After months of high mileage, grueling workouts and countless sit-ups, title time has finally arrived for the women's cross country team. Brown's female harriers are set to lace up their spikes for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.
Last year, the challenging course was not a welcoming host for the Bears, as they finished a disappointing seventh, but the current group is determined to prevent a repeat performance.
"Our goal is to improve on our finishes from the past couple of years and beat the teams we know we can beat," said Alex Brown '08.
The women will be up against some of the strongest competition in the country. Both Columbia and Princeton are presently ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation and Yale was 25th earlier in the season. The race will also feature three individuals who have recently been ranked by Track and Field News among the favorites to win the national title in November.
Brown, however, will rely on a strong pack of four runners, led by Naja Ferjan '07 and captain Anna Willard '06, to help it out pace the competition.
Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Craig Lake said she was happy with how closely the pack has been running but noted the need for one of the girls to fill the role of a decisive number one runner who can hang with the second lead pack of competitors.
"We are lacking a front runner. We will need someone to break out if we want to beat a few schools," Lake said.
Ferjan was Brown's top finisher at last year's race, earning All-Ivy honors with a 13th-place finish in her first cross country season, and Lake feels she has the potential to have another breakthrough race.
Ferjan feels that the season thus far has not been up to her standards, but along with much of the team, she expressed confidence in the new training that Lake has implemented.
"My mileage is a lot higher this year. I don't think I have had any trouble adjusting, though. I felt tired during part of the season, but I am feeling much better now," she said.
Willard, who crossed the line first for the Bears in two of their three races, also has a chance at a big run. She was named the team's most valuable performer as a sophomore but suffered from anemia during last year's season. Now healthy, Willard is pleased with her level of fitness.
"I am really excited to be in good enough shape that I can attack the hills this time, instead of being scared of them," she said.
Bounding up the hills alongside Ferjan and Willard in past races have been Michol Monaghan '07, who has been one of the Bears' most consistent runners, and Anya Davidson '06, who is coming on strong as of late after suffering injuries during the summer.
No matter how well this lead pack of Bears runs, however, the ultimate fate of the team rests upon the shoulders of the important fifth and final scorer. Narrowing the gap that exists after the top four usually makes a large difference in the final standings. Herald Assistant Sports Editor Jilane Rodgers '06 was Brown's fifth scorer last year and appears to be the most likely candidate once again, as she has claimed that spot in the two most recent races.
"A great responsibility is going to fall on the following pack to close the gap to the top four," Rodgers said.
Also registering top-five finishes during the season were Alex Brown and Lindsay Kahn '09, who could both make an impact. Smita Gupta '08 - who the team selected as 2004's most valuable first-year - ran well in the team's last race and may be a factor as well.
"We know we are fit. We have been running the same workouts, at the same level, as the rest of the Ivies. Now all we need is to be confident, and I think we can surprise some people," Willard said.
