Wesleyan Cross Country runners are training harder this week than they have all season, putting in extra effort before Saturday’s New England Division III Regional Championships at Bates College. The Cardinals teams are looking to finish in the one of the top spots, which would advance them to the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday, Nov. 22, in Hanover, IN. The top five women’s teams and the top four men’s teams in New England will live to see another meet.
The women’s team has been very impressive, carrying a 65-19 record into this weekend, hoping to once again advance to Nationals. Last year’s team finished ranked twentieth in the nation with a 94-26 overall record. They finished fifth out of the 38 teams in the New England Championship. Katy Trandem ’03 and Courtney Quirin ’05 paced the Cardinals, and were named to the all-New England team. Quirin has been the team’s top runner in every race this season. She just missed winning the NESCAC meet on Nov. 1, with another second place finish.
The competition is stiff, but Senior Captain Bryan Bissell, is an undaunted veteran.
“We have a pretty good shot at our best finish at Regionals in ten years. Better yet, if we get out there and steal some mutha-lovin’ souls Tenacious D-style, we could sneak up on some fools for that fourth spot to nationals,” Bissell said.
Bissell and Owen Kiely ’06 have led the team all year, with Kiely pacing the Cardinals in each race. The impressive 71-37 overall record that the men have compiled this year was achieved with injuries to top runners such as Wes Fuhrman ’05. The men finished 75-46 last year, placing tenth out of 35 teams in the New England Championship at Westfield St. Fuhrman. Bissell paced Wesleyan to earn All-New England honors. This year’s team is younger than in years past, but full of talent.
“Our guys are fresh and ignorant, and sometimes that’s what it takes in those big meets. That, of course, and the saltiest veins this side of Davy Jones’ locker pouring out of these old Bone-Legs. Owen’s been a maniac all season. I have nothing left to hold on to, and the rest of the squad is as unknown as a riverboat flop, so we have a pretty good chance at a flush,” Bissell said.
In last year’s Nationals, Wesleyan placed 23rd out of the 24 teams in Minnesota.
This year, a top five finish would mean a trip to Indiana for a team currently ranked 22nd in the country for Division III teams. Head Coach John Crooke has done a tremendous job coaching and steadily improving the cross country teams during the last four seasons. The women’s trip to Nationals last year was the first in school history.
Top opponents for each team include Little Three rivals Williams and Amherst. Around 35 teams are expected to compete in the Regionals.
“Come Saturday, we’ll see who’s folding and who’s yelling ‘Scotty Nguyen!’ because he is staring hard and going ALL IN, baby!” Bissell said.
Leave a Reply