Last year the cross country squads ran to a sweep of the annual Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, marking the end of a long drought for both teams. This Friday, the men's and women's teams will travel to New York City's Van Cortlandt Park for Heps, this time returning as defending Ivy League champions.
Heps is just the first of a slate of championship races, but it alone determines Ivy League bragging rights for the next year.
After their showing at Pre-Nationals, where they won the 'White' race and posted the third fastest team time of the meet, the Tiger women are the decisive favorites. No other Ivy League team is ranked in the nation's top 25.
"There's some [pressure] considering the win last year and the way this season's been going so far, but I would say it's mostly just excitement over the race," sophomore Liz Costello said.
The men return a strong group from last year's winning effort and are also aiming high. At Pre-Nationals, the Tigers were led by strong finishes from senior Frank Tinney and junior Michael Maag.
"We definitely feel pressure not to let our guard down and still give an all-out effort in this race," sophomore Ted Price said. "But we know that we're the fittest team out there, and we plan on taking control of the race."
Last year, the men's and women's teams had five and eight runners finish in the top 18, respectively, almost unheard of numbers for a championship race. This statistic highlights the tremendous depth of both teams, which has only grown with the addition of talented freshmen recruits this year. The women's scoring five includes freshmen Ashley Higginson and Sarah Cummings.
On the men's side, the Big Red, featuring standout Jimmy Wyner, will be looking to upset the Tigers' chances at a repeat. For the women, the biggest competition is Columbia, which won for three straight years before Princeton triumphed last season.
The Lions, running on their home course in the Bronx, will benefit from their familiarity with the terrain. But the Tigers are not exactly foreigners to the course either. Both teams practiced on the course during preseason, and the women's team raced there once at the beginning of the season specifically to prepare for Heps.
Nevertheless, Van Cortlandt Park's unique layout and roller coaster topography will present difficulties for the runners.
"The gravel on the back hills makes the course run a little slower," Price said. "But everyone in the race has the same conditions."
The women's race will feature a traditional 5K course instead of the recently adapted national standard of 6K.
"This course is significantly hillier than the two 6K races we ran [recently], so the shorter distance won't be as significant," Cummings said. "Because the course is shorter, our pace per mile will probably be a bit faster."
Individually, defending champion Lindsay Donaldson of Yale will be looking for her second title, though she has already lost twice this season to Tiger sophomores Christy Johnson and Costello, who may be the favorites for the honor.
The men's race will be run without two-time reigning champ Ben True of Dartmouth, who is taking the year off to train for cross-country skiing.
"The individual race is wide open," sophomore Ben Sitler said. "There are five or six guys that could take home the title, and although we have four or so that could win, the team title is what we really care about. A Tiger taking home the individual title would be icing on the cake."
The men's team will be boosted by the presence of All-American and senior captain Dave Nightingale, though Heps will only be his second race this season after recuperating from a knee injury.
"Nightingale's return and the fact that he's getting fitter and fitter each week is just an added bonus for our team," Price said. "We've been training and going into the season like he might not be back, and now we're looking very strong and deep for Heps."
With another sweep, Princeton would become just the second team in Ivy League history to record back to back sweeps. Dartmouth achieved the mark with wins in 1994 and 1995.
Despite the importance of the Heptagonal Championships, both teams have their sights ultimately set on Regionals and Nationals. If everything goes according to plan, the Tigers will make their way back to the hallowed course of Terre Haute, Ind., for one last stand.
But first, the Big Apple beckons.
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