After coming off top-10 finishes at pre-nationals last Saturday, the Georgetown men’s and women’s cross country teams are in prime position to bring home a pair of Big East Championship titles this weekend at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. The men’s squad, currently ranked eighth in the nation, will go into the event looking to avenge last year’s loss to Notre Dame.
The No. 7-ranked women, who took the event last year, will face competition primarily from Boston College, who is tied with Georgetown in the seventh spot.
The Eagles have two freshmen, Megan Guiney and Laura Smith, who finished ahead of the Hoyas’ top finisher, Lorena Adams, at last Saturday’s pre-nationals. Villanova senior Ann cGranahan, who placed the highest of all Big East runners last weekend, comes into the event as the individual favorite.
The women’s team lost by 82 points to sixth place finisher Boston College at pre-nationals, but a Big East title is easily within grasp if the squad can tighten its pack this weekend. A strong core of Adams, senior Autumn Fogg, junior Emily Enstice and freshman Amanda Pape all placed highly at pre-nationals, but the team will need a fifth runner to perform well this weekend to defeat the talented Eagle squad.
“We’re maturing, and it’s still a matter of identifying,” Director of Track and Field Ron Helmer said. “We have four ready to run, but we need seven or eight ready. It’s coming, and we’re getting to that point.”
Senior Kristen Gordon, who didn’t score for the Hoyas last Saturday but placed second overall at the Big East Championship last year, may be the key to a top team finish.
A strong trio of sophomore Mike Smith and seniors David Rodriguez and Corey Smith will look to lead the men in Boston this weekend. The group all placed within the top 40 at pre-nationals, but like the women, they will be heavily dependent on the final point scorers in order to have a shot at bringing back a first-place trophy.
Competition on the men’s side will come primarily from fourth-ranked Providence and 17th-ranked Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s junior tandem of Luke Watson and Marc Striowski both placed within the top 10 individually last week, but the squad lacks the depth needed to be a top contender. A more formidable challenge will likely come from Providence, who did not compete in the large national meet last weekend. The rest period and local nature of the event will likely be advantageous to the Friars.
Georgetown will come back after the conference meet and have three weeks to train before District II Regionals.
Related Links
Men’s Cross Country Schedule
Women’s Cross Country Schedule
