If the Middlebury women's cross country team looks dangerous now, just wait a few years. Currently ranked No. 4 in the nation, the Panthers are fresh off a NESCAC Championship victory that they split with No. 2 Williams by placing each of their top seven runners -- five of them freshmen -- within the top 30. Joining senior tri-captain Alexandra Krieg, who trailed only Amherst senior quad-captain Elise Tropiano and Tufts sophomore Stephanie McNamara in the race, and sophomore Hannah Meier, who finished fourth for Middlebury, were first-years Elise Moody-Roberts in ninth, Claire McIlvennie in 10th, Cate Brown in 12th, Margo Cramer in 21st and Georgia Wright-Simmons in 28th.
The results were a far cry from last year's NESCAC Championship showing, when the Panthers tallied 124 points to this year's 48, running seniors in their No. 3, No. 4 and No. 7 spots and finishing their remaining top-seven runner in 59th.
"Two years ago we beat Middlebury at NESCACs, and last year we were within two points of them at NESCACs, but they've completely reloaded," Tufts coach Kristen Morwick said. "They're going to be really good for a long time. Every year I look at their roster and say, 'Oh, they're graduating this senior and that senior,' but someone else always steps up."
The immediate success of so many of the Panther freshmen has been a welcome surprise to Middlebury coach Terry Aldrich.
"I really can't explain it," he said of his freshmen's unprecedented success. "They all came in here and elevated their level. They're running far faster times now than they ever did in high school.
"In the sport of cross country, it takes years to develop the strength, endurance and maturity to run at a high level," Aldrich continued. "Generally, coaches love seniors because they've been through the program for four years and they've developed the cardiovascular base to run at a really high level ... I think it's unusual to have a first-year come in and have a really positive impact right away."
The Middlebury freshmen wasted no time establishing themselves as worthy members of a team that took home the NCAA title in 2006, with Moody-Roberts, McIlvennie, Brown and classmate Chelsea Ward-Waller all finishing within Middlebury's top seven.
"It's definitely a motivating factor, wanting to contribute to that same sort of success that they had before," Cramer said. "Everyone, especially all the freshmen coming into it, was really aware of what the team has done and really conscious of wanting to contribute even more.
"Early on, what we have had was a lot of momentum as a group," she continued. "It's just being really excited about having so many young girls being able to run fast and do it together, so that enthusiasm has been carried throughout the season."
The newest members of the youthful Panther squad have also had the benefit of strong leadership from their senior tri-captains in Krieg, Hallie Fox and Charlotte Bemis. Krieg, who also leads the team on the course, has been particularly instrumental in helping the team's younger members adjust to college running.
"Every captain of the team brings their own strengths to the table, and Alexandra really leads the team by example," Aldrich continued. "I think the example that she sets in training and in commitment, it can't be understated."
"It's really nice to have her out there," Cramer said. "It definitely takes the pressure off us as freshmen. A lot of us coming out of high school are used to frontrunning, but in college it's such a different ballgame that it's comforting to have someone up there leading the way and telling us, 'This race, it's not all about you.'"
The youngest Panthers will face their biggest test to date at Saturday's NCAA New England Championship hosted by Williams, where success could guarantee the team an automatic bid to Nationals. While it's not uncommon for pressure to get the best of first-timers at Regionals, after top-notch performances from the group at both All-New England Championships and NESCAC Championships, Aldrich said he isn't worried.
"They haven't really seemed intimidated in any way by the big competitions," Aldrich said. "We were sixth in Open New Englands against primarily Div. I teams, and of course the conference championships is a big race. I think they responded really well. We're very proud of them."
Whether or not the team finds success in the upcoming races, one thing is certain: With this group in place, the Panthers won't be leaving the top of the NESCAC standings any time soon.
"We're very, very happy because if they're able to have this level of success now, it will only translate into a stronger team as they continue to develop their base and gain the experience of championship races," Aldrich said.
"They knew that if they wanted to be competitive at the top they really had to pursue distance runners," Morwick said. "We're going to be watching Middlebury's backs for a long time."
