In a span of two days, a season of training and competition will be gauged as a success or failure. Poor performances can be redeemed. Heartbreaking losses can be erased.
The stage is set for the Indoor Heptagonal Championships at Jad-win Gym this weekend, the most important meet of the indoor season for women's track and field.
But if the importance and intensity of the meet have been looming in the weeks leading up to this weekend, the defending champion Tigers are not letting on. Although they realize the meet's importance, the Tigers are not going to psyche themselves out of a championship.
"The team hasn't really been thinking about the meet," senior captain Meaghan Phillips said. "It's been a normal week."
Pulp Fiction
Head coach Peter Farrell explained that the team didn't need to be overconscious of the meet. The meet itself will provide the adrenaline.
The competition will surely be tough with Harvard, Brown and Cornell bringing powerful teams to Jadwin, but the Tigers have stalwarts of their own who could lead them to victory.
The almost automatic point scoring of superstar sprinter/hurdler Nicole Harrison and 400-meter runner junior Bynia Reed coupled with the long distance running of juniors Heather Onuma and Betsey Packard will provide stability for the Tigers.
The jumping events will also be a key to a Tiger victory. Five Tiger long jumpers, headlined by senior Hadiya Green and Harrison, could score points. The triple jump and high jump will also see Tigers shine. Indeed, the performers that sparkled week in and week out will no doubt be at the top of the final standings again.
But the meet might come down to someone not always in the spotlight.
"The difference could be someone you don't count on," Farrell said. "Someone comes from nowhere and catches fire."
This could be the case this weekend, especially considering Princeton's definitive home track advantage. The support of the Jadwin faithful as well as knowing every nook and cranny of the track will be an advantage for the Tigers.
"This is our facility. We're very confident here. We've got to be confident, but it's a relaxed confidence," Farrell said.
Down to the wire
To be sure, if everyone performs up to expectations, the Tigers could be in good shape. But the overall parity of the competition will result in a close meet. This means that the team that comes out on top will be the team that performed the best, not necessarily the best team.
For the Tigers and Farrell, a strong weekend will make the difference between first and fourth place. A victory would be sweet for the Tigers, but is not certain.
"You hope that when the smoke clears," Farrell said, "it's Princeton."
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