The men’s and women’s cross country teams struggled this past weekend at the New England Open. The men finished 23rd in a field of 43 teams while the women finished 28th in a field of 44 teams.
“It was another pretty disappointing day, for the most part,” Watson said.
At the men’s last meet prior to the New England Open, the team swept the first 15 spots, but earned no respect for dominating foes that posed little threat. This time around, the competition was fierce, and the Cardinals did not perform up to expectations.
“With the talent we have, we really should be better,” Watson added. “The reality of the situation was that the team didn’t compete well with our NESCAC foes.”
Watson did quite well himself, however, surging in the last mile and a half to place 29th, with a time of 25:54, good enough for All-New England honors.
Watson was not the only standout.
“Chris Coleman ’10 ran an incredibly ballsy race…in the sub-varsity,” Watson said. “He was delirious after the finish.”
Watson also mentioned Charlie Lang ’11, who ran what Watson thought could be his breakout race with a 27:32 in the 5k sub-varsity.
The women’s team, led by Lucia Pier ’08 who finished 67th of 299, had a disappointing outing.
Both teams will have a chance for redemption at the Little Three meet in which Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan will compete for the Little Three title. Amherst and Williams both were highly successful at the New England Open. They both finished in the top ten in the men’s competition and in the top five in the women’s competition. The meet takes place Saturday, Oct. 20, with the women beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the men at 1:15 p.m.
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