Women's cross country heads to regionals

The Princeton women's cross country team has had quite a season and continues to pursue success at the 2017 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional this Friday, Nov. 10 on Lehigh University's campus in Bethlehem, Penn. Tiger ladies will step up to the starting line for a brutal 6K race at 10:45 a.m. Only the top two teams in the race will continue to the NCAA championship meet, which will be held Nov. 15 in Louisville, Ky. The Tigers are currently ranked fifth in the national poll of the Mid-Atlantic Region, so placing top two in the race won’t be easy. But, it is definitely a possibility for the Tiger ladies.

This season the team has had some incredible depth, with number one finishes from multiple athletes this season. One of the most exciting races of the season was the team’s most recent performance at HEPS, in which junior Gabi Forrest won the race and was named the Individual Ivy League Champion. She has performed fantastically all season, scoring in every race she’s competed in and earning the No. 2 runner spot at Penn State and Paul Short. Senior runner Megan Curham will also play a key role in the team’s race. She is a five-time All-American and was the team’s top finisher for the Tigers at Penn State and the No. 2 at HEPS. Curham has certainly performed well in the past; she was named All-Region in the two times she raced at the NCAA Regionals in 2013 and 2014. Two other notable runners are Junior Allie Klimkiewicz and freshman Melia Chittenden, who have run very consistently and have been in the top seven in every meet this season, with Klimkiewicz the No. 3 at Heps and two previous No. 4 spots. Chittenden has had a strong presence on the team for a freshman, placing third in the first three races before taking the No. 7 slot at HEPS. Other competitors of the team are junior Maddie Offstein and freshman Sophie Cantine, who have both scored in three of four meets. Sophomore Rachel Granovsky has scored twice.

The Tiger’s biggest contenders are all the usual teams, including Villanova, Penn State, Georgetown, and West Virginia. In the past, Princeton has claimed the regional title four times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008). Considering the regionals race began in 2005, this is definitely an impressive record, one that may foretell a positive turnout for the Tiger squad this year.