Sports
Men’s cross country wins Short Course Tune-up, women finish second
By Yuezhi Xie ’20
October 27, 2016
Tags sports
The Hamilton men’s and women’s cross country teams posted impressive performances at the Hamilton Short Course Tune-up on Saturday, Oct. 22. As the final warmup before the NESCAC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 29, the Continentals looked to build momentum heading into the postseason. The race was a success, as the men captured their second consecutive team title, while the women finished in second place out of six teams.
Jack Pierce’s ’17 individual race victory highlighted the performances of the Hamilton runners. Pierce, who was named the NCAA Division III male athlete of the week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, won the race by a margin of 15 seconds with a time of 16:14.1 in the 5k. Other top performers included: Peter Deweirdt ’18, Grant Whitney ’17, Erich Wohl ’17, Andrew Sinclair ’18 and Jake Colangelo ’20, all of whom finished in the top 10 of the 90 runners from seven teams with fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth and tenth places, respectively.
The women’s cross country teamsalso had a splendid performance in their 4k race. Caitlin Anthony ’18, Lindsay Heyer ’17, Anaidys Uribe ’19, Angelica Ramos ’20 and Lily Pieper ’18 were the top five Continental finishers, placing fourth, sixth, ninth, tenth and eleventh of the 66 runners from six teams. After the meet, Uribe expressed, “I’m super excited! I’ve never had this good of a season so I’m just stoked to be going with my team.”
Men’s cross country captain Henry Whipple ’18 said before the race that, “Our goal is solely to shake out any rust from two weeks away from racing, and to continue running in close packs, which will be the key for us at NESCACs and Regionals.” So far Hamilton has held to that standard. The Continentals proved their competitiveness and ability to win races in both the invitational on Oct. 9 and this past weekend’s meet; in both meets, the Hamilton men took home the team title. When asked about the team’s goal for the upcoming races, Whipple responded, “Ever since the start of the month it is clear that everyone’s confidence in themselves and the team is growing daily. Now that people are rounding into form, our sights are set on competing with some of the best runners in the nation at NESCACs and making it back to Nationals for the second consecutive year.”
Lindsay Heyer ’17, one of the two captains in women’s cross country team, remarked that, “Running is a very mental sport, and confidence can make a big difference.” Confidence, along with a strong work ethic, have enabled the women to succeed and maintain success throughout their fall season. Heyer also expressed her appreciation that the team as a whole has worked hard and that everyone on the team is contributing “We have some great new additions to the team from incoming freshmen, and we have also had a couple girls improve a lot from last year. I think we have done a great job of working together in races and in workouts this year,” she said. “We are excited to see how we perform,” said Heyer, regarding the upcoming NESCAC Championships.
NESCACS, which will be held at Colby College on Oct. 29, present both a great challenge and opportunity for the Continental runners. The NESCAC championships, NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 12 and the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19 are the three most important games that both teams are preparing for since the beginning of the season.
The men’s cross country team improved in ranking from 2104 to 2015 in all three finals, earning third place out of 40 teams in the 2015 NCAA Atlantic Regional Chamionships.
Whipple remarked with confidence: “There is no question that with each race, individual performances and our team results have progressed significantly this season.” While for the women’s team, 2015 was a tough year for them, they have returned to their best in the beginning of this season. “We have a lot of great leaders that keep the team motivated.” said Heyer who believes that the soul of winning is moving towards the same goal and to achieve it as a team. When talking about her job as the team leader, she said, “I think the most important part of being a team leader is supporting everyone on the team and maintaining a positive attitude.”
Hamilton has worked hard all season and has continually improved. Both the men and women hope that their hard work pays off and that their success can culminate in excellent performances in the postseason.