Saturday saw the top runners of the women's cross country team resting in preparation for next weekend's New England NCAA Championships. Their teammates, however, competed in likely their final meet of the season, taking sixth at the ECAC Championships, held at Williams.
ECACs featured a field of 35 teams, including NESCAC schools like Amherst and Middlebury, as well as squads from Coast Guard, Vassar and other East Coast schools. Tufts was one of several schools that ran their second seven runners, allowing their top runners to rest up for the New England Div. III Championships and, later, Nationals.
Other schools, like NESCAC rivals Middlebury and Amherst, chose to field some of their top runners in order to determine the top seven they would run next week, while Tufts opted against it.
"We usually don't run [our top runners]," coach Kristen Morwick said. "You don't want to race your kids three - potentially four - hard races in a row. Some teams do it, but it doesn't advance you."
Despite sitting its top runners, Tufts earned a strong sixth place finish in the 35-team field, as the seven-woman team captured three top-20 spots.
"Finishing sixth really shows the depth of our team," said sophomore Betsy Aronson, a member of the second seven. "Any time you can finish up there against ECAC teams, you know you're doing something right, especially when you have Amherst, Williams and Middlebury in the mix."
In individual results, sophomore Susan Allegretti finished 13th, senior Samantha Moland took 17th, and junior Anna Shih crossed the finish line in 20th place. Several of the runners also set personal best times, including Aronson and sophomore Kate Charyk.
"We had a lot of [personal records]," Charyk said. "For most of us, it was the last race of the season, so I'm glad we got to end on a good note."
The personal records were a huge accomplishment considering the relative difficulty of the course at Williams, which features a lot of rolling hills, including a steep hill in the third mile. Morwick said she was pleased with the improvement her second seven has made all season long.
"I think, overall, people raced really well," Morwick said. "Betsy is running really well and continues to improve by leaps and bounds; she ran a really aggressive race."
While the course was challenging, the weather was a welcome relief compared to last weekend's abysmal conditions at Conn. College. Although cold, the day was clear and sunny and provided a good atmosphere for the runners.
"The conditions on Saturday were cool and dry," Aronson said. "We were a little worried about the cold weather at first, but it turned out not to be a problem. After the crazy weather at NESCACs, I think now we can handle anything."
The team now looks ahead to the NCAA New England Championships, held next Saturday at Springfield. Morwick said focus will remain on keeping the team healthy and prepared both mentally and physically heading into Saturday's race.
"We're keeping the atmosphere light and doing what we've done every weekend: keeping them fresh mentally, keeping everyone healthy," Morwick said.
One factor that will certainly play a role in the mindset of all runners this week is Tufts' No. 3 ranking in the most recent Div. III poll. Sitting behind only Amherst and SUNY Geneseo, the Jumbos will head into this weekend as a top contender. Morwick remains intent on keeping her team focused on the task of qualifying for Nationals.
"There's really nothing more we can do to get them ready physically, just try to get the pressure off," Morwick said. "It's really hard to go in ranked third in the nation after NESCACs, and you can see signs of people feeling the pressure, but I think we're still in that underdog position going into the weekend."
If the Jumbos can continue to run with the same success they've had all season, however, a championship crown may replace that underdog label next weekend.
"We are in a great place right now heading into next weekend," Aronson said. "Resting our top seven this weekend really gives us an edge next weekend. The team is definitely ready for anything. The work we've put in every day at practice this season, as well as our strong showing at NESCACs, both point to a great finish for the team at Div. IIIs."
