The Big Green cross country teams ran through mud, rain and cold, gritting their way through a crowded field as both the men's and women's second varsity teams took 10th overall Sunday at the Mayor's Cup races in Boston's Franklin Park.
The men were 10th out of 18 teams in the open race, led by Grant Allen '08, who finished 65th overall in a field of roughly 200 and 42nd among team-affiliated runners, traversing the eight-kilometer course in 26:38.
Andrew Han '09 came across next for Dartmouth, 51st for scoring and 77th overall with a time of 26:58.
Completing the scoring for the men were Steve Durham '09, Hari Iyer '09 and Mark Brissette '06, who finished 56th (85th overall) in 27:13, 59th (89th overall) in 27:16 and 60th (92nd overall) in 27:19, respectively.
Both teams had difficulty turning in fast times due to massive amounts of rain muddying and flooding the course. "Our team faced some pretty rough conditions at Franklin Park in Boston; lots of mud and cold weather," said men's coach Barry Harwick. "It was good experience for some of our younger guys."
Added Allen, "The conditions were really muddy and difficult but that put a different twist on the race. Staying on your feet was a challenge."
The women finished 10th in a field of 11 teams, with Julie Plevin '09 taking 71st overall and 41st for scoring runners, coming in with a time of 20:16 over the five-kilometer course.
Her teammates were not far behind, as all of the Lady Green's top five finished within 30 seconds of each other. Natalie Todd-Zebell '09, Kristin Fladseth '09, Kristin Ricci '08 and Megan Ramirez '09 finished in 20:26 (45th/76th), 20:27 (46th/77th), 20:34 (48th/84th) and 20:45 (50th/84th), respectively.
"The conditions were not ideal, [but] I thought [the women] worked pretty well as a pack," said women's coach Maribel Sanchez Souther. "It was pretty exciting to see them come within 30 seconds of each other."
Though no longer affiliated with the team, the Big Green can nonetheless claim some credit for former Dartmouth runner Jarrod Shoemaker '04's win in the men's race. Competing for the Boston Athletic Association--which finished first among the teams present--Shoemaker clocked in at 24:23, five seconds ahead of the runner-up.
With the Mayor's Cup completed, the next race on the horizon for Dartmouth is certain to be a good one, as the Big Green will travel to New York City to see how it measures up to its fellow Ivy competitors at the Heptagonal Championships (Heps for short).
Said Harwick, "The top 12 are very excited about the Ivy league championships in New York on Friday."
The men, currently ranked 14th nationally, have their eyes set on first place, a goal well within the reach of a team that has continued to impress throughout the season with its depth and talent.
The women, while not as successful a team level as the men, nonetheless have high expectations for Heps, looking to get their top trio of Melanie Schorr '06, Hilary Dionne '07 and Susan Dunklee '08 to finish in the top 12.
"There's a lot of tradition there, and school spirit," said Souther of the upcoming meet. "It's a pretty intense, competitive meet. I'm definitely looking forward to it and I hope that we do a pretty good job there."
The Heptagonal Championships will be held this Friday in Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. The women's race starts at 10:30 a.m. and the men's race begins at 11:10.
