It was an excruciatingly close race for the men, with the Jeffs taking 36 points to the Jumbos' 35. The women were also just a few crucial points away from victory, notching just five more points than the Jumbos' 29. The other two teams at the invitational, Bates and Fitchburg State Colleges, finished at third and fourth, respectively, in both races.
Women
Competing in their first 6,000-meter race of the season, the women's team saw great performances from rookie and veteran harriers alike. Co-captain Shauneen Garrahan '07 couldn't catch up with one elusive Jumbo in time to steal the victory, but finished strong in second at 22:13.
Co-captain Heather Wilson '08 and rookie phenom Sophia Galleher in tandem grabbed sixth and seventh places, respectively. Elise Tropiano '09, Laura Mortimer '08 and Caitlin-McDermott-Murphy '09 each had great races, and finished the Jeff scoring at ninth through 11th, respectively. Backing up the scorers were big performances from first-year Rachel Cameron in 14th place and Liz Dalton '09 in 21st.
The women's team was not running at full strength, however, with several key runners absent from the meet. "We were missing three of our top six from last weekend, and another one of our top runners should return to racing at full strength soon," said Head Coach Erik Nedeau.
Nevertheless, Nedeau was impressed by the races run by several team members on Saturday. "When you get big races from people from whom you are not looking for, it makes the team that much stronger because others on the team believe that they can do the same," he said. "So, while we got the loss, I think that we will be stronger for it later in the season when the chips are on the table."
Men
The mixed-class pack of Harrison Lakehomer '09, Daniel Murner '10 and Tomas Morrissey '08 passed the finish line behind one Bobcat and one Jumbo to take third, fourth and fifth places, respectively. Unfortunately, the Jumbos squeezed the rest of their scoring runners past the finishline before another Jeff could cross. Mike Harbus '08 was right on their heels in 12th place.
The Jeffs' fifth and sixth runners for the day were co-captain Cooper Knowlton '07 and Peter Foote '09 at 14th and 15th places, respectively, and Rob Boley '07 rounded out the top seven for the Jeffs in 18th place. Eric Holaday '10, co-captain Richard Wilson '07 and William Bill '10 also secured spots in the top 25.
The Jumbo Invitational, with only four teams, was a much smaller race than the Invitational at UMass-Dartmouth two weeks ago, and this affected the men's performance as a team. "The smaller meet hurt us a bit against Tufts because our presence up front was less important since there weren't many people in the race," said Wilson. "But if we can pull our number four through seven runners up to where they should be, we will be tough to beat."
With illness hampering the team for the past few weeks, not all runners have been able to run to their full potential. "We have had quite a few guys who have been sick, and are just getting back to strength," said Nedeau. "I am confident that, as we head into the remaining weeks of the season, we will rebound nicely."
Moreover, with several impressive first-years who are just breaking in their collegiate running shoes, the possibilities for the men's team this season remain great.
Despite the loss to Tufts, the men saw many bright spots in Saturday's race. "We are slowly making steps in the right direction; in the past we have run well at the beginning and burned out by the end," said Wilson. "While we still have a ways to go, I think each week we get a bit closer to where we need to be."
With two weeks of intense preparation ahead of them before the championship season begins, the Jeffs are up to the challenge. "We pump up the mileage this week without a race," said Wilson, "but then we will begin to taper soon, in anticipation of the bigger races coming up."
The men's and women's next race, the New England Open Championships, will be held at Franklin Park in Boston on Oct. 7.
NESCAC Notes
Williams College's women's cross country team lost to Div. I Dartmouth College, and barely beat out NESCAC rival Middlebury College in its home meet on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Williams men settled for third place, ahead of Dartmouth and Middlebury. Like the Jeffs, the Ephs are taking this coming weekend off from racing and will be heading up to Boston for the New England Championships in two weeks.