Women's XC ties for title, men place sixth

Author: Sarah Bryan

The Panthers traveled to Bates this past weekend to compete in the NESCAC cross country running championships. The women brought home the gold, tying for first with Williams and completing their ninth championship. The men's squad also had a stellar performance, taking sixth. It was a competitive meet, with 11 schools from around New England all fighting for the championship title. Middlebury's performance, however, ensured that the teams are ready to fight their way to the top and advance to regionals.

The Panther women captured their ninth conference championship, tying with Williams for a total of 48 team points. Tri-captain Alexandria Krieg '09 led the pack, finishing third with a time of 22:25, only 33 seconds behind the lead runner. Her teammates prowled close behind, with Elise Moody-Roberts '12 and Claire McIlvennie '12 crossing the line together, placing ninth (22:36) and 10th (22:36) respectively. Finishing just a second later, Cate Brown '12 (22:37) took 12th place and Hannah Meier '11 (22:41) 14th.

On the men's side, over 120 runners took to the course, all fighting to earn their team a spot for the conference title. First year Michael Schmidt '12 was the first Panther to cross the line, finishing the race in 12th place with a time of 26:14. Peter Hoffman '10 was next for Middlebury in 28th (26:45), tailed by captain Rainey Johnson '09 in 31st (26:51). Coming in 34th place was Jack Terrett '10 with a time of 26:56, followed closely by Jack Wambach '09 in 39th (27:02). Schmidt was also awarded the honor of second team all-NESCAC, missing rookie of the year by only one second.

In order to achieve such stellar times, the Middlebury strategy for the meet was to run as a unified team. While some may look at cross country as an individual sport, the presence of teammates to push each other along the course really determines the final result.

"It was a competitive field this year and the team really stepped up and ran well," said Wambach. "Our strategy as a team was to start the race at a pace that would put us in a position to finish in the top half of the field and we did that."

Wambach added that "before the race, we talked about running not as individuals, but rather as a piece of the greater whole," said Johnson. "We ran for each other, the other Middlebury runners on the starting line, and for our teammates who completely exemplified loyalty throughout the season and for one reason or another couldn't run. Their support fueled our fire. I think that people really left a lot out on the course yesterday and many dug deep."

As the playoffs continue in full swing, the number of meets for the seniors is dwindling. Personal and team goals fan the fire for both teams, motivating and encouraging each individual to run hard, for the end is fast approaching.

"I have set certain personal and team goals that are more ambitious than in past years," said Wambach. "With possibly only one race left, I definitely have a sense that my chance to accomplish them is almost up. With that said, at regionals everything needs to be left on the course."

This weekend the teams will travel to Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships. The following weekend, the team goes to Williams for the NCAA regional championships, where Wambach and Johnson hope to realize their goals and finish their college running careers on the right foot.