2008 Women's X-C Season Outlook

The 2008 Williams women's cross country team returns four of the top seven that ran in the NCAA Championship (14th) last fall, and feature the largest Eph senior class ever (16), improving sophomore and junior runners from 2007, and another numerous first year group. The total roster is over 50, and from this Williams draws the perennial talent and depth to compete at the top of NESCAC, ECAC, and NCAA Championships.

Coach Pete Farwell's team will be led by a quartet of senior captains, -- Lauren Philbrook, Rachel Asher, Julie McNamara and Beth Links.

Philbrook came in 97th in the NCAA field of 280 and is a proven veteran after three years of running in the Eph top seven. In 2007 she was 11th at the Little Three Championships, 19th at the NESCAC Championships and 30th at the NCAA New England Qualifier.

Rachel Asher, back from a spring semester in Argentina, will provide talent, leadership and experience. Asher posted top finishes throughout the 2007 season: 2nd in the Little Three race, 9th in the NESCACs, 28th in the New England Division I race, and 11th in the NCAA New England Qualifier. Asher is a 2006 cross country All-American.

Julie McNamara returns to the team this fall after missing last season due to illness. McNamara studied abroad in New Zealand during the 2008 spring semester.  Julie ran in the top seven for Williams in the 2006 NCAA meet. Beth Links was a solid performer throughout the 2007 season, finishing 45th at the ECAC Championships.

Lauren Philbrook '09

Other top seniors include Natalia Rey de Castro, who raced to a 14th place finish at the ECAC Championships, followed by a 15th at the New England Division I sub-varsity race and a 17th at the Little Three in 2007.  Gillian Tedeschi's best finish a year ago was 20th in the Little Three race. She placed 50th at the 2006 NCAA meet.

Missing from last year's top seven squad are graduates Lissy Robie (95th at NCAA) and Liz Gleason (25th at regional) plus junior Olga Kondratjeva, who will be studying in Spain during the fall semester. Kondratjeva finished first among the Ephs at last year's NCAA regional (8th) and at the NCAA Championship (58th).

"We have a solid group of returnees this year, despite losing a great senior class and missing Olga Kondratjeva this season," Farwell said.  "Summer training has gone very well for a lot of the group and we're excited to see who will step up this season."

Juniors Moria Yoe and Elly Teitsworth return from last year's NCAA team as well. Yoe was 161st at the Championships, while Teitsworth came in 182nd. Yoe cracked the top 50 at the New England Division I race (44th), came in 13th at the Little Three Championships, 22nd at the NESCACs, and 46th at the NCAA New England Qualifier.

Teitsworth contributed four solid efforts throughout the season with her best finish a 12th at the New England Division I sub-varsity race that the Ephs won. She also posted top finishes at NESCACs (21st) and the NCAA Qualifier (24th).

Bret Scofield, a junior, appears ready to make her mark in the top seven after posting a 9th place finish in the ECAC Championships (3rd Eph) and a 14th in the Little Three. Classmate Jessica Clarke is expected to be in the running for a place in Farwell's top seven this fall after a 15th place finish in the Little Three race, a 32nd in the NESCACs, 6th in the Division I New England sub-varsity race, and 6th ECAC Championship race, leading the Ephs to the title.

Sophomore Sarah Weber had a good debut season last fall highlighted by a 7th place finish at the ECACs. Some other sophomores who are much improved include Meghan Shea (a fine steeplechaser in track), Tina Meade (with fast 3k, 5k, and 10k performances from track), Ceci Davis-Hayes, and KK Durante.

"It's impossible to reliably tell who our top seven will be, with such a large group of talented returnees and newcomers," stated Farwell. "It is great to see their progress through the season as they push each other in practice, race together, and peak as a team."

Rachel Asher '09

The Ephs are also excited to add even more talent to their roster.  Sixteen first-year women will compete for the team this season, and several can have an immediate impact on the varsity seven and the second seven.  "We're eager to see what this class of '12 can do this season and know it will be a great group for their four years," Farwell exuded.  They've got race experience, motivation, and best of all lots of spirit."

A year ago the Ephs finished second at the Little Three, NESCACs and NCAA New England Qualifier, but won the sub-varsity title at the New England Division I race and the ECAC Championship on their way to a 14th place finish at the NCAAs. To improve on those finishes, Farwell's harriers will need to stay injury free and continue to improve throughout the year, peaking at just the right time.

Farwell's Ephs will open the 2008 season on the road in New York's famed Van Cortlandt Park when they compete in the Fordham University Invitational.
 
Other key meets on the schedule for this season include home opener 20-team Purple Valley Invitational on September 27th and an October 11th visit to Boston's Franklin Park to run in the Division I New Englands.  The Ephs will host the Little Three Championships on October 25th at Mt. Greylock HS and look to wrest away the title won the past 2 years by Amherst.
 
Bates will host the NESCAC Championships at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine on Saturday, November 1st. "This year's NESCAC Championships will be just as challenging as ever," Farwell admitted, "but we'll prepare to rise to the challenge posed by the strongest Division III conference in the country."

The Ephs will host, for the first time, the NCAA New England Qualifier at Mt. Greylock High School (Saturday, November 15th). This meet determines the New England region's team and individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, which will be run the following Saturday in Hanover, Indiana. Two teams automatically qualify, with up to three more possibly making it as 'at large' qualifiers. Amherst, Middlebury, Colby, MIT and others will battle it out with the Ephs, who certainly know the home course well, and plan to peak at just the right time.