Seidel, Frosh Lead Cross Country in Indy Pre-Nationals

The Harvard men’s and women’s cross country teams both wanted to run in clusters at the NCAA Pre-Nationals hosted by Indiana State on Saturday. In doing so, both teams finished in the middle of the pack.

The men’s team placed 20th out of 35 teams in the blue division, and were led by senior Matthew Seidel. Seidel placed 42nd in the 8000m blue race with a time of 24:51.

Meanwhile, the women placed 25th out of 38 teams in the women’s blue division. Freshman Laura Maludzinski was the Crimson’s top finisher, placing 68th with a time of 21:29 for the 6000m course.

Both teams faced tough competition in a race geared to prepare teams for nationals. The course was run on a flat, grassy trail in good, crisp running weather.

Stanford swept the meet, winning both the men’s and women’s titles.

Despite facing perennial cross country powerhouses from across the nation, the Harvard men went into the race with a competitive attitude.

“We expected to be a little bit higher,” Seidel said. “We wanted to get in there and mix it up.”

Seidel ran most of the race with a pack of runners from Dartmouth and Princeton. This close contact allowed him to keep pace and stay focused, Seidel said.

Seidel’s performance was complimented by freshman Timothy Galebach and sophomore Reed Bienvenu. Galebach and Bienvenu ran times of 25:06 and 25:11 respectively.

“Tim and John like to work together. They usually start slow and then work off of each other,” said Seidel.

“At 5K I caught [Bienvenu], and he ran right with me for the next mile. That was key, for we both had great races because of that one stretch,” Galebach said.

This teamwork was important in a race of this caliber.

“In a race like this, 10 seconds is worth 100 points,” said Seidel.

Rounding out Harvard’s top five were captain John Traugott, finishing in 25:54 and senior Nathan Shenk-Boright at 26:04.

Kip Kangogo of Brigham Young won in a time of 23:45.9, edging Grant Robison of Stanford by less than a second.

On the women’s side, Harvard relied on youth. Two out of five scoring Crimson runners were freshmen, and freshman Laura Maludzinski stepped it up to deliver the Crimson’s top finish.

“This was my first big college race, and I was more mentally into it than past races,” Maludzinski said. “I got pushed back at the start, but I think it helped me to have to work my way up to the front. Sometimes it’s nicer to pass people than be passed.”

The Crimson’s next four runners finished within 50 seconds of each other. Senior Melissa Tanner clocked a time of 22:11. She was followed by junior Beverly Whelen (22:17), freshman Lindsay Crouse (22:59) and captain Claire Nicholas (23:01).

“In big races, you always want to know where your teammates are,” Whelan said. “That’s why we practice in a pack.”

By running as a team, the Crimson was able to navigate the course and weather the competition, which Whelan described as “better than we’re used to.”

Shalane Flanagan of North Carolina won the race with a time of 19:56.5.

Both the men’s and women’s teams look forward to more stiff competition as they prepare for the Ivy League’s only Heptagonal meet at Van Cortland Park on Nov. 1.