It'll be double duty for cross-country this weekend. Friday and Saturday see not only the New England Championships for the Dartmouth men's and women's cross country teams, but also the pre-NCAA meet down South in Furman, S.C.
Coaches Barry Harwick '77 (men's) and Ellen O'Neil '87 (women's) are faced with the prospect of splitting their squads since the geographical logistics make it impossible to compete in both meets.
The decision is made easier because the Furman meet is more important. The coaches will send their top seven runners down to Dixie, while the rest of their teams go to the New England Championships.
Split or not, the outlook is bright on both fronts. The top seven are favored to have success at the pre-NCAAs and the rest of the Big Green runners, even wthout their top performers, are still expected to finish high at New Englands.
"Dartmouth's men have qualified for the NCAAs for the last three years in a row and are eager to go for number four in November," Harwick said. "A strong showing at Furman will give the Big Green a national ranking and be a good stepping stone to the national championship."
The South Carolina contingent is led by stellar junior Tom McArdle. McArdle, one of the most accomplished athletes competing under the Big Green banner today, was an All-American in track and field last year and hopes to gain similar honors this year in cross country. A strong showing at the pre-NCAAs would help him move closer to that goal.
While good, the rest of the team is not made up of Tom McArdles. However, this is still a critical juncture for the team to prove itself on a national level.
On the women's side, meanwhile, the hopes are high. And the expectations are high as well.
"Currently, we are ranked in the top 30," O'Neil said. "Our goal is to beat some higher ranked teams at Furman, not only to improve our ranking position but also to help garner one of the at-large bids for the NCAA championships in mid-November.
As for the New England Championships, the coaches expect nothing but top results.
"This younger group of athletes is still expected to do well," Harwick said. "Dartmouth should end up among the top ten teams in the large field of over 40 colleges and universities."
