Morton College cross country coach Gus Coronado doesn't have a front-runner like an Ashley Quiles, Laura Macias, Sierra Downey, Alan Guzman or Marco Alfaro.

But Coronado isn't counting the Panthers out of the combined Skyway Conference/Region IV race Saturday, October 27th at the College of Lake County. He's taking a "pack mentality" approach into the 2-for-1 race.

"There's a lot of pressure," Coronado said. "You've got to go out and perform because it's one race in two. If you don't, you'll be left out. I definitely think both groups could finish in the top two at Region if we run our best. We might not have a front-runner. It depends a lot on our pack."

On the men's side, there's been a 30-second gap between the Panthers' first and fifth runners. Andres Martinez has been the model of consistency, hovering between 29:02 and 29:08 in his last three races. Ryan Hahn's 8-kilometer time has dropped 43 seconds over the last three races, highlighted by a 29:01 at the Bradley Pink meet.

Christian Serrano has been a pleasant surprise, breaking 30 minutes for the first time this season at Bradley with a 29:23.

"Our goal for him is to break 30," Coronado said. "He's only been running cross country for two years. He really had a great race at Bradley. It's only going to help us."

Picking out of a hat could be the best way to determine the Panthers' top five runners on any given day. The leader of the pack could be Alicia Flores on one day, Maria DeLeon on another and Liliana Avitia the next.

"It's been someone different every race," Coronado admits. "We have a lot of depth. I don't know who will be our one through five. We need to go out in a pack."

The Panthers should be ready to handle the 5-kilometer distance. They've done three 6-K races this season. 

"If we all run like were supposed to, I think we can do really well," Coronado said.