The Smith Cross Country team recently placed second out of 19 teams at the Dickinson Invitational on Sept. 23, beating two nationally ranked teams: No. 28 Carnegie Mellon University and No. 35 Dickinson College. This brought the Smith team up from a 10th-place regional ranking to now ranking sixth in the competitive Mid-East Region.
Following their two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) National Championship appearances, the team is one to watch, with a new target on their back. Just two years ago, the team emerged as underdogs when they qualified for the national championship for the first time in 30 years. Now, however, they will have to fight to get a bid to return to the NCAAs for the third year in a row. With the 2022 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) coaching staff of the year guiding five talented new first-years as well as many strong returners, the team is ready to face that challenge.
The team relies on their depth and packing to stand out from the crowd. This past weekend, there was only a 13-second difference between their third runner, Megan Varnum ’24, and their sixth runner, rookie Lucy Kreipke ’27. The Smith team moves as a unit, which is one of their biggest strengths. Captain Mack Case ’24 said, “Packing allows us to work together really well during workouts and races. The closer together we are, the better we run, all pushing each other harder than if we were to run alone. When one person acts as an agitator in a big group, everybody involved benefits from that fire and can go with them, making a massive impact on scoring.” The Smith coaches are heard giving runners directions to “close the gap” or “stay on their shoulders” to promote this strategy during workouts and races.
On the Saturday of the Dickinson Invite, the weather was rainy and overcast, but Smith’s bright yellow singlets shone through the dreary atmosphere and the team’s energy was unmatched. Before the start of the six-kilometer race, Smith’s team gathered together in a circle, hands on each others’ backs, getting ready to support each other and race together over the next 23 minutes.
The packing strategy begins at the start, placing as many runners as possible in a tight formation within the team-designated box along the start line. Throughout their training, the athletes practice agitating the group and taking turns pulling each other along when the race gets hard.
While the expectations are higher this year and the journey to Nationals will certainly be more of a challenge, Smith Cross Country is up to the test. Pria Parker’s (’25) second-place finish put them only 11 seconds behind the personal best six-kilometer time of Laurel Kruger ’22J, Smith’s top runner last season who placed 3rd in the entire NEWMAC conference. Parker’s outstanding performance also earned them the honor of NEWMAC runner of the week for the second time this season.
Other runners to watch are Megan Varnum ’24 and Serena Britner ’25 who finished within less than a second of each other. Both executed personal bests by over a minute in the six-kilometer distance, placing them as the team’s third and fourth runners for the race. Shams Ferver ’26J, a member of the two school record-breaking relays in the 2022 track season, has also had a successful season thus far. Ferver proved that she can tackle cross country as well; with her 7-second personal record in the six-kilometer at Dickinson and 17th place finish, she snagged Smith’s number two slot.
In order to receive another at-large bid to the championship, the team must place well at both the NEWMAC conference championship meet and the Mid-East regional championship meet. They must also beat other nationally ranked teams who received bids in the earlier season meets like the Dickinson Invitational and the upcoming Connecticut College meet on October 14.
While they still have a long journey ahead, Head Cross Country Coach Ellen O’Neil is optimistic about their progress so far. “Since this was the first weekend that wins over out-of-region teams count toward NCAA at-large consideration, we were thrilled to beat three such teams, all of whom are either ranked high in their region, or have a top-35 national ranking,” said O’Neil. “Though it’s still early in the season, this is an encouraging result.”
