Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, the women's cross country team managed an impressive second-place finish in Saturday's NESCAC Championships, held on the soggy fields of Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn.
"None of us had ever run in weather or course conditions as extreme," junior tri-captain Catherine Beck said. "The wind was driving the rain so hard that it was blinding and stung exposed skin."
With whipping winds and a steady downpour, the Jumbos pressed through to finish with 69 points, only five points behind the race's winner, Amherst. Williams, Middlebury and Colby rounded out the top five, respectively. Only two points separated Tufts, Williams and Middlebury, as the Ephs and Panthers finished with 70 and 71 points, respectively.
The Lord Jeffs placed four runners in the top 15 to secure the championship, but Tufts captured both the gold and silver individually, with junior Katy O'Brien breaking the tape with a time of 22:49 and Beck just behind in 23:07. Sophomore Evelyn Sharkey finished seventh with a time of 23:25.
The team showed its resolve in the face of such bitter conditions and managed another strong finish in its already impressive season.
"It was raining the entire time, and I think there were wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour," Sharkey said. "It was definitely one of our toughest meets this season because of the weather and the course conditions. Our team really stepped up, though. We all knew that everyone had to race in the same conditions, and we just needed to tough it out."
The winds and rain slowed the course down significantly on Saturday, and a marshy section impaired the entire field, but the Jumbos pressed on for their second place finish, including an unexpected win for O'Brien.
"I was hoping to be in the top 10, so I was definitely surprised by the first-place finish," O'Brien said. "The weather was a considerable factor in the race. We were running through puddles up to our knees, and the wind gusts were really strong. The team did a great job staying positive and psyching ourselves up for the race."
Beck was also quick to commend O'Brien's success.
"Katy had a phenomenal race and really stepped it up big-time for the team by taking the win," she said. "It was really impressive and was a fantastic addition to the awesome season she has been having."
The team had mentally prepared for inclement weather, but actually executing in such poor conditions can be another story. But a week of focused preparation showed.
"I was very proud of the attitude my team went into the race with," Beck said. "We were all really prepared and fired up to run in the conditions, and I believe that contributed significantly to the overall results."
After the second place NESCAC finish, the team now prepares to head into the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship at Williams next Saturday before heading to Springfield on Nov. 11 for the Div. III NCAA New England Regional Championship.
The team is familiar with the Williams course, having captured second- and third-place team finishes in the Plansky Invitational held there earlier this month. Although she won't be running at the event, Sharkey is confident for her team's success.
"I think they definitely have the potential to do well, especially since we've raced at Williams before," she said.
"The majority of teams race their second seven at ECACs," Beck added. "We will be looking to get everyone pumped up and ready to run some fast times at Williams next weekend."
