The Big Green men's and women's cross country teams dominated Yale this past Friday, emerging with convincing wins and increased confidence.
The men's squad pulled off a rare perfect score, capturing the top five places in the meet. Co-Captain Ted FitzPatrick '95 led the stream of Dartmouth runners in their parade across the finish line. Right behind him were Sam Wilbur '94, Aaron Bouplon '95, Co-Captain Derek West '94 and Jack Dwyer '96 with barely a minute separating them.
Such strong pack-running is an essential part of a successful cross country team, and Coach Barry Harwick used the Yale meet to hone their skills. Because Yale did not present a serious threat, Harwick "did different things. I emphasized the ability to run as a group, and I asked our top runners to hold back a little." The result was "the best grouping we've had all season."
Despite their successes, the team has been hampered with injuries. Both Bryson Coles '95 and Jason Dunklee '96 have yet to race and Kai Richter '95 has competed in only one meet. Coles and Richter are expected to return to the squad later this season but Dunklee, Harwick said, "is probably out for the season."
Dartmouth's depth has been the foundation of their success all season.
"We have more depth than the other Ivy League teams," Harwick said. "That depth has preserved our continuity."
Currently ranked first in New England and 21st in the nation, the men's team eagerly anticipates the upcoming Michigan Invitational. Nationally-ranked squads such as Michigan and Stanford will attend to give the Big Green an opportunity to test itself against the nation's elite. Team morale is soaring, and Dartmouth expects the best.
"Team confidence is great," Wilbur said. "Everyone's fired up."
The women's team met with similar success against Yale. Coach Ellen O'Neil said that they took a "low key approach to the meet" and used it as an opportunity to work on their pack-running skills.
"I asked some people to hold back," O'Neil said, "and the team showed a lot of unity."
"We went in expecting to win, and despite missing two of our top seven runners, it went really well," Captain Tori Knox '94 said. "We experimented a little and it went really well. We all took it easy, but everyone worked hard and it was nice to have a comfortable race."
Flu-stricken Meegan Larsen '95 and Cailin Nelson '97 were unable to attend the meet, but both should be back for Michigan Invitational, the toughest meet to date according to Kristin Cobb '95.
As the Michigan Invitational looms ahead, the team is confident about their abilities.
The meet "gives us a chance to step up a notch," O'Neil said. "I'm not going to overemphasize Michigan (ranked third in the nation) but I hope to use it as a learning experience. Heptagonals remains our most immediate goal."
Both squads expect their national rankings to remain the same because "it wasn't much of a meet," Wilbur said. "Yale's not too strong."
