The women's cross country team raced at the Plansky Invitational this Saturday, squeezing in one last race before the beginning of the championship season.
Though essentially operating at half-strength, the Jumbos tackled two separate distances, the 5K and the 4K, taking the individual top spots in both races with determined performances from sophomore Evelyn Sharkey and junior tri-captain Catherine Beck.
"It was a battle the whole race through for both of them," coach Kristen Morwick said. "Beck broke out at the hills and took off, but Sharkey was fighting it out the whole time. [Sharkey and second-place finisher Autumn Swan] were trading off the lead into the woods, but Evelyn got her with a good kick in the end."
Sharkey, who finished the 5K in 18:44, said she was "worried about keeping up with the leaders," but turned her tension into her first career win, edging out the Hartwick senior and 10K Nationals qualifier Swan by a second.
"I think it really shows her maturity in how she was able to take command of the race like that," Beck said of her teammate's first-place performance. "It's only her second season running cross, but she's really showing just what she can do."
Missing senior Sam Moland and fighting several illnesses, the Tufts women were still solid in the 5K. With Sharkey in front, senior Raquel Morgan (sixth, 19:43) and classmate Jenny Torpey (11th, 19:53) closed the race close together, while sophomore Katie Rizzolo (16th, 20:10) missed finishing in the top fifteen by just four seconds. Senior Angie Lee took 24th with a time of 20:30, rounding out the Tufts top five and leaving the rest of the 83-person pack behind.
Another striding success came from senior tri-captain Sarah Crispin (15:03), coming in third for the Tufts 4K and fourth overall. Reflecting the significant improvements a runner can make in just one year, Crispin demolished the course, turning in a time that was not only her personal best by 33 seconds but also three seconds faster than Beck ran on the same course last year.
The Tufts runners outperformed their previous personal bests across the board in the 4K, which was especially impressive considering the course's muddy trails and steady uphill slope for about a quarter of the final mile.
Beck came in first with a time of 14:39, followed shortly by junior Katy O'Brien (third, 14:52) right on the heels of second-place junior Mallory Harlin (14:47) of Williams. Sophomore Susan Allegretti (14th, 15:40) and junior Anna Shih (21st, 15:50) crossed the line with only ten seconds in between to round out the Jumbos' scoring five in the 4K.
Besides the traditionally deep Williams squad, Tufts was the only school present that chose to compete in both races, as the rest of the teams just participated in either the 5K or the 4K. Though not running with a full squad could be considered a disadvantage, the team consciously made the decision to focus on the weeks ahead instead of solely the race at hand.
"We didn't want two weeks without competition before heading into NESCACs," Morwick said. "Practices are well and good, but there's something to be said for just running races. This race was really about turning in some hard times and pulling some people up in the pack, just so everyone can get some valuable racing experience."
NESCAC foes Williams and Conn. College both came in ahead of Tufts' 58 points in the 5K, taking first and second with scores of 43 and 45 respectively. Though a Tufts runner came in first, and the Jumbos put three more runners across the line in the top sixteen on an individual level, the Conn. College pack came in tighter, as the Camels' top five finished within 22 seconds of each other.
However, the Jumbos have taken the Camels three times before this season by a significant margin, and the true test will come at NESCACs with full rosters going head to head again.
"When you split everyone into squads, it makes sense that the deeper team or more complete team is going to win," Morwick said. "However, I think the quality of our team and our top runners-our 1-2-3 punch of Cat Beck, [O'Brien], and Evelyn-will really show in the more competitive races."
In the 4K, the race was a little closer, with Tufts (43) taking second, turning up the pressure on Williams (37) while kicking in ahead of MIT (53).
In the latest New England Div. III coaches' poll, which came out yesterday, the Jumbos checked in at third, behind top-ranked Amherst and Middlebury and four points ahead of Williams.
The Tufts women will take the next week off, using the time to simultaneously tune up and chill out on their last respite until the end of the season.
"We were fourth last year [at NESCACs], and we hope to improve on that," Morwick said. "If our team runs to their potential, it could be anyone's championship."
