• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Welcoming Wellesley’s Green Class of 2025
      Welcoming Wellesley’s Green Class of 2025
    • 2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
      2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Ivy Jiang Sports and WellnessDecember 3, 2014

Cross country finishes strong season at NCAA Championships in first appearance since 1986

Wellesley’s cross country team competed at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 at the Kings Golf Center in Mason, Ohio, making its third ever appearance, the first since 1986, at the competition.

According to head coach Phil Jennings, 30 of the 32 teams that qualified for the championship this year have sent teams to the NCAA meet within the past six years, indicating the strength and depth of competition at the event.

The Blue finished No. 22 in the team classification as Taylor Bickford ’15 led Wellesley with a time of 23:11.6, earning a score of 70. She was followed by Priyanka Fouda ’16, who finished in 23:26.6 for a score of 92, and Mary Keenan ’17 with a time of 23:27.2, earning a score of 93.

Wellesley’s overall team score of 576 was rounded off by Nicole Chui ’15, who tallied 146 points from a time of 23:51.6, and Alice Zhou ’17, who scored 175 points for a time of 24:14.9. Edie Sharon ’17 and Sonja Cwik ’17 completed the course in 24:40.8 and in 24:53.3, attaining scores of 200 and 207, respectively.

“It was gratifying to see our team improve upon our ranking coming into the championship and finish No. 22 given our inexperience at that level,” Jennings said.

Bickford echoed the sentiment.

“Initially, we had no goals. We didn’t even know for sure until the Sunday after Regionals at 3 p.m. that we had made it to Nationals,” Bickford said.

Considering the Blue had not qualified for nationals since 1986, competing in the championship became a dream for several members of the cross country team. After starting the season unranked, the cross country team collected a number of top finishes, including first place at the Seven Sisters Championship, seventh place at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships and runner-up at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championships. These performances, in addition to a fifth place finish at NCAA Regionals, earned the Blue a No. 25 ranking going into the national championships.

“The fact that we are now ranked No. 22 in the nation means we left no goal unaccomplished, and we truly completed our season-long goal of earning some recognition,” Bickford said.

Bickford also noted that the atmosphere at the championship meet was unlike any other the Blue had experienced in their season.

“Teams like Tufts, whose whole team, rather than just the top 8 competing athletes, [would] roadtrip out and go practically clothing-less, covered in nothing but body paint, running across the field and waving a massive flag, cheering. Another college had erected a full tipi; they must have been there hours before the race to do that,” Bickford said.

Along with the energy and excitement at the meet, nationals entailed several unique perks including a championship banquet, warm up tents, video scoreboards and live webcasting, which according to Jennings, also made the experience special.

“The national meet is the most exciting meet of the season, with every aspect of it taken to the next level. It has the biggest crowds and best presentation and course preparation…The meet truly brings together the best teams and individuals in Division III cross country, and the experience can certainly be intimidating for those that have never competed at NCAAs before,” Jennings said.

While the Blue were surrounded by the excitement of nationals, they were able to maintain the camaraderie that served them throughout the regular season.

“The power and support you get from being surrounded by teammates in the middle of a race is priceless. When I was able to look to the right, or in front and see a teammate in Wellesley blue, it certainly made me pick up my pace and try just a little harder to stay with them, work with them,” Bickford said.

The NCAA Championships marked the end of a fulfilling season for the Wellesley cross country team.

“Overall, the experience brought our team closer together, boosted everyone’s confidence and established a benchmark for our program moving into the future,” Jennings noted. The team will now focus on training and preparing for the 2015 season.

Photo courtesy of Megan LaBella,  Assistant Cross Country Coach 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleSpin Coast to Coast initiative encourages student participation in fitness classes
Next articleAthlete of the Week: Kathryn Ledbetter ’15

You may also like

COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble

Athletic impacts of Covid-19

A new kind of PE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations fo...
  • You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top