Dethroned men seek return to winning form

Last season the men's cross country team was expected to finish among the top teams in the nation. Surprisingly though, the season was characterized by few successes. The Tigers fell short of the main goal of the year — winning the Heptagonal title — and failed to make it to the NCAA Championships as a team.

Instead, the team was named in February of this year among the elite academic teams of the country, christened with an academic All-American title. Needless to say, the award wasn't exactly the one which the team had expected, especially after winning nine straight Heptagonal championships, the last one being in 1999.

This year's team — smart, but also healthy and fast — looks to once again begin a Heps championship-winning streak. Led by senior captains Wes Stockard and Paul Morrison, the team has seven returning runners as well as 10 to 12 racers ready to join the veterans.

That pack will be led by a number of experienced runners who will support the co-captains this season. This group includes seniors Ryan Smith and Seamus Whelton, and juniors David Dean and Jonathan Bell. The Princeton pack will have to perform well, since in cross country a single runner can only help the team so much. Depth is the key to any really strong team.

"The strengths of our team lie in our experience and our depth," Stockard said. "That drive and experience is going to make everyone on the team better, and help everyone compete on a higher level."

Princeton was the team to beat among the Ivy League cross-country teams in the 1990s. Having nearly won every Heps championship race in the decade, it was thus a surprise when Dartmouth dethroned the Tigers last season at the championships, held annually in Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. The Tigers approach this year's race, to be held on Oct. 26, with the firm belief that once again the team can reign at the top.

"After falling short of our goals as a team last year, all the guys returning feel a strong desire to return this team to the top," Stockard said.

The return of senior captain Paul Morrison, who won the 1999 Heps individual title, could be the spark that ignites the Tigers' engine this fall. Although he was able to return after injuries last season, he was not as effective as he had been in the past.

"Having our Paul back and healthy is going to give the team a huge lift and make us really competitive on the national level," said Stockard.

Expect the Tiger runners behind Morrison to maintain a tight pack in big races, as the team tended to string out in key events last year.

"Traditionally this team runs well when it runs together as a pack, and we can have one of the best packs in the country if we all stay focused," Stockard said.

But for both the men's and women's teams, a successful season depends on health — in addition to Morrison's knee injury, the rest of the team was plagued by minor injuries last season.

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As for their opponents, the Tigers butt heads with some of the strongest teams in the nation in its 10 races this fall. Princeton races against most of the top teams in the country at the Pre-National Meet October 13, then against strong Ivy League rivals in the Heptagonal Championship in late October. A strong finish in the district meet — a race in which the Tigers will race against consistently strong schools like Villanova, Georgetown and Penn State — held in early November, will be the key to entrance in the NCAA championships November 19 at Furman in South Carolina.

'This team is strong enough and talented enough to run with anyone in the district. The challenge will be proving that when the time comes," said Stockard. "We all have to keep this in mind as we go through the daily ins and outs of our preparation."