A week after the NESCAC Championships and a week before the Div. III New England Championships, it would have been easy for the women's cross country team to enter the ECAC Championships with low energy and a lack of focus. However, the squad changed that attitude this year by placing third in the meet at Williams College, three spots better than last season's performance.
The team toed the line in Williamstown, Mass., this weekend in a meet that is typically reserved for the second seven runners as the top seven rest in preparation for the Regional meet the following weekend. With great talent in the field and momentum to be gained for the team looking ahead, the Jumbos saw no reason to risk a letdown.
"It's not as pressured, but it's still an important meet. Nationals still look at this meet," junior Melanie Monroe said. "Our top seven isn't there, so we were free to move around in the field."
Middlebury dominated the field, placing four women in the top five — with only Emily D'Addario from William Smith in third place to break up the string of Panthers. Middlebury won the meet with just 25 points, and Panthers senior Claire McIlvennie captured the individual title, completing the 6,000−meter course in 22:33. Williams filled the next five spots behind Middlebury's pack, with their runners finishing sixth through 10th. The Ephs ended up with 40 points. With those two teams taking most of the top individual spots, the last spot on the podium was wide open. Tufts took advantage, earning third place with 162 points.
The Jumbos' front pack ran very well for the team, with three women sliding into the top 25. Monroe led the way, placing 22nd in 24:08. Right behind Monroe was senior Sadie Lansdale, who ran 24:10 in her final meet, and junior Evelyn Orlando in 24:19.
"I felt probably the best I've felt all season. I just had my eyes set on the Colby girls the whole time and that was a good thing to shoot for," Orlando said. "The race got out a little slower than usual, but that ended up working in our favor, because personally I just worked up the whole time and mentally felt a lot better."
Rounding out the scorers for the Jumbos were juniors Lydia Jessup and Mary Sypek. They finished 44th and 49th, respectively, in 24:50 and 24:53. Senior Kelsey Picciuto was right with Sypek, placing 50th in 24:53. Senior tri−captain Caroline Melhado was seventh for the team, finishing her cross country career with a 25:40 run, good for 79th place.
"We were all really happy with it," Monroe said. "We are a much better as a team that were last year, and it was really nice to see that manifest itself this weekend."
In the middle of the two highest−pressure meets of the season, carrying momentum from their fourth−placeNESCAC performance into the Regional meet will be the real focus, as the team's top seven will be aiming for a top−five finish. At the same time, the ECACs were the second seven's final race of the year and they have goals of their own that they want to achieve.
In certain respects, the lack of pressure allows Jumbos competing at ECACs to have great performances. Without the burden of needing to perform at a high level, the team is able to enjoy the race and use positive energy in its favor.
"I think the person who finished behind me, Sadie Lansdale, had a really great last race," Monroe said. "She had a really big PR, but we all ran really well."
"It was an emotional end for the few seniors we had, but it was great for us to place third on their last race to have something to show for it," Orlando added.
With several Jumbos having great performances on Saturday, the momentum is certainly there and bodes well for the Jumbos competing next weekend. The fact that the Jumbos have a great group of runners just behind the top seven, who have been pushing the top girls to improve each week, is a sign that all the pieces are in place for a strong close to the season.
"Our finish shows that our second seven is literally right behind our first seven, so there's no divide. It's just a continuous string of talent this year," Orlando said. "That's why our workout groups have been so close and everyone has been training together, which is great."
The Jumbos will compete next weekend in the Div. III New England Regional Championships hosted by Bowdoin College, where they hope to secure a bid to the National Championships a week later.
