Women Capture NESCAC Championship as Hosts Fifth Win in Six Years for Ladies, Men Slip to Tough Eighth Place

Author: Ryan Reese

This Saturday, the Middlebury women's cross country team added to their already impressive collection of championships, titles and overall domination of the opposition. On a day that was almost as beautiful as the outcome of the race, the women's squad won the 2003 NESCAC Women's Cross Country Championships. With a team score of 55 points, the Panthers held off the always difficult runners from Williams and Amherst in order to bring home the title and travel further down the road that leads to Hanover, Ind. and the opportunity to compete for the NCAA Division III National Championship.

Jessica Manzer '05 and senior captain Molly Yazwinski, who finished the 5k race in only 18:25.4 seconds and 18:48.9 seconds respectively, led the Panther attack. These solid fourth and eighth place finishes paved the way for what Manzer described as a "tight pack of Middlebury runners that enabled us to run together and, ultimately, win the title." Manzer also commented on the home-field advantage that kept the Panthers one step ahead of the stiff competition. "It was nice being at home for NESCACs. It is a truly difficult course and I feel that our familiarity with the flow of it gave us a little bit of an advantage." The Middlebury women also outdistanced the competition and undoubtedly dominated the field with an impressive display of determination.

The Middlebury men's squad also turned in a respectable performance in its 8k division of the championship. With an overall eighth place, the men were solid throughout and improved upon a 10th place finish at last year's NESCAC meet. Led by Garrott Kuzzy '06, John Erwin '05 and Nick Digani '05, the Panther men ended up with a team score of 185 points. On a day when the pack from Tufts was simply phenomenal, the Middlebury men forgot about sore legs and ran through intangible barriers only a true runner would recognize. They look to build on this solid performance and challenge the upper echelon squads in the final weeks of the season.

With the Middlebury women carrying the day by bringing home their fifth NESCAC title in six years, there came the requisite celebration surrounding their feat of athletic prowess. However, both the men's and women's teams realized their respite would be short and that their attention needed to shift its focus to the regional meet in Portland, Maine, that will take place in two weeks. "We [the team] feel fairly confident about Regionals. Our main goals are to stay healthy and perform well as a team," Manzer commented With the ultimate goal lying in wait somewhere in the fields of Indiana, the women's team looks poised to contend for another coveted national title in the weeks to come. Keeping the same level of intensity as this weekend will be key to their success though as they move on with their season.