The Georgetown women’s cross country team ran the course in Terre Haute, Ind., earlier this season at the Pre-NCAA meet on Oct. 19. Now, the team returns – but this time, for the NCAA Championship. After clinching a bid in the Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Regional on Nov. 15, the Hoyas earned a spot in the NCAAs and the opportunity to compete against the country’s top teams and runners.
No. 6 Georgetown cruised throughout the season with three first-place victories and two second-place finishes. Among Georgetown’s competitors at the NCAAs is Villanova, the only team that finished ahead of Georgetown at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Providence, Arizona, and Arkansas – the top three teams in the country – will also be participating at the championship.
“The best team in the country is the team that beat us at Big East, and that’s Providence,” Women’s Cross Country Head Coach Michael Smith said. “They have three low-state scorers and a great fourth runner.”
No. 4 Florida State, like Providence, has impressive top runners, but also has a larger spread. No. 2 Arizona and No. 3 Arkansas, on the other hand, have a small spread of runners, similar to Georgetown. Defending champion Oregon received an at-large bid for the NCAAs but is not considered a threat, as the Ducks graduated its top runners in the class of 2013.
The Hoyas are counting on their race plan to win this meet, a consistent strategy which they have executed successfully in all of their meets.
“We’re going to do the same kind of running we’ve been doing all season, which means keeping that spread as small as possible,” Smith said. “Our question is going to be how high up can we place our top athletes. That’s what it’s really going to come down to.”
Although the pressure is on for the Blue and Gray, the experience of older runners and mental toughness of the entire team could lift the Hoyas above the stress of such a high-stakes meet.
“We’ve got some of our seniors – Rachel Schneider, Madeline Chambers – who have been in meets like this before and can keep cool under pressure. They know how to stay relaxed and still do their jobs. That’s something we’ve talked about all season – being in a high pressure environment and focusing on their jobs and running for each other – and running for Georgetown,” Smith said.
Both Georgetown and Providence enter the meet poised to win. Providence finished as runner-up to Oregon last year, and Georgetown is seeking what would be its second NCAA Championship in three years.
Though the Georgetown men’s cross country team did not qualify for the NCAAs after finishing third in the Mid-Atlantic meet last weekend, graduate student Andrew Springer will travel to Terre Haute as an individual competitor. A two-time All-American, Springer performed at an astonishing level this season as the top finisher for the Blue and Gray in four out of their five meets.
He approaches the meet rested and with a set strategy in mind. Running two 10-kilometer races in the span of eight days is no small feat; nonetheless, Springer’s experience as a runner and preparation over the course of the week leaves him primed for a strong performance.
“He’ll start two or three seconds behind the group and then try and catch them throughout the intervals,” Men’s Assistant Coach Brandon Bonsey said. “Between the regional meet and national meet it’s all about getting rested… He’s definitely going to be mentally and physically ready to go on Saturday.”
While Springer competes at the NCAAs, the rest of the men’s team will travel to the Bronx, N.Y., for the IC4As. This meet provides the runners who didn’t make the Big East or Regional squad an opportunity to compete. The team is optimistic about its chances, as it won the meet last year with its B team.
The entire Georgetown cross country program is bound for an exciting and possibly unpredictable weekend.
“In cross-country, weird stuff happens,” Smith said. “You have to be ready for anything.”