As temperatures cool into chilly autumn days and the fall breeze adds a feeling of crispness in air, the weather can only mean one thing: it’s time for championship season for the men’s and women’s cross country teams on Alden Street.
Training throughout the summer and the beginning of the fall semester, both distance squads are prepared to put all of their hard work on display in hopes of top placements at both the conference and regional meets. The countless miles run over the past few months are put to the test once the starting gun goes off.
“The teams have been doing a lot of good volume this season, which has definitely helped their strength when it comes to racing and training,” head coach Anna Steinman said. “Each meet, they have been working better to close gaps in between runners.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams have run a total of six regular season meets in preparation for the postseason, including running at the Ellen O’Neil Invitational at Smith College, the site of the NEWMAC Championship meet. Here, the men’s team placed second overall, with the women’s team coming in third. Additionally, in preparation for the Mideast Regional Championship meet, both squads competed at the George Suitor Invitational, battling against top competition in the Northeast while previewing the course that the regional meet is held on.
The men’s team has been led by sophomore Gabe Schaeffer and junior Elijah Quinn. Recently, Quinn ran a PR in the 8k in the team’s last regular season meet at the Connecticut College Invitational, finishing 49th overall with a time of 26:12. Earlier in the season, Schaeffer was named NEWMAC Runner of the Week following his performance at the James Earley Invitational, where the sophomore placed 13th overall with a time of 26:25.
On the women’s side, Sara St. Germain has emerged as the lead runner over the second half of the season. St. Germain garnered attention by the conference, as the junior also received NEWMAC Runner of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 13. Kayleigh Jensen has solidified herself as the team’s number two runner, with multiple other runners not far behind in a tight pack.
Packing up has been one of the points of emphasis for Steinman as she prepares the team for the biggest meets of the year.
“We have been racing for the last three weeks with a weekend off before the championship, so many training sessions have been focused on continuing to improve their strength and racing as a pack, while also keeping hills in their training since the conference course this year is particularly hilly,” Steinman said.
The conference championship will be a learning curve for many members of both teams, as the men’s and women’s teams have a combined 14 first-year athletes racing in their first collegiate postseason race. Despite the youth and inexperience, the group’s drive to compete is no debate.
“Having a young team is exciting because they are eager to race and compete while many things are still so new for them and the courses are all brand new as well,” Steinman said. “Many of them constantly really want to make a push for spots in the top-5 and top-7 scoring group. The returners have done a tremendous job leading the first years this year and creating an atmosphere where it’s important to push yourself and be consistent with your training and recovery.”
The excitement levels are high, and both teams feel ready to give it their all when on the starting line.
“I’m super excited to see what our team can do in the championship season,” sophomore runner Slade Harding said. “We have the opportunity to have a lot of great competition and run some really fast times.”
Last year, both the men’s and women’s teams finished fifth at the conference meet, while the women’s team placed 13th and the men came in 17th place at the regional meet. While the process hasn’t changed, the goals of improvement have been set for both squads.
“The teams definitely want to either improve upon last year’s performances or at least maintain what we have been doing,” Steinman said. “Individuals also have goals on improving their placements at the conference and regional meet from the previous year and also trying to better their times on the courses since we raced there earlier this season.”
The NEWMAC Championships will be run on Oct. 31, with the women’s race going off at 11 A.M. and the men’s at noon. After a week-long hiatus, the team will close out the season at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship on Nov. 14.