"If you prepare for everything, then you feel confident that you will be able to handle whatever is doled out," said Head Coach Erik Nedeau
The men started off the morning with an outstanding 8,000-meter race, earning third place to tie their best-ever finish at NESCACs. In the women's 6,000-meter race, the Jeffs never doubted themselves, even without co-captain All-American Shauneen Garrahan '07 racing, and stayed mentally calm to steal first place in an extremely close race. Several Jeffs ran their best races of the season in what was the final meet for many, although the weather thwarted their hopes of running their fastest times of the season on the course.
Women
With only seven points between the first-place Jeffs and fourth-place Middlebury College, every last stride counted. In the end, the Jeffs prevailed to win their first-ever NESCAC title. Tufts University and Williams College rounded out the top four. All five Amherst scorers finished in the top 20.
Juniors Kim Partee and co-captain Heather Wilson were in the front pack for nearly the entire race; Partee came in first for the Jeffs, finishing sixth, and Wilson followed in 11th. Meg Ray '08 finished strong to cross the line in 14th and to join Partee and Wilson in garnering individual All-NESCAC honors. Sophia Galleher's phenomenal rookie campaign continued as she finished 15th, ahead of all first-year runners, and became the fourth consecutive Jeff to win the NESCAC Rookie of the Year award. Elise Tropiano '09 continued her impressive sophomore campaign with an 18th-place finish, rounding out the scoring for the Jeffs. Caitlin McDermott-Murphy '09, 31st, and Katie Moravec '08, 39th, rounded out the varsity seven for the Jeffs.
Men
Like the Little Three race last weekend, Williams College dominated the men's race, with all five of their scorers finishing in the top 12. Bowdoin College came in second. However, the competition for third place was a fierce battle among four different squads, with the Jeffs ultimately triumphing and Trinity College finishing just four points behind.
Harrison Lakhomer '09 continued his team-leading performances with a 15th-place finish, just missing the cut-off for All-NESCAC accolades. Rookie Daniel Murner ran well in his first Championship race, crossing the finish line with junior Tomas Morrissey in 23rd and 25th places respectively. Seniors Nate Freese and Rob Boley both ran extremely tough races to produce 37th and 45th-place finishes, and complete the scoring for the Jeffs. Co-captain Cooper Knowlton '07 and Peter Foote '09 came in seconds behind Boley to finish 47th and 53rd respectively.
Up next for the Jeffs is a trip to Williamstown, Mass., for the ECAC Championships. The meet will be on the Ephs' home course on Nov. 4.
In the meantime, some of the top scorers will sit out in preparation for the Div. III New England Championships, to be held at Springfield College on Nov. 11. Both squads will be hoping to extend their season to the NCAA Div. III National Championships, scheduled for Nov. 18, either by placing in the top two to secure an automatic bid, or by vying for an at-large bid.
"The regional meet in two weeks will be extremely tough," said Nedeau. "We have done some big things thus far that will help us, should we not earn one of the two automatic berths."
Looking back at the season, Nedeau is confident that both of his squads are in the running for a trip to Nationals. "The women should be right in the thick of things, and we will certainly be gunning for our first regional title, while the men will be in the hunt for an at-large bid."