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SCHWETZINGEN, Germany — Two defending Division I champions top the challengers for the DODDS-Europe cross country championships on Saturday morning at Tompkins Barracks.

Kel Secrest of Ramstein, who covered the four-lap, 5,000-meter layout in 16 minutes, 21.96 seconds last year, and Shelby Whatley of Lakenheath, who finished the same course in 21:01.21, are expected to figure significantly in this year’s race. Both are unbeaten this fall.

"Barring injury or sickness, I don’t see anyone other than Shelby Whatley from Lakenheath winning the girls race," Ramstein coach Dennis Edwards wrote Tuesday in an e-mail. "She is the defending 3,000-meter champion from track. She is running well this fall."

Whatley finished second overall last year, trailing Maggie Redmond of Division II Patch by 25 seconds.

Edwards, whose team did not run against Lakenheath this season because of regional scheduling, sees potential competition for the defending champ coming from Natalie Perraro of Frankfurt International School, who beat his No. 1, Elizabeth Doe, by 17 seconds on Sept. 13.

Edwards sees Secrest, last year’s overall boys’ winner, facing more of a challenge than Whatley.

"The boys individual race will be very exciting," he wrote. "John Markman from Naples (the D-II champ in ’07 who ran 16:31) is very strong, and a great competitor. Baudoin Fort of ISB (third overall in ’07 in 16:44.25) is an 11th-grader and running really well, as is Sterling Teall from Ansbach. Don’t count out John Rynecki from Heidelberg."

Edwards is too modest to say it, but the Ramstein boys, with Secrest, Laz Ramos and 2007 All-Europeans Will Barnes and Matt Lein all pushing one another in practice, are all but certain to win their 10th straight team championship.

Edwards sees a tighter race among the girls.

"The team race will be very exciting, just like last year," he wrote. "Heidelberg, Patch and Ramstein are very, very close. "Kaiserslautern’s girls have been improving throughout the season. With many more runners distributing the points, it will be a toss-up."

Aviano of Division II, with Shellby Yoakum, Sasia Salter-Mack, Maddy O’Brien, Kaylee Gumm-Johnson and Olivia Blanco, is very deep, and Katie Hancock and Jen Patron of Sigonella will be tough to beat in the small schools races.

Edwards said Wednesday by telephone that the course, situated in the training area behind the MWR training building on the west side of the road to Tompkins Barracks, is the best in Europe.

"It has a wide-open start and finish area, as recommended by high school rules," he said. "The only other places in Germany offering that are golf courses."

And although he called the course "not so technically unusual," he said it offered advantages to runners and spectators alike.

"The runners come into view at six points during the race," he said, "and there are four unique laps, so the runners don’t get bored running the same track every time."

Four races — boys and girls big schools and boys and girls small schools — will be run, beginning at 11 a.m.

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