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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Women face stiff competition at Franklin Park

After a weekend off from competitive racing, the women's cross-country team will throw itself into an intense setting this weekend at the All-New England Championships at Franklin Park. The event plays host to a smattering of 43 squads from around New England and throughout Division I, II, and III athletics.

"It's too big an event for us to be competitive with the other teams, there are so many runners it's almost impossible to spot and pick out the teams," coach Kristen Morwick said. "But it is a nice, fast course and it'll be a great opportunity to see all these teams that we'll be competing against in the post-season all on the same course on the same day."

In lieu of a meet last weekend, the women's team paired up with the men's team to participate in a competitive but friendly co-ed relay this past weekend. The event was held at Franklin Park, giving both teams a preview of the course they will be tackling Saturday. The set up of the course is a mile loop that is traversed three times in order to amass the 5K distance of a usual cross-country race.

In their exercise, the men and women were paired off,and within each pair a total of seven one-mile loops was run. First the male ran two loops, then switched with his paired female who ran one loop. The male then ran one loop, followed by the female running one, and this was repeated one more time to total seven. The workout was an attempt to provide an intense practice in a fun way and promote team bonding while also familiarizing the runners with the course.

The focus this weekend will shift as many of the NESCAC teams the Jumbos have not yet faced in competition descend upon Franklin Park. Though a hopeful aim is to place within the top ten among Division III teams attending the event, a more immediate goal is to simply see how the other NESCAC teams race.

"Every New England team will be there," senior Danielle Perrin said. "So obviously it won't be realistic to place in the top few spots. We'll be able to look at other Division III teams, it'll be the first time we get to look at some of them."

Some of the teams will be familiar NESCAC foes who defeated the Jumbos earlier in the season. Wesleyan and Amherst finished a handful of points ahead of Tufts two weeks ago at the Jumbo Invitational, putting them on a list of teams the Jumbos look to keep in their sights.

Other teams yet unseen by the Jumbos are Trinity College and Connecticut College. Both schools should provide stiff competition to Tufts. Connecticut College's team dynamic is hard to pin down with six runners lost to graduation and two new runners in their top five.

"This weekend is a good chance for our top seven to run some fast times," Perrin said. "We've been up against some tough teams on some hard courses in the beginning part of this season, so being able to run on a fast course will be encouraging. We can do really well, pick off some people who we haven't beaten yet."

Though the race may not provide a meet in which the team's final placement is paramount, it will still play an integral role in determining how the post-season will plays out. The top seven, who comprise the varsity squad, have not been secured and will not be until the end of the season. That decision will be a tough one, as there is much mobility within the pack. There are at least nine people in the running for the seven slots.

"A good sign is that the top seven is never the same, there are many people who can step up and fill in those spots," Perrin said. "We have a lot of good people who just need to have a good race on the same day,"

Much of the decision will be made based upon runner's performances in races such as the All-New-England Championship, as well as the health of each individual. The team has been setback by a few injuries, but is looking to the depth in the pack to compensate for that. This has already occurred in some recent races, with freshman Becca Ades and senior co-captain Mary Nodine filling in at the Jumbo Invitational. Senior Heidi Tyson has also shown vast improvement, and if seniors Kristen Munson and Ashley Peterson can remain healthy, they can make key contributions to a strong pack.

The Jumbos are hopeful that by the end of the season the team will be at full potential as individuals work through injuries and remain healthy.

"It'll be interesting in the coming weeks because the pack changes every week," Morwick said. "If the right people step up then we have a strong top five. And we need that solid five, you can't win if you depend on one or two runners.