Unfortunately, none of the runners were in top form. The results that emerged from the championship were far from what had been achieved in previous meets. Wilson had a breakthrough season that marked her as one of the team's rising stars, and went into the championship with a qualifying time of 17:16. At St. Olaf, she crossed the finish line in 17:56, 40 seconds behind her qualifying time, for a 12th-place finish in a field of 15. Meanwhile, the distance medley relay team finished in 12:21, eight seconds behind their qualifying mark of 12:03, and in ninth place out of a field of 10.
Coach Erik Nedeau did not hide his disappointment at Amherst's performance at the championship, but maintained a positive outlook for the future. "It was not our best meet, and I think it is safe to say that we were hoping for a little more in the way of our performances out there, but we have been fortunate to have had some great ones in the past, so perhaps this was not meant to be," he said. "We had a couple of people who were racing at the NCAA meet for the first time and nerves maybe got the best of them. But they will gain a lot from the experience, and will certainly be better for it in the long run."
It seems that Nedeau's forward-looking attitude is justified and the indoor track team will have the chance once again to test its mettle on the national stage next year. Of the five runners representing Amherst at the NCAAs, only Polich will graduate. The remaining runners have already proven their abilities and talent in other meets and other tournaments. Hopefully, the returning runners will use the experience and exposure they gained this year to take their best performances to the national level.