Three Runners Compete at NCAA Championships

Three Harvard cross country stars made the trip yesterday to Terre Haute, Ind. for the 2009 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Running against fields of the nation’s best, juniors Dan Chenoweth and Claire Richardson and sophomore Kailyn Kuzmuk put in strong performances.

“The level out here is unbelievable. It is a great opportunity to compete at this level,” said Harvard coach Jason Saretsky of the championships. “We competed hard and put it all out there.”

“You have the nation’s best. It is really good competition,” Richardson said. “[It] kind of makes it fun to be in a big swarm of runners.”

On the men’s side, the expectations were high for Chenoweth after a strong performance at last year’s championships and his eighth-place finish at the Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute at the 8K distance just one month ago.

Chenoweth matched his impressive finish of last year, placing 42nd overall out of 250 in the 10K championship. He finished the race in 30:23.6, shaving 40 seconds off his qualifying time at the NCAA Regionals at Franklin Park. The time left him just 2.2 seconds out of the top 40, which would have earned him All-American honors, and within a minute of the top five.

Despite the strong finish, Chenoweth still hoped to place higher. The standout’s eighth place finish at pre-nationals suggested that he had a shot at the top 20.

“Conditions were pretty good, which doesn’t always happen. Looking back, I wanted to be higher,” Chenoweth said. “It was a tough race. I think that I was trying to switch gears a lot.”

The Crimson women followed suit with strong performances of their own. Repeat qualifier Richardson jumped up to finish 100th out of 254 runners with a time of 21:17.2. The performance helped her improve by 44 places over last year and marked a personal best at the 6k distance.

“Having a teammate here was very helpful,” Richardson said. “It made it more relaxed.”

Richardson also noted familiarity with the course helped, having been in Terre Haute for Pre-Nationals and last year’s nationals.

Saretsky’s advice to first-time qualifier Kailyn Kuzmuk was the same as to the others:

“You have to go out there and compete,” he said. “Relax and do what you’ve been doing all along.”

Kuzmuk placed 185th in the field, finishing in 21:55.4. Both Kuzmuk and Richardson handled the championship atmosphere, improving upon their times at Regionals. Along with Richardson’s career best, Kuzmuk knocked off 30 seconds from her previous effort.

“It was a lot of fun, a great learning experience,” Kuzmuk said of the competition. “[Richardson] is such a hard worker. It was great to know we could work together and do our best.”

The takeaway from the competition was positive, and the goal moving forward for Saretsky’s team is clear:

“We have the potential at Harvard to compete at this level,” Saretsky said. “It starts with getting ready for track and continuing to develop.”

Richardson added a similar senitment, saying, “[We need to] keep training and get into really good shape for the indoor season. It would be really great to bring a team back to nationals.”

The women’s fifth place finish at Regionals is especially promising, as the top two teams are guaranteed a spot with at-large bids coming after that.

For both teams, the top five finishers at Regionals, whose times count for the team’s total, will all return next year, which bodes well for Harvard cross country. With these three leading the way, the Crimson should have tremendous experience at the helm as it tries to send full teams to the 2010 NCAA Nationals.