The Wesleyan men’s cross country team placed fifth out of 49 teams at the 2010 New England Division III meet, where the top four teams qualified for the Division III Championship. They were just five points out of fourth place, and the team is hoping that co-captains Bryan Marsh ’13 (who qualified individually for the NCAA Championship in 2010) and Skyler Cummins ’13 (all-New England in 2010) can put them over the hump.

Julian Applebaum ’13 and Austin Cotant ’13 will bolster a squad that boasts a great deal of experience. Sam Roth ’13, Seth Hafferkamp ’12, and Alec Jolicoeur ’14 are also runners to watch.

On the women’s side, Julia Mark ’13 leads another strong team. The women had a similarly impressive performance at the New England Division III meet, placing 12th out of 51 teams. There is little drop-off behind Mark, as Libby Lazare ’14, Captain Hannah Zimmerman ’13, Tess Crain ’12, Chloe Lalonde ’13, and Nicole Lepre ’12 all had impressive seasons in 2010.

In addition, a number of talented freshmen will have the opportunity to propel themselves into the top seven with strong performances.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be attempting to achieve NCAA Division III team qualification for the third time in their history. The 2011 campaign for both teams will begin at the Wesleyan Invitational on Saturday, September 24th.