Pack running leads to win

For those who assume that running is an individual sport, a single glimpse at the women's cross country team disproves that notion.

These Tigers strategize and cooperate with each other just like any other team, and they executed their gameplan to perfection this Saturday in defeating Harvard and Yale.

"These girls are your teammates for a reason," senior captain Caitlin McTague said. "They are there to run with and push you."

The Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet was held this Saturday at Princeton's West Windsor Fields, and the Tigers competed as a unit en route to a dominating victory. The Tigers, donning matching orange and black ribbons, ran in packs until the last 200 meters of the race, when each runner sprinted to the finish line individually.

The strategy proved successful. The Tigers' performances were more than adequate to secure a fifth-consecutive sweep of the the Crimson and the Bulldogs. Princeton's team score — the combined places of the first five finishers on the team — was an extremely low 18. Harvard was a distant second with a score of 57, and Yale took third with 64 points. The victorious Tigers were presented with the Cheever Memorial Trophy at the end of the meet.

"I think we did really well," McTague said. "We have been working out really well, and obviously we have the advantage of running a course that we're familiar with."

These teams know each other well and generally know what to expect from their opponents, but there is still the chance of a last minute surprise.

"Our major competitors [include All-American Lindsay] Donaldson from Yale," sophomore Christy Johnson said. "She is a stud. She's a senior this year. Then we found out 10 minutes before the meet that [All-American Lindsey] Scherf from Harvard was going to be in the meet. She hasn't been on the roster all year, but she's a 10K champion, and she's incredible."

The Tigers managed to place two runners in front of their closest rival. Sophomore Liz Costello was the first to finish the 5.1-kilometer course with a time of 18 minutes, .70 seconds. Johnson was close behind in 18:02.10. Yale's Donaldson came in on their heels at 18:08 for third.

Behind Donaldson, junior Megan Brandeland, freshman Ashley Higginson, junior Jolee VanLeuven and freshman Sarah Cummings placed fourth through seventh. Brandeland came in just four seconds behind Donaldson, and the four Tigers crossed the line within 18 seconds of each other.

With freshman Liz Deir placing 10th, three Tiger freshmen finished in the top 10, demonstrating their successful transitions from high school to college athletics.

"The freshmen this year have meshed really well," McTague said. "I know it's difficult coming from a program that these girls probably led and were used to being in front, so they've done a good job."

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This meet was a great chance for the newbies to see the Harvard-Yale-Princeton rivalry in action. Because they compete against each other so often, there is a familiarity among the teams' runners that is rarely seen elsewhere.

"This is such a great, traditional race," McTague said. "It's nice to know every girl in the race. I feel like there's a lot of spirit. We made our ribbons and got really into it."

McTague is certainly right about the tradition. This year's competition was the 31st annual women's HYP cross country meet. Princeton's victory gives the Tigers their 12th overall win, the most of any team in the history of the competition.

"We love this meet," head coach Peter Farrell said. "It's always great to beat two old rivals."

This was Princeton's second first-place finish in two meets this season, and as a result, the Tigers have climbed to a No. 16 national ranking in the NCAA cross country polls. Despite these early triumphs, Farrell remains cautious.

"The girls responded extremely well [to the competition today], but it's very early in the season for us," Farrell said. "We've got to keep this in perspective and not be inflated by it."

McTague addressed her team's prospects with similar humility but maintains a positive outlook.

"It'll be interesting to see how things go once classes begin," McTague said. "We've had a really long time to adjust and enjoy being on campus and training, so adding classes to the mix ... will be interesting to see. But I think everyone is really focused at this point and really motivated to do well."