On Saturday, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams hosted Williams College and Amherst College in the long awaited battle of the Little Three. This meet was a great opportunity for the Cardinals to test their skills at this point in the season. Williams and Amherst are traditionally tough rivals, and competing against them only strengthens the Cardinal squad heading into NESCAC championships next weekend.
The men’s team came in second, beating Amherst and trailing Williams by only seven points. The final team scores were Williams 35, Wesleyan 42, and Amherst 54. Coming in first for the Cardinals and fourth overall was Bryan Marsh ’13 with a time of 26:09. Matthew Katz ’11 was fifth with a time of 26:10, Skyler Cummins ’13 was eighth at 26:32, Charles Lang ’11 placed 10th with a time of 26:33, and Jamie Lawrence ’12 wrapped up the University’s five top scorers, coming in 17th at 26:57.
As the season has progressed, the team has become more prepared both physically and mentally for the end of the season. On the men’s side, there was significant improvement since the Wesleyan Invitational a month ago, the last time they ran the Wesleyan course.
The triumph over Amherst and close battle with Williams provided the team with an excited, revved-up mentality that will be crucial for next weekend’s NESCAC championships. This weekend, the Cardinals proved to themselves that they are in the mix and can run with the top.
Senior tri-captain Matthew Katz had his eye on keeping up with the second and third runners from Williams. He surpassed his goal, beating Williams’ second runner.
“The best part of the race was the final kick,” Katz said. “It was exciting to see the team really pouring it all out on the course and surprising Williams and Amherst.”
On the women’s side, the Cardinals placed third in the meet. The final score was Williams 28, Amherst 34, and Wesleyan 74. Julia Mark ’13 was yet again in the top slot for Wesleyan’s scorers, coming in fourth at the meet with a time of 18:51. Libby Lazare ’14 was 19th with a time of 19:38, Tess Crain ’12 placed 24th coming in at 19:46, Jessica Levin ’11 was 27th with a time of 19:53, and Chloe Lalonde ’13 finished 31st clocking in at 20:14.
Although the results were not as good as the women had hoped for, the meet will serve as a benchmark for the team as they enter championship season.
“I believe that our women’s team has more potential than what was displayed on Saturday,” Mark said. “I think that should be a source of inspiration, not discouragement. Getting past those obstacles is what trains us to persevere mentally during races.”
The men and women will travel to Clinton, New York for the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton College on October 30.
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