Cross country keeps up competitive spirit at Conn. College

The Tufts women's and men's cross country teams wrapped up an ostensibly successful weekend at Conn. College with second and seventh place finishes, respectively. By some measures, however, the Jumbos failed to meet their high standards, providing a source of motivation for the final month of the season.

The women’s team was led by the strong performance of senior tri-captain Brittany Bowman, who placed second overall with a time of 21:55.6 in the 6k race. Bowman was followed closely behind by junior Natalie Bettez (22:05.1), who finished third.Tufts' top seven runners — those who earn points for the overall standings — were rounded out by the steady contributions of junior Olivia Barnett (11th), sophomore Lydia Heely (13th), first-year Carly Curcuru (19th), junior Kelsey Tierney (22nd) and first-year Sara Mitchell (24th).

“Our top two runners had great days," coach Kristen Morwick told the Daily in an email. "Brittany has been fighting sickness for a couple of weeks and finally feels like herself again. Natalie ran faster than last year on this course, despite the rain, mud, and sloppy conditions — the course was much slower this year.”

Despite the positive results, the day fell just short of a complete success, according to Morwick.

“Our goal going into the meet was to beat Middlebury and win … so we fell just short of that,” she said.

The Tufts men's team also posted an impressive performance but came away somewhat disappointed (coincidentally, thanks to Middlebury, as well).

“We were hoping to get our pack up with [Middlebury’s], but that didn't happen,” junior Brian Reaney said. “I think it's okay. Bad days happen, so we're keeping our heads up.”

Even so, the Jumbos displayed remarkable consistency with their top four performers. Junior Dylan Jones finished 29th with a time of 26:20.2 in the 8k race, while the junior trio of Colin Raposo (31st), Andrew Doherty Munro (33rd) and Reaney (36th) all finished within 4.1 seconds of each other. Assistant coach Michael Schmidt remarked that while this was not planned, it was not entirely an accident either.

“It’s intentional for them to work together and be pushing each other in the race,” Schmidt said. “It’s not necessarily intentional to finish in that tight [of] a group.”

First-year Patrick Nero, junior Hiroto Watanabe and first-year Peter Horvath rounded out the men's top seven, all of whom finished in the top 50 overall.

“The [first-years] have run great,” Schmidt said. “They all should be proud of how they’ve been running. One of the biggest differences is adjusting to how the first few miles feel in an 8k [race] from in a 5k, and that’s why it is so impressive that so many of [them] are able to put in impressive races.”

Morwick echoed a similar sentiment and for good reason. The women's team had two first-years, Curcuru and Mitchell, finish in its top seven and in the top 25 overall. The Class of 2021's depth does not stop there, however.

“We currently have six [first-years] in our team's top 15 and they have been making steady improvements all season,” Morwick said. “This class is going to be a force in the years to come and [has] already made an impact on our program. They work hard, are easy to coach and are a lot of fun to have on the team.”

Oct. 28 will present a new challenge for the young Jumbos, as they travel to Bates for the NESCAC Championships. The men's team will enter ranked sixth in the conference, but Schmidt thinks his team can outperform that position.

“We will probably go in ranked sixth, but seeing ourselves in [the] top four is goal," he said. "Our returning varsity members [are the ones to step up]. We have many rookies and varsity newcomers who have all done well, but now is the time of the year to rely on veteran leadership from the guys who have been here before.”

Reaney believes that the team will adhere to the same strategy it used this weekend at Conn. College.

“Our biggest strategy has been to run as a pack," he said. "At NESCACs, we'll need to really pull each other along in the race, run aggressively and make sure to stick with [Middlebury].”

Experience seems to be the critical factor for the women’s team as well.

“Our goal remains the same for NESCACs: Finish in the top two,” Morwick said. “With Williams being the clear favorite, the battle for second will be between Tufts, Bates and Middlebury... The good thing is that we’ve raced the Bates course every year for the past five or six years, so we are familiar with [it] and have run well there.”

Without a doubt, the recent meets at Conn. College could prove important for Tufts, as it heads into the conference championships. Both squads will be able to draw on their impressive consistency for optimism, while also using the losses to Middlebury as extra motivation.