BY NOLAN GEAR

In print | Published September 25, 2008

This past Saturday, the Swarthmore cross country team trekked to Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the Dickinson Long/Short Meet, running the 4-kilometer Short course. The team had a strong showing, with the men securing an eleventh-place finish out of 22 competing schools and the women taking seventh place out of 23 teams.

Leading the pack were Erik Saka ’09 in 27th place for the men and Melissa Frick ’12 in 11th place on the women’s side, with times of 12:51.42 and 15:07.68 respectively. Patrick Hartnett ’11 followed shortly in Saka’s wake, finishing 31st, and Dan Hodson ’09 was the third Swattie on the men’s team to cross the finish line, in 72nd place. “It was a short course, so we ran hard,” Hodson said. “We ran balls out for the first mile and ran harder after that.”

The women’s team, led by Frick, had an astonishing eight runners finish in the top 50 places at Dickinson, with Kathy Feeney ’09 running a personal best of 15:29.78 and finishing in 24th place, and Emma Stanley ’09 finishing in 38th with a final time of 15:47.90. What made the women’s accomplishments all the more remarkable was their loss of three runners before Saturday’s meet. Caitlin Russell ’11 and Ashley Davies ’11 both sustained injuries before the match, and Nyika Corbett ’10, who placed third at the team’s last meet on August 30th, was unable to run on Saturday.

Head Coach Peter Carroll was pleased with the efforts of his team, claiming that it boded well for the remainder of the season, especially for the women’s team. “This meet was a kind of barometer,” Carroll said on Sunday. “We have a lot of first-years, and I wanted to see what they could do. You never really know what the team can do until they’re thrown into battle,” Carroll said.

Carroll said he has high expectations for the team after this meet. The women’s team in particular is being held to very high standards; Carroll claims they could very possibly rank in the top three in their conference this year. In the 10 years that Carroll has coached Swarthmore Cross Country, he said that this year’s team is “one of the best [he’s] ever had, with the most talent across the board.” Carroll still cautions against overconfidence, even with such a talented team.

“You can have all the talent in the world and do nothing with it,” Carroll said. “But that’s what’s great about Swat kids. Swat kids work.” Carroll’s team seems as enthused as he is at the prospect of their potentially triumphant season.

“I’m nervous, but really excited about our chances,” Frick said on Sunday, echoing Carroll’s expectations for a successful season. “We have a really good shot, and I can only imagine [our chances] getting better as we get more in shape,” Frick said. Frick’s enthusiasm is shared by the rest of the team, who congregate frequently outside of practice. “We hang out here every Monday evening,” said Hodson amidst a group of runners in Parrish third, holding a communal cake eating “Balls out” (again, the team’s motto for the manner in which Saturday’s meet was run). This sense of community seems to be integral to their success. “The upperclassmen are very enthusiastic and supportive,” Frick said. Frick, one of thirteen first-year runners, said that he appreciates the team’s enthusiasm. “All the seniors keep this group together,” Frick explained.

Such leadership and community are necessary for the team as they train towards what ought to be an exciting season. “Cross Country is not a fun sport,” said Coach Carroll. “It’s a lot of hard work. But part of the appeal is unity and friendship, and the senior class really provides that appeal.”
The team will make the trip to Haverford this Tuesday to compete at the Main Line Invitational.

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