On paper, it may appear as if defending boys champion Andrew Quallio of Zama American and 2006 girls winner Nadine Mulvany of Nile C. Kinnick are the runners to beat in Monday's Far East Cross Country 3.1-mile individual races.

But if history is a good teacher and if this year's field appears to be the deepest in years, don't count on them as a mortal hammer lock just yet. No fewer than eight boys and 10 girls who finished in last year's top 20 are back and primed for a shot at gold-medal honors.

And two-time defending team champion Kadena, despite returning virtually its entire squad from last year, may face a stern challenge from Seoul American, which ran the Korea table for the first time in school history.

Get a glimpse of what to expect in the two-day Far East meet at Misawa Air Base, Japan.