New-Look Cross Country Excited for National Tournaments

The Princeton women’s cross country team was quietly one of the most successful teams on campus last year and shows no sign of slowing down this coming season. When asked about the team goals for this season, sophomore distance runner Brighie Leach replied, “Last season ended with our team winning Heps [Ivy League Heptagonals] and placing 21st at nationals. This has only left us hungrier and eager for more success this year.”

A few of the team’s best members graduated last year, but the Tigers are certainly determined not to let this affect their performances. Brighie commented, “We lost some very talented seniors last year, but we have another awesome senior class to look up to this year. We will also apply the knowledge we gained from watching our graduated seniors last year to guide us into another great season.”

Among the new members of the team, freshman Ally Rome is ready to start her collegiate career off right. Leach noted, “[Ally] is one tough cookie (with a lot of talent too)! She knows how to stay tough during difficult workouts and demonstrates her dedication to this sport.”

The team is also under new management this year, as a result of legendary head coach Peter Farrell retiring after 39 years. This change in coaching staff begins a new era for the team that each member is ready to fully embrace. Leach remarked, “Our new head coach, Coach E, is so motivated to put our track and cross country teams on the map and in the record books. I have no doubt that with her as head coach and Coach Hunt as our new distance coach, this team is going to achieve incredible things in the seasons ahead.”

One of Coach Hunt’s strategies to achieve the goals they desire of winning Heps and placing at Regionals is what she calls “sustainable success,” which entails keeping clear the team’s main priority so that each member can run their best when it matters most, towards the end of the fall season. With not too many races on their schedule, each and every meet will be very important. Luckily, the team ends its last conference race on its home course and always welcomes supporters at the end of the home stretch.

On another note, the Princeton men’s cross country team has already showcased its strong talent and sense of unity by finishing as a pack to achieve 8th place at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10. Despite brutally hot and humid conditions, head coach Jason Vigilate was excited to have his runners competing on the same course where Regionals will be held in exactly nine weeks. This will mark Vigilante’s fourth year as head coach of the men’s cross country program.

Last year, for the second consecutive season, the Princeton men's cross country team finished fourth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Led by then-freshman Jeremy Spiezio, the Tigers earned 102 points at the meet. A major loss for the men’s team was two-time All Ivy League and all-regional runner Michael Sublette, who graduated with the great class of 2016. Two other crucial scorers who graduated were Brett Kelly and Sam Berger. Despite the loss, the Orange and Black still holds a ton of talent and is hopeful for a successful season. Returning scorers are juniors William Bertrand, Noah Kauppila, Wolfgang Beck and Kenan Farmer and sophomores Spiezio and Steven Sum. The guys have six new extremely talented freshmen joining that are expected to score as well.