The first half of the women's cross country team's season is over, but the championships are just beginning. The second leg of the championship season begins on Saturday as runners from all 11 NESCAC schools head to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. to compete in the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Conn. College.
Tufts finished the race in fourth place last season, but after their sterling performances this season, improvement is not a question, but rather an expectation.
"We're shooting for a better finish than fourth, [which we placed] last year," coach Kristen Morwick said. "It's not out of the realm of possibility [that] we can win this, but it's a tough point in the season."
With a week off since their last race in the Plansky Invitational at Williams, the team is rested and ready for this weekend's meet. And after finishing in third and second place in last weekend's 5k and 4k races, respectively, the team certainly heads to Connecticut with momentum on their side.
"We are going in at third behind Middlebury and Amherst [ranked fifth and second in the nation, respectively], which is definitely a respectable position," said junior tri-captain Catherine Beck. "That said, I don't think any team in NESCAC is just going to sit back and let any team take the title without a fight."
Beck finished last week in first place in the 4k race, with sophomore teammate Evelyn Sharkey capturing the 5k race. Beck will look to take the NESCAC crown on Saturday, putting a finishing touch on a season that includes a new race record, an ECAC Player of the Week award and several first-place finishes.
She'll face tough competition from the likes of the league's premier runners, including Amherst senior Shauneen Garrahan and Wesleyan senior Ellen Davis, but Beck insists that she's up for the challenge.
"The competition in NESCAC is some of the best we'll face," Beck said. "My personal goals for this race are to get myself up in the thick of things and see where that can take me."
Morwick also added that, although the race is pretty wide open, Beck could have a chance at a repeat of her course record-setting run at the Conn. College Invitational on Sept. 9.
"It's not unreasonable that she could vie for the title," said Morwick.
Including Tufts, five NESCAC teams are ranked in the top 12 nationally, and with competition from perennial favorites like No. 2 Amherst, No. 5 Middlebury, No. 9 Williams and No. 12 Colby, the Jumbos certainly have a difficult task ahead of them.
"The entire Amherst and Middlebury teams are completely loaded with talent, and you can never rule Williams out of a championship, so there will be plenty of competition all around," Beck said.
Besides Beck and Sharkey, the Jumbos will rely on seniors Sam Moland, Raquel Morgan and Sarah Crispin, junior Katy O'Brien and sophomore Katie Rizzolo to anchor the team. Six of the seven raced for the Jumbos at NESCACs last season, with Beck taking 11th in the race to earn All-NESCAC honors.
All the runners will face poor conditions on Saturday, as weather reports indicate rain for Friday into Saturday, which will slow down Conn. College's normally flat and fast course. Additionally, a marshy section in the race will bog down runners and dampen chances for personal bests or course records.
"In terms of the course, it is pretty flat and quite fast, so there should be some impressive times coming out of this weekend," Beck said. "There is one section through a marsh that can get very muddy, so that will be something to look out for as we warm up on the course before the race."
The Jumbos won't let rain get in the way of their aspirations for a NESCAC championship title this weekend, and if this season has been any indication, the team should turn in a strong finish on Saturday.
"We just need to go into this weekend and run our race with confidence," Beck said. "Because, when it comes down to the postseason, you have to trust in all your hard work and know that you are prepared."
