Cross country gears up for strong season

The Panthers cross country teams surged into their first weekend of competition with high energy and determination, as both teams competed at the Dartmouth Invitational against a mix of Division I and Division III runners. Proving their prowess yet again, the women’s team finished second out of the four teams, just barely falling to Dartmouth by a mere four points. The men brought up fourth place in the meet, yet individual runners exhibited strong performances that bode well for the rest of the season.

“We’re geared up to give Terry phenomenal seasons from both the men and the women to send him on his way to retirement,” said first-place finisher for the men Michael Schmidt ’12. With their coach’s final season as their inspiration, the teams boarded the bus to Dartmouth Saturday morning focused and motivated –– all except for the unfortunate first-year on the men’s team who slept through his alarm and missed the bus. Undeterred, and undoubtedly fired up by the indomitable team mindset, the resourceful first-year hitchhiked his way to Dartmouth, catching five rides on his 75-mile odyssey. Despite his valiant efforts, he missed the race, yet managed to arrive for the final minutes of the post-race barbeque.

This display of determination and commitment serves as a good characterization of the men’s team this fall. Win, lose or miss the race entirely, the men’s team mentality couldn’t be stronger. The Panthers are aware that they have a long season ahead of them (they will be competing in nine or 10 races in all), so their approach to this meet was conservative.

“Both teams approached the race as a tempo/workout for the first half and if they felt good picked up the pace from there,” explained Schmidt. He was the top finisher for the Panthers, coming in at 13th overall with a time of 26:15. Following Schmidt, four Panther runners finished in quick succession –– Jack Terrett ’11 placed 32nd (27:05), Jack Davies ’13 followed up at 34th (27:08) and Sam Miller ’12 was 38th (27:26), just edging out Leif Castren ’14 who finished 39th (27:28).

The women’s team also viewed the meet as a training ground for the rest of the season. “The meet was a chance for us to test the waters and get our legs back in gear for racing,” said tri-captain Margo Cramer. “Our task on Saturday was not to race all-out from the gun but to feel out the first mile and turn up the heat and race the final two miles.”

Given this less-than-race effort, the women’s results were extremely impressive –– Elise Moody-Roberts ’12 finished fourth overall with a time of 20:36 and the Panthers placed two other runners in the top 10 (Colette Whitney ’14 came in sixth and Amanda Lee finished eighth). Furthermore, Middlebury’s top 10 finishers all finished before rival Williams’ fifth runner.

The men’s and women’s teams both have a “studly” class of first-years, as described by both Cramer and Schmidt. Three first-years on the women’s team finished top-20 overall, and several rookie runners on the men’s side turned in good performances. Although the season is still young, the future looks bright for Middlebury cross country (assuming they all manage to wake up in time for their races). The teams are competing at home this Saturday in the Middlebury Invitational, and anticipate a fast, competitive race.