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Johns Hopkins Women's Cross Country NCAA Preview
Nov. 19, 2009
BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins women's cross country team is one of five Blue Jay teams that will represent the University in NCAA Championship competition this weekend, but it's the only one of the five that could win a national championship before the weekend is through. Under the guidance of Mideast Regional Coach of the Year Bobby Van Allen, the Blue Jays improved from 29th at the NCAA Championships two years ago to 13th last season. With a deep and talented seven-person lineup, Johns Hopkins is among a handful of teams that could contend for the title. Below is a quick look at the Blue Jays, the field and the championship.
Where They'll Run: Baldwin-Wallace College will play host to the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 21 at Highland Park Golf Course in Highland Hills, Ohio. The women's six-kilometer event will begin at 11:00 a.m. (EST).
How They Got Here: Johns Hopkins won its second straight Centennial Conference title on October 31 and followed that with a second straight Mideast Regional Championship. The regional title was won without the services of senior All-American Laura Paulsen, who was sick during the week leading up to the meet and held out as a precaution. As the top finisher at the regional championships, the Blue Jays earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
Who to Look For: As they proved in winning the regional title, Johns Hopkins is one of the deepest teams in the nation. Few, if any, teams could compete without their top performer and still win at that level. Paulsen has been JHU's top finisher in all but one meet during her four-year career and will be competing at the NCAAs for the fourth straight year.
Leading the way at last week's regional championships were senior Mira Patel and sophomore Cecilia Furlong, who finished 10th and 12th, respectively in the 311-person field. Patel and Furlong team with Paulsen to give the Blue Jays one of the top threesomes in the nation and their ability to get out quickly and stay together will be a key to the Blue Jays' title hopes.
The difference between winning a championship or not (for any team) will likely be the performance of the runners who come in after the top two or three and Van Allen and the Blue Jays have a second pack that could rival many team's top groups.
Freshman Liz Provost and seniors Nadia McMillan and Mary O'Grady all earned All-Region honors with top 35 finishes at the regional championships and will look to stay tight and close to the lead pack. Juniors Christina Valerio and Megan Brower rounded out JHU's top seven runners at last week's regional.
A Program First: The JHU women's cross country team was tied with Calvin (MI) as the number-one ranked team in the nation for one week during the middle of the season. Since then, they've been ranked second in the nation ... one spot behind Calvin. The Blue Jays are the first Johns Hopkins women's team - in any sport - to be ranked number one in the nation.
Their Statement: The Blue Jays made their national statement and entered the discussion as a contender for a national championship on September 26. That day, Hopkins made the trip to Massachusetts and beat defending national champion Middlebury and host Williams, which finished third at last year's NCAA Championship, to win the prestigious Purple Valley Classic at Williams.
The Contenders: In addition to the Blue Jays, there are a number of teams that could win the national championship. Calvin has been ranked number one throughout the season and will look to add a third NCAA Championship after a runner-up finish last season. Middlebury has five national titles to its credit and tied MIT for the New England Regional title last week. Williams was third at the New England Championships a week ago. Wisconsin Eau Claire, currently ranked third in the nation, was fifth at last year's national championship and won the Midwest Regional for the second consecutive year.
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