Ferrell third, Tigers seventh at Pre-Nats

Running in a large race can draw many a good runner out of her own pace and into a stampede of runners jetting along at a high-tempo clip. Fun or not, when the race takes place at an important location against many tough foes, a runner cannot help but appreciate the experience.

Such was the case for the Princeton women's cross country team at the Pre-Nationals Invitational at Indiana State last Saturday. Led by senior Cack Ferrell's blistering 20 minutes, 25 seconds in 6,000 meters, the Tigers ran to an impressive seventh-place finish in the "White" race. Ferrell finished third in a race of over 200 runners from 34 teams. Also scoring for Princeton were junior Catha Mullen at 32nd place in 21:18, junior Mia Swenson at 45th in 21:32, freshman Jolee van Leuven at 61st in 21:42 and junior Jen Johnson at 119th in 22:22.

The meet was held on the same course as the NCAA Championships, and many of the same teams that hope to compete at the Championships fielded teams last Saturday.

"We had seen the course before," said Ferrell, referring to last year's Pre-Nationals and NCAA Championships. "But it's always good practice to run on it, especially against the nation's top teams and runners."

Life in the fast lane

A large meet can change the dynamic of a race. With so many people competing, the tendency for a runner is to go at a faster, less conservative pace.

"Each of the girls was about 30 seconds slower over the second 3K than over the first," Mullen said. "When there are so many people in front of you at the beginning, it is very tempting to speed up the pace, even if it is faster than you should be going at that point in the race."

Swenson reiterated Mullen's point. "When I start a race with 15 people ahead of me, it is much easier to not worry about it and know that I'll catch some of them by the end. However, when I start off with over 100 people ahead of me, I can sometimes panic and get caught up into a faster pace than I want to run."

Prior to the race, head coach Peter Farrell emphasized pacing and focusing on goals each runner had set for herself before the race. He told the Tigers that it is easy to lose sight of the big picture mid-race. But he also illuminated the value in starting in a good position, since having to pass too many people as the race wears on can slow a runner down.

When the race is drawing to a close, Swenson pointed out that being in a larger race can increase the magnitude of one's final "kick," providing a much-needed impetus to push oneself harder at the end.

"There are more girls to run with and focus on trying to beat," she said. "In a race with fewer people, you can easily end up running by yourself and losing contact with your competitors."

All in all, the team as a whole was pleased with the end result. The runners' abilities to persevere as a team and record an extremely impressive showing could foreshadow good things for upcoming meets.

"I think we're getting pretty psyched for [Ivy League Heptagonals]," Mullen said. "We get to enter 12 girls into the race, which can only help us out."

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"Just from looking at the results from the open, non-varsity race at Pre-Nationals, we have several runners who would have fared well in the varsity race but didn't get in because of entry restrictions," Ferrell said. "But their performances show how deep our team really is. The whole team ran well."

"Finishing seventh and having a lot of room for improvement definitely bodes well for both Heps and Nationals, which are the two most important meets of our season," Swenson said.

Princeton races again on Friday, Oct. 28 at Heps, the Ivy League championship race. In a meet of great importance, the Tigers are pumped and ready to take on the competition. After proving themselves against an extremely large field, Princeton is confident in its abilities against Ivy foes.