In their only home meet of the season, both the men and women got off to fast starts. Though neither team took any of the top three spots, both were able to claim the overall title thanks to a focused and balanced lineup.

Women

The women’s cross country team opened its 2008 season with a well-executed victory at the Amherst Invitational last weekend. The Jeffs decided before the race to run as a pack and rely on their depth to outlast the mighty Springfield College Pride. “The women were to remain in a pack of six, regardless of how the race and the other runners unfolded,” Head Coach Erik Nedeau explained. “The race was really an extension of the hard training week, and was nothing more than a third hard workout for us this week.”

Senior Elise Tropiano engaged herself in the early going and did much of the pacing for the Jeffs, as the team ran through extremely muggy conditions. Although Amherst ceded the first five places to rival runners, Tropiano’s leadership and patience paid dividends in the long run: the Jeffs took seven of the next eight spots. Senior Caitlin McDermott-Murphy flexed her sprinting muscles and was the first Amherst runner to cross the finish line, completing the 3.1 mile course in 20:49. There was a flurry of activity following McDermott-Murphy, as six more Jeffs finished in the next six seconds. Junior Sophie Galleher led senior Nicole Anderson, sophomore Melissa Pritchard, Tropiano, and seniors Liz Dalton and Zandra Walton across the finish line.

Amherst’s considerable depth allowed them to nip Springfield in the overall team standings. The Lord Jeffs had 43 points to the Pride’s 45.

Men

The men’s team took a similar route to victory, running together to take a close victory over the much-loathed Warriors of Merrimack College. Senior tri-captain Harrison Lakehomer was pleased with the win but acknowledged that there was room for improvement. “We did exactly what we were supposed to do in the race, keep the pack of eight, and we’ve clearly got some depth,” he said. “But it was a little disappointing to not run down the Merrimack guys in front of us.”

Indeed, Merrimack runners took the first three spots and put the pressure on the Jeffs to respond. And respond they did, as a volley of purple-jerseyed men sprinted across the finish line to take the next eight places in a staggeringly efficient four seconds.

Junior Carlyle “Turbo” Eubank showed off the speed he usually reserves for the mile and led the Lord Jeffs with a 17:10. Fellow sophomore Jimmy Swanson huffed and puffed his way to a fifth-place finish, while Will Yochum ’11, Daniel Murner ’10, Ben Mears ’11, Peter Foote ’09, Eric Holaday ’10, Lakehomer and Johnny McGrail ’11 followed closely after. A particularly inspiring performance came from Kit Callahan, the junior known for his middle-distance abilities during the track season, who pushed through the humid conditions to finish 15th for the Lord Jeffs in an impressive 18:57.

“You’re only as good as your fifth man” is a common expression in cross country races, as only the first five finishers from each team count toward team totals. But that was not the case for the men at this weekend’s Amherst Invitational. The Lord Jeffs tied Merrimack College with 30 points after the first five were counted, so the meet rested on that rarely used tiebreaker: the sixth man. Luckily for Amherst, senior tri-captain Peter Foote was up to the challenge. The Vermonter was in stellar form and his ability to stick with the Amherst pack gave the Lord Jeffs the overall win.

Both the men and women will have tougher tests next week when they travel to UMass-Dartmouth. Nedeau is cautiously optimistic. “The races will continue to get bigger each week,” he said. “As they build, hopefully we will, as well, and we will continue to see people stepping up.”