For senior Cack Ferrell, this weekend's meet was just like old times — competing in her hometown in front of family, friends and old coaches. She even knew the meet's announcer and was able to enjoy a home-cooked meal with the Tiger team at her house.
This unique experience was made possible by the women's cross country team's weekend trip to Minneapolis, Minn., — Ferrell's hometown — to compete in the Griak International.
Ferrell made the most of her trip home, establishing herself at the meet's star by finishing the six-kilometer course in third place with a time of 21 minutes, four seconds, a mere six seconds behind the leader.
Thanks to her strong performance, No. 14 nationally-ranked Princeton finished fifth in its second-ever trip to the highly-competitive national meet, trailing the fourth-place team by just two points.
After Ferrrell, Mullen was the next Tiger to cross the finish line, running the course in 21:38 to come in at 18th place.
Freshman Jolee Vanleuven, mere weeks into her college cross country career, put up a solid performance at the Griak, finishing less than 1:30 behind Ferrell.
"As a freshman, I had never run in such a large race," Vanleuven said, "so learning how to start effectively within such a large pack was one of my goals."
Seniors Meredith Lambert and Suzanne Andrews, junior Mia Swenson and sophomores Caitlin McTaque and Kim Bonner also contributed to the squad's overall success at the meet.
"It was a good showing," Ferrell said. "We would have loved to win, and it was definitely in the cards. Ideally we would have finished in the top three, but this was a good starting point."
Junior Catha Mullen agreed, saying that Princeton would use its solid performance to motivate the team in future meets.
"Being so close to the top three teams is very encouraging and will certainly be 'fuel for the fire' for us to kick it up a notch next time we are in such a competitive meet," Mullen said.
Final home stand
Competing in front of her hometown crowd for the final time serves as a reminder that Ferrell's cross country career is winding down. Looking back on her time in Orange and Black with a bit of nostalgia, Ferrell highlights her cross country career as one of the most memorable parts of her college career, both in terms of friendships made and experience gained.
"It's an amazing team with an amazing coach," Ferrell said. "It's a privilege to put on a Princeton jersey and run."
For Ferrell, nothing would be a better finish to her career than making noise at the national level.
"I definitely feel like we have a strong team, and there's no doubt that we'll go to Nationals again," she said. "We definitely have some strong contenders for the top seven. And there's definitely talent beyond the eight that were in Minnesota."
The two sophomores and one freshman accompanying the five upperclassmen highlight the team's depth of talent and the strong future that lies ahead.
"I'm pretty confident in saying that the team will make it to Nationals in the ensuing years as well," Ferrell said.
This confidence will be put to the test as the Tigers continue their fall season, but the talent of Ferrell and company gives fans reason to be optimistic.
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