After 27 years, Georgetown has finally won another non-sailing national championship.
After tying for first place in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, the women’s cross country team continued its upward trend and took the NCAA national title. The men, meanwhile, placed a respectable 17th.
The Hoyas were led by senior All-American Emily Infeld, who finished fourth overall, but it was the Blue and Gray’s depth that carried the team to the top.
“In the end, cross country is a team sport, and the team aspect means so much more than an individual performance,” Infeld said.
Women’s Head Coach Chris Miltenberg has continually reiterated that point throughout the season, focusing on running a team race through collective pacing.
“Nobody had any miraculous race,” Miltenberg said. “We did what we were ready to do and what we planned to do. … When you get to the level [Infeld] is at every year you want to think about winning, but it’s more important to run a great team race.”
Following Infeld for the Blue and Gray were senior Claire Richardson, who placed 50th overall, junior Emily Jones, who placed 54th, junior Kirsten Kasper, who placed 64th, and freshman Katrina Coogan, who placed 67th. Coogan’s performance was enough to take second among all freshmen in the event. Her classmates Annamarie Maag and Hannah Neczypor also competed for the Hoyas but were not in Georgetown’s top five.
“Coogan did an incredible job of keeping her composure early on, which is really tough to do in NCAAs,” Miltenberg said. “But what really did it for us was our [number] two through [number] five runners finishing within 10 seconds.”
Despite the triumphant finish, the season was not all smooth sailing for a team that faced adversity following its preseason No. 1 ranking.
The team opened with a victory at the Harry Groves Invitational, but followed up with a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Paul Short Invitational. In fact, the women failed to win any tournament outright after the first event of the year.
“We realized, ‘If we’re going to do something, it’s not going to come to us. We’ll have to go take it,'” Miltenberg said. “In the Big East, when you’re third in your own conference, it’s a bit of a wake-up call.”
But despite the roller-coaster ride of a season, the team showed mental toughness and regained its composure.
“We [had to] take this win-or-bust mentality off the table and tried to be the best team we could with the guys we’ve got,” Miltenberg said.
But it wasn’t just the athletes that were recognized for the national championship — Miltenberg received the coveted national coach of the year award.
“It’s a huge honor,” Miltenberg said. “It’s great that peers have recognized what we’ve done.”
Despite the impressive accolade, Miltenberg was quick to deflect credit back to his runners, wryly noting that he did not compete in the final race of the year.
“Great athletes make great coaches and not the other way around,” he said. “It’s a testament to what our team has done this year.”
Miltenberg believes the award means that coaches have begun to appreciate Georgetown’s method of recruiting, training and racing. It’s a mentality that emphasized team running and allowed the squad to peak when it mattered most.
Looking forward, the team will lose Claire Richardson and Emily Infeld, the top finishers for Georgetown at nationals.
Returnees include sophomore Madeline Chambers and Rachel Schneider — both All-Americans who redshirted this year. Miltenberg is confident that this group will be able to come together and mesh well.
“It’s going to be a great time and a different team,” Miltenberg said. “You can never replace an Emily Infeld, so next year is going to be more about the team than ever before. I think we’re going to be right back to having great senior leadership and won’t miss a beat.”
But next year is far away for a team that is still enjoying its national championship and reflecting on the ups and downs of the season.
“This season was a journey, to say the least,” Miltenberg said.
But it was a journey well worth the ride.
