The women's cross country team captured fifth place at last Friday's Heptagonal Champion-ships at Van Cortlandt Park in New York. The squad battled right down to the line, outpacing Cornell by three points and securing its highest finish since 2001. After coming in a disappointing seventh at last year's heps, the Bears scored 129 points, only 18 behind fourth place Yale and 25 behind the third place University of Pennsylvania.
Cross country is a sport defined by improvement. A new personal record is often given more weight than a runner's place. Besting a time on the course says something about one's dedication and hard work as an athlete. Four of Bruno's top five runners ran at least 25 seconds faster than at last year's Ivy League Championships. Especially impressive, captain Anna Willard '06 and Anya Davidson '06 improved their times by over one minute.
"Considering we had nearly the identical top five from last year's heps squad, the improvements we made were incredible," said team member and Herald Assistant Sports Editor Jilane Rodgers '06.
Director of Track and Cross Country Craig Lake was impressed with her team's performance.
"Everyone drastically improved from last year to this year," she said. "To be honest, I could not have been more pleased."
Lake's former team, the Columbia Lions, won its fourth straight team title behind the leadership of senior Caroline Bierbaum who won the individual title for the second year in a row. Princeton placed second in an unusually deep field. Both teams are currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The Bears utilized conservative race tactics to stay within striking distance of the two goliaths.
Bruno tucked comfortably into last place over a very flat first mile of the course. As the race moved into the hills in miles two and three, the Bears began to pass runners who went out too hard. The women moved up as a team through the first two miles before spreading out to tackle individual runners.
The race plan worked especially well for Willard, who ran an ag-gressive last mile to finish in 12th place overall and 1st for Brown. Her time of 17:53 was a personal best by nearly 50 seconds.
"I was completely elated after my race," Willard said. "I felt really relaxed and really confident going into the meet."
Davidson came in second for the Bears as she grabbed the 19th spot overall with a time of 18:06. Despite missing eight weeks in the summer with multiple stress fractures, Davidson still managed to set a new personal record at the team's biggest meet.
"My workouts had been going really well leading up to the race," Davidson said. "Considering my injuries this summer it was really nice to come in and meet my expectations for the season."
Following in the third and fourth positions were Michol Monaghan '07 in 18:16 and Naja Ferjan '07 in 18:34. Monaghan took 25th place overall, while Ferjan placed 38th.
"It was great to see Mikie Monaghan run so well, as she continues to improve each year," Lake said. "She will be a huge part of our team next year."
Rodgers rounded out the scoring for Brown. The senior crossed the line in a personal best time of 18:37. Her 39th place finish kept Bruno's top five runners very close, which factored heavily into the team's points.
The women's attitudes going into and leaving the meet were a far cry from the dismal scene at last year's championships. This year's team had surpassed all expectations and overcome the trepidation of beginning the season with a new coach. For the first time in several years, the Bears were fighting for a place in the top half of the league instead of running to avoid last.
"I think that we entered the fall looking simply to improve from last year, but the strides we made were above what anyone had predicted," Rodgers said.
Willard felt the team's poise was a major factor in the turnaround.
"There was a much calmer, confident team on the starting line this year," she said. "We were very focused and it allowed us to run a strong race."
The Bear's will return to action on Nov. 12 for the NCAA Regional Championships at Boston's Franklin Park. The meet gives Brown's runners a chance to qualify for the National meet in Terra Haute, Ind. as a team or as individuals.
