Women's Cross Country
Winning the meet with a low total of 27 points, the Amherst women once again proved to both themselves and spectators that they will be a serious, dominant force at the NCAA Championships this year. The women triumphed over Tufts University and Trinity College, both of which are ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Unlike usual meets where the women run a 5k race, the Tufts course is set to a 6k. Many of the women were apprehensive about the prospect of the additional kilometer; however, their depth and experience championed as usual.
Co-captain Carter Hamill '05 led the way, setting a course record with a time of 21:29. Shauneen Garrahan '07 placed second overall with a time of 22:32. Amherst's next four runners all finished with excellent times that registered at 24 minutes or less.
First-year Kim Partee placed fourth overall, followed by fellow first-year Heather Wilson in ninth. Junior Margaret Davis and first-year Vanessa Sochat finished 11th and 14th, respectively. Rounding out the top seven runners for the team was first-year Laura Mortimer in 18th place.
"This was the first race at 6K for the team, and for many of the girls, it was their first race over 5k ever, and they responded great," said Head Coach Erik Nedeau. "We had six girls at or under 24 minutes for 6k, and as an example, Middlebury [College] had five girls at that last year when they won Nationals. I think that our girls are starting to realize that we have a very realistic shot at doing some serious damage at the NCAA level."
Added Nedeau, "[The team] is showing exceptional quality and depth-both of which are needed late in the season."
Based on this meet and past performances this season, the women are currently ranked fourth in the nation. With the strength and depth the team has displayed all season, such a national ranking may very well translate into an NCAA Championship title.
Men's Cross Country
Without several of the team's top scoring runners, the men managed to run to a sixth-place finish with 140 points. Tufts placed first for the race with 22 points. First-year Tomas Morrissey was Amherst's first runner to complete the 8k course, placing 12th with a time of 27:15, well ahead of the rest of the Amherst runners.
Co-captain Dave Molina '05 finished 22nd in 27:57, followed by Richard Wilson '07 in 36th with a time of 28:25, John Babbott '07 in 48th, Evan Guiney '06 in 52nd and Cooper Knowlton '07 in 59th. First-year Mike Harbus completed the top seven in 69th place.
While Nedeau commended the men on their performance, he explained the team's largest weakness. "They will need to continue to run strong up front but we will need some of the guys to really start to step up and help bolster our four through seven positions if they want to return to the Nationals," said Nedeau.
The men have the potential to qualify for Nationals for not only the second year in a row, but also for the second time in school history. However, there is still much work to be done.
The teams will hit the trails again next Friday, Oct. 8, at the New England Open Championships.