the eight and 10-kilometer meets.

“If (the freshmen) are in the 1600 or in the 3200, you’re moreoptimistic that they will make that adjustment,” assistant coach MitchBentley said. “But if they are true 800 runners, like Joey was, thenyou’re less optimistic that they’ll be able to make the transition torun a five-mile race.”

Cherico and his fellow Bobcats will run the 10-kilometer for thefirst and probably last time this season at the NCAA Regional race. TheBobcats will face 32 to 34 teams in the Great Lakes Region.

Cherico, though, is not fazed with the longer distance.

“I’m not too nervous,” he said.

The women’s team is looking to move up in the record books inthe Regional meet by placing in the top 10 for the 16th time. They arecurrently in a fourth-place tie with Notre Dame and Minnesota.

“It’s tops in the MAC by far,” Bentley said. “We’d like to keep that going.”

The Bobcats also have a good chance of qualifying a runner toNationals. Juniors Annie Beecham and Kari Summers would be the firstOhio women runners to qualify for the national race since Jackie Conradand Melissa Converse did in 1998.

“If they run to their potential, they should make it out,” Calkins said.

Beecham and Summers need to finish in the top four individualsnot on a qualifying team. The teams that qualify for nationals are notknown until all the regional races are completed, and the two will notknow if they made it in after the race.

A top-10 finish is expected of the two, which will get them close to qualifying.

“We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s good enough to move on to the NCAA’s,” Bentley said.