NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox cross country teams have been a force to be reckoned with for the past four seasons. 2025 is the pivotal year.

The Bruins have swept the past four conference championships on both the men's and women's sides, and have qualified for the NCAA Championships the past three. In 2024, the Fox men were ranked as high as No. 10 in the country, while both the women and men each finished with an All-American — Austin Gappa for the men and Breanna Schmitt for the women.

But now, things look a little different. The Bruin women graduated three of their seven runners, including All-Region athlete Ellie Rising. It's an even starker contrast for the men, with six of their seven nationals runners graduating.

For most coaches, such turnover would cause a bit of worry. But for GFU head coach Mike Wilson, the opening brings opportunity.

"There are so many younger runners on our roster who haven't had their big opportunity yet," Wilson said, "They haven't lined up for a conference championship, they haven't been on a national starting line; they're kind of coming in and inheriting that. It's super fun. There's a palpable energy with this group and a hunger to get after it this year."

On the women's side, Breanna Schmitt will lead the way as a returning All-American. Schmitt finished 38th on the national stage in 2024 and stepped up during the 2025 GFU track season in her leadership role.

"She was talking to me last spring during track," Wilson said," and was really asking, 'What do I need to be better at? How do I grow as a leader? What do I need to sharpen?'"

Schmitt, as well as Abbie Goodwin and Hope Bridge will enter 2025 as athletes with Nationals experience, while Cella Leita and Karina Rodriguez made the trip as alternates. These women will look to provide experience and consistency for the Bruin women's squad.

But alongside that consistency will be several new faces. Lola Woodburn, Sara Marino, Kate Larson, and Natalie Oathout could make an impact. While not new, Reese Borchert has also impressed early on, improving her 2-mile time trial time by nearly a minute between her freshman and sophomore years.

All these talented runners have the Bruin women in a different position than in years past — while they may not have several low-sticks established for 2025, Wilson believes that they are a deeper team.

"We have several athletes stepping up so far," the defending NWC Coach of the Year said, " and then all of a sudden we have this big freshmen class as well. Our 5-10 positions are more substantive. There's more depth there. I'm excited to see where that could go."

The men's side also holds several unknown variables. The 2024 roster featured several fifth-year seniors and one of the deepest teams in the Bruins' NCAA era. Now, new faces will have to step in to fill the shoes of All-American Austin Gappa and All-Region runner Alex Mills.

Kellen Ruiz and Caden Hildenbrand enter the season as the only seniors who have seen the national starting line in their time at Fox. They, along with Maximus Chalpoutis, have shown Wilson leadership early on in the year. 

Other returners also look eager to fill the shoes of those before them. Whether it's Eli Krueger, Jacob Shin, Makai Peak, or Benjamin Bourne, Wilson has seen several runners display their potential early on — something he has seen the freshman class do as well.

The men's freshmen group has adapted quickly, with six of the top finishers in the team's two-mile time trial being a member of the incoming class. And it's not just one athlete. While Jefferson Smith, Isaac Montanes, and Ryan Lippert may have been at the front of the pack on time trial day, it could be any one of the newcomers that could etch their name into Bruin lore.

" The talent is so deep that I hesitate to even start mentioning [the freshmen] by name," Wilson said, "Because they could shuffle by next week. It's hard to know, but it's an exciting group with a ton of potential."

It all starts for Fox with the Lewis & Clark Opener, a meet that will likely be used as more of a practice. The big meet pre-conference will be the Paul Short Run in Pennsylvania, which will serve as a quasi-national preview for the Bruins.

" There will probably be between 15 and 20 teams that made the national meet last year at the Paul Short Run. Our goal is to go out there and hopefully show some strengths against other regions if we can. It's a good proving ground to see if we are as good as we think we are."

After Paul Short - but before a hopeful trip to Nationals in Spartanburg, S.C - are the Conference Championships in Tacoma and the NCAA West Regional in Southern California. While these trips may not be as close as they have been to Newberg as in years past, there's something else that excites Wilson about these events: a re-energized group that has something to prove.

"[In years past] when we've had our best days at regionals, it was because we were ready to prove ourselves," Wilson said, "There was a little chip on the shoulder. I want to see that chip on the shoulder again, and I think this group is going to have it."

Looking at the conference preseason polls, there is not a surefire pick this year in the conference — though they are picked to win the NWC, Willamette and Whitworth received a vote to win on the women's side, with Whitworth picking up three on the men's. 

But if one thing the conference has learned, it's to never doubt George Fox cross. Though the athletes may be different this year, though the competitions may be farther away, though many people may question the experience of the Bruins, one thing is clear:

The Bruins are a force to be reckoned with for a reason.