Cross Country

Author: Livingston Burgess

Head Coach: Terry Aldrich
Captains: Jimmy Butcher '08, Peter Murphy '09, Chrissy Fulton '08, Ceara Danaher '08
Save the Date: Nov. 10, this race will decide who the national qualifiers will be.
Get it Stat: 1 - Points by which the women's team captured the NCAA Championship last season - it was the smallest margin of victory in the competition's history.

Both the men's and women's teams will look to their talented youth to carry them through the upcoming season. The women's side returns only three of their top six runners from last year, and will have to deal with the loss of All-Americans Andrea Giddings '07 and Erin Archard '07 to graduation. Alexandra Krieg '09 returns to make a run at another All-America selection. Coach Terry Aldrich believes she will be one of the nation's strongest D-III competitors, but recognizes that she will be leading a team with much potential, but little proven record.

"We've got a really strong group of first-year runners," said Aldrich, "so I think the success of the team in terms of performance is going to depend on the extent to which those first-years and upperclassmen can adapt to championship competition."

Jimmy Butcher '08 enters the season as the clear leader of a men's squad with tremendous upside. The men will look to match the success of the women, who have won four NCAA championships in the last seven years. Much of the men's core will be returning, including Chris Free '10 and Bruce Hallett '10, both of whom ran consistently in the top four last year.

Co-captain Peter Murphy '09 is the only other All-New England returnee, and much of the Panthers' success could hinge on his health. Murphy is currently nursing a mild Achilles tendon injury, but has been cross-training diligently. Butcher has great confidence that Murphy, as well as the rest of the team, will get the job done.

"The upperclassmen have been really training this summer," said Butcher. "The team's back probably in better shape than they've ever been."

Both teams open their seasons at home on Sept. 15 with the Panther Invitational.