After a summer of intense training, the women's cross country team looks to take advantage of its fitness and improve on its eighth−place finish at the Div. III New England Regional Championships. Even with the graduation of All−American Amy Wilfert (LA '11), the team comes into the year with valuable experience and a core group of talented sophomores and juniors itching to prove themselves on the national level.
New England is a notably deep and talented region with two of the top teams nationally in Williams and Middlebury. The Ephs and Panthers typically capture the top two spots at the national qualifying meet, so the battle to qualify in the remaining slots is sure to be a dogfight — and the Jumbos are right in the thick of things.
Returning in great form are tri−captains senior Anya Price and junior Lilly Fisher, as well as a slew of Tufts' top young 2010 performers. Junior Melanie Monroe and sophomores Lauren Creath, Abby Barker and Laura Peterson are all coming off great varsity campaigns and looking to reach new heights.
Two of the three tri−captains, Price and senior Caroline Melhado, are returning from a spring semester abroad looking to lead a team stacked with juniors and sophomores who have improved immensely in their absence. The third, Fisher, emerged as a top runner for the Jumbos last year and posted a 37th−place finish at Regionals. Though there is an undeniable void left by Wilfert's departure, the team isn't worrying about making up for that difference.
"We gained a lot of depth this year with a group of talented sophomores and juniors coming back with more experience," Price said. "Obviously, we lost our number−one runner, but our depth and improvement from front to back is going to give us a big advantage."
Part of that improvement can be attributed to motivated and smart summer training. Knowing how much work needs to be put in, many team members stepped up their distances with hopes of achieving their goals.
"A lot of girls made significant jumps in their mileage from past summers," Melhado said. "We all know how much work we needed to put in to reach the next level, and a lot of girls were very motivated to help this team reach another level. The mileage should help everyone stay strong and fit over the entire season, which we will need to be successful."
One of the runners who made strides this summer is Creath, who was an important contributor for the Jumbos last year with a 67th place regional finish.
"The biggest difference between the attitude this summer and others is just our core group being more experienced and really trying to push ourselves," Creath said. "A lot of girls feel strong and confident coming out of this summer with a solid base. We are all confident that the time we put in to staying healthy is going to benefit us come championship races."
With plenty of time between now and the championship races, the women look to continue to improve and push each other in workouts. Working as a team during each workout and race is a big focus of the team this year.
"There is a lot more of a team mentality because we have a lot of returners who now have a whole year of running with each other under our belts," Price said. "I think that will make us more a cohesive unit in both races and off the course."
Looking forward to those important races is inevitable, and the Jumbos are excited for another opportunity to prove themselves as a New England standout.
"We want to set the tone for championship season by working as a team throughout the year to improve and stay strong and healthy," Melhado said. "If we do that, we are confident we can do well in November."
Until November comes around, the Jumbos will focus on improving their strength and testing themselves against the best teams in the region.
They will race first at the Maine Invitational at Bowdoin on Sept. 17, where the Regional Championship will take place just over two months later — a great opportunity to learn the terrain of the course.
Without a clear frontrunner, the varsity contributors are sure to mix things up over the course of the season, which the team thinks is a good thing.
"This year we have a larger group of girls that have the capacity to contribute in championship meets," Creath said. "So many girls have set themselves up for very successful seasons and I think the new depth of our team will work to our advantage."
