Women
In the first race of the day, the sub-varsity team dominated the competition. All five Jeff scorers in the race crossed the finish line in a 15-second time interval for a convincing first-place finish.
The Jeffs' dominance continued into the varsity race. Achieving a personal record, co-captain Shauneen Garrahan '07 had a big finishing kick to steal fourth place in 17:34. Kim Partee '08 also had her strongest cross-country finish yet with a 12th-place time of just under 18 minutes. Co-captain Heather Wilson '08 grabbed 21st place, while rookie Sophia Galleher '10 had yet another incredible race in 46th place. Finishing the scoring for the Jeffs just a few seconds later was Elise Tropiano '09 in 52nd. Meg Ray '08 also had a phenomenal race, lowering her personal record to below the 19-minute mark and placing 70th, while Katie Moravec '08 finished well for the Jeffs in 98th place.
"Opens were really exciting for us," said Ray. "We went in with the goal to be in the top four teams and came out as the first Div. III team, so our second-place finish was thrilling." If the Jeffs continue to go above and beyond their goals, they will be ready to compete with the nation's top teams in the upcoming weeks.
Men
In the varsity race, Harrison Lakehomer '09 continued his success this season, finishing as the seventh Div. III runner and 35th overall, with a time of 25:28. In a breakthrough race, co-captain Cooper Knowlton '07 leapt from his role as the squad's fifth runner all the way to second on the team with an 85th-place finish. Also finishing under 26 minutes was first-year Daniel Murner '10 in 93rd. Rounding out the scoring for the team were Tomas Morrissey '08 and Nate Freese '07 at 111th and 116th, respectively.
Even more personal records were set in the men's sub-varsity race. Similar to the women's sub-varsity race, the scorers came through the line in quick succession of one another.
"The men are right in the thick of things with the other teams in our region and they know that," said Head Coach Erik Nedeau. "They are pretty fired up for the championships."
This weekend, the Lord Jeffs host the Little Three Championships against Williams College and Wesleyan University. The gun will go off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the bottom of Memorial Hill.
NESCAC Notes
In an Oct. 10 poll released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of Div. III women's cross country teams, the Jeffs are the highest ranked NESCAC team at second. In the men's Div. III poll, Amherst is one of five NESCAC teams to make the list, ranking at 35th.