XC runs into NESCAC buzzsaw

Author: Daniel Berkman

Running conditions were close to ideal for this year's NESCAC cross country championship at Wesleyan University. The day was overcast and the course was dry despite a couple of stream crossings in the middle of the race. Considering all the rain and cold weather the past few weeks, every NESCAC team was looking forward to having fast times and big results. The Middlebury men's and women's cross country were right in the middle of the competition this year with the women finishing fifth out of 11 teams and the men finishing sixth out of 11 teams.

Andi Giddings '07 led the women's team as she has for most of the year. She finished 12th overall with a strong time of 18:39. Makely Lyon '07 and Alexandra Krieg '09 finished one second apart for 17th and 19th place overall with times of 18:59 and 19:00, respectively. Senior Captain Claire Anderson came in fourth on the team and 35th overall with a solid time of 19:35. Rounding out the top five was Erin Archard '07 with a time of 19:33, good for 39th place.

Even though the Middlebury women had three runners in the top 20, it was hard to compete with the Williams squad who won the race with four runners in the top 10. Senior captain Jenny Jorvig put the race into a good perspective: "Everyone was happy with individual times, but we need to work better as a team. Our goal is to pull together in the next couple weeks to earn a spot for Nationals." With the women's past success, earning one of three regional spots to Nationals, this goal seems very attainable.

On the men's side, Jimmy Butcher '08 once again paced his way to a solid finish with a time of 26:23 for the 8k race. He finished first for the team and 18th overall. Coming in a tight pack was Garrott Kuzzy '06 in 25th place with a time of 26:38 and Will MacDonough in 29th place with a time of 26:42. Captain Nolan Sandygren came in fourth for the team and 40th overall with a time 26:54. Rounding out the top five in scoring for the team was first-year Pete Murphy with a time of 26:57, good for 45th place overall.

Senior Captain Baker Lyon compared this year's NESCAC race with years past. "Overall, this was one our best performances [at NESCACs] and a definite improvement from last year. Yet we are still looking to knock off a team or two more at Regionals to get a spot for Nationals." Like the women's team, the men's team is looking to continue its improvement in upcoming post-season races.

Both teams will race ECACs this next weekend with the big Regional race the following week. This late in the season, both teams are starting to "taper" their workouts in practice, so their legs will be less fatigued for these big races. The Middlebury times in the next few weeks should be dropping with the bigger competition and fresher legs.