In cross country, nothing can separate the tough from the weak like thick mud, frigid water and chilling winds. The women's cross country team had to battle all of these while fighting for position at last weekend's NESCAC Championships held at Amherst College.
Just hours before what turned out to be one of October's most historic snowstorms, the Jumbos persevered through the brutal course conditions to take fourth place as a team — one spot better than last year — to set themselves up for the regional showdown on Nov. 12.
Williams took the team title with 34 points, placing six runners in the top 15. Middlebury finished second, just eight points behind Williams, after placing all five of its scorers in the top 15. Both those teams are ranked among the nation's best. Amherst, another nationally ranked squad, took third with 105 points.
Tufts, with its eyes set primarily on Amherst and Colby throughout the race, was only 21 points behind Amherst with a score of 126. Their proximity to one of the best teams in the country showed the rest of the conference that the Jumbos are a legitimate contender to place in the top five at the New England Div. III Regionals. Colby and Bowdoin, who placed fifth and sixth with 134 points and 148 points, respectively, also had strong performances.
Williams sophomore Chiara Del Piccolo took the individual title, running away from the field of 123 to finish the six kilometer course in 21:58, 29 seconds ahead of second−place finisher junior Keri Lambert of Amherst. Senior tri−captain Anya Price led the way for the Jumbos, finishing 16th overall in 23:24, just two places shy of All−NESCAC honors.
Junior tri−captain Lilly Fisher was second for Tufts, placing 25th with a time of 23:42. In their usual spots, a trio of sophomores rounded out the scoring for the Jumbos. Lauren Creath finished 30th in 23:56, Abby Barker was 34th in 23:59 and right behind her was Madeleine Carey in 35th in 24:00. Closing out the top seven for the Jumbos were junior Julia Hajnoczky and sophomore Laura Peterson. They finished back−to−back in 50th and 51st with times of 24:29 and 24:34, respectively.
Though this was the conference championship, the Jumbos were largely using this meet as a stepping stone to Regionals. With most of the top teams in the region coming out of the NESCAC, it was a great opportunity to scout the competition.
"We had our eyes on Colby and Bowdoin specifically, because we have had a back−and−forth competition with Colby and they are two teams we need to beat in two weeks," Price said. "We wanted to assert ourselves this weekend and show other teams and ourselves that we can beat other top schools when it matters. Finishing in the top three would have been great, but the fact that we finished as close to Amherst as we did is a great sign."
A significant part of competing well at these championship races is mastering the mental side of the sport. The confidence and camaraderie the team has built over the season has provided the Jumbos with belief that they can compete at the national level.
"Our coaches wanted us to believe that we were as good as the teams that had placed ahead of us previously," Creath said. "Amherst has beaten us many times, but we had the confidence that we could run with girls on that team. We weren't afraid of anyone in the race. Every girl on the team understood that their performance was important to the overall success of the team and we had confidence in each other that we could run with anyone, regardless of the jersey they had on."
The tough conditions make for both physically and mentally draining races. The physical obstacles can easily get into the heads of runners if they are not sure−footed and confident.
"Everyone has to run the same course, so physically it isn't an advantage for anyone else," Creath said. "But mentally, it can really get to people. I do think that we handled the swamp loop well as a team. We do workouts in rain, mud and snow so we were ready for a meet like this. I don't know what other team's training is like, but I know that we were as well prepared as we could have been."
Because racing conditions were so tough, the Jumbos focused on cueing off each other in an attempt to stay in contact and use teammates as motivation to keep working. Their confidence in one another enabled them to power through some of the toughest areas.
"The swampy section definitely made the course a lot tougher," Price said. "If you didn't come in expecting the worse it was definitely a huge mental barrier. We talked about treating it like another big hill, but it ended up being much more difficult than that. It was a great opportunity to let our strength come through."
In two weeks, the Jumbos top seven squad will have a much different task at hand. According to Price, the team will be faced with a higher−pressure situation at Regionals.
"For our team, the Regionals course will be a good opportunity to work on running together again," she said. "The huge mental barrier will not be there in two weeks, so we will be able to focus on racing and helping each other rather than a physical obstacle."
The second seven will travel to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Williams College on Saturday, where they will look to build momentum for the following week.
