Two members of Wesleyan’s cross-country teams reached All-American status at the NCAA Division III championships in Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 20. Captain Wes Fuhrman ’05 finished 18 as the lone representative for the Cardinal men, while captain Courtney Quirin ’05 finished 29, pacing the women’s team to a 14 place finish out of the 24 competing teams.
Quirin completed the 6,000-meter course in 22:21, becoming a two-time All-American in her fourth trip to nationals. Only the top 35 finishers in the illustrious field of 215 runners earned this honor.
“Individually, it wasn’t my best race,” Quirin said. “I was a bit tired in the middle but was able to come back at the end.”
Ellen Davis ’07 finished in a solid 22:47, good for 54 place. Liz Colville ’05 (97, 23:16), Erin Smith ’06 (166, 24:08), and Megan Wise ’05 (174, 24:18) rounded out the scoring five for the Cards. Despite finishing as the 14 best Division III team in the country, the runners believe they are capable of more.
“The team’s performance wasn’t too shabby, but we can do better,” said Quirin. “The upcoming track season should be very exciting.”
Running individually to represent a men’s team that just missed a trip to nationals, Fuhrman covered 8,000 meters in 25:10, good for 18 among the 215 finishers and the honor of being an All-American in his first trip to the national meet.
“Getting the chance to experience the excitement and intensity of a national event was amazing,” Fuhrman said. “Going into the race I just wanted to represent the team on a national level as best I could. I didn’t know what to expect but was confident that my training had me well prepared. I’m not much for strategy or conservative starts, so I went out with the leaders and let it ride. The race was crazy. Supporters, including six respected road warriors from Wesleyan, lined every part of the course and were running around like a pack of crazed wildebeest.”
The national race officially marked the end of Wesleyan’s cross-country season, but Fuhrman and his teammates are looking forward to the upcoming track season, as well as a team trip to the cross-country national meet next year.
“Coming in 18 was beyond what I had expected and was certainly one of the best moments in my eleven years of cross country,” said Fuhrman. “With my performance and Bryan Bissell’s [’04] nationals appearance in 2002, I think WESXC has laid a strong foundation on the national level, and for next season we look to bring the whole flock of Derrty Birds.”
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