Team Participates in Hot Chocolate 5k to Benefit Safe Passage

Micaela, Victoria, Abby, Hania, Kylee (all standing), Katie, and Caroline (both kneeling) participated in Northampton's famous Hot Chocolate Fun Run on Sunday, December 4.  Liza and Kristin, still healing from the season, participated in the event's fun-walk. The 5k race winds its way around town, up the hill through Smith's campus that the team knows and loves so well, and then back through town to the start-finish line.  Runners tend to be quite spirited and show up in all kinds of costumes.  This year's overall race winner was wearing a banana costume.  (Watch out, Chiquita!  Next year, you will have Jaws to reckon with....)  At the end, mugs of rich cocoa await the finishers on a cold December morning.  All proceeds from the 5k benefit Safe Passage, a Hampshire County organization providing shelter, counseling, and advocacy services to women and children who have experienced domestic violence. 

Fans of the Week!

A huge thanks to Victoria's parents, Oscar and Michelle, for the post-regionals treat, delivered directly to our bus!  Pizza and hot chocolate: pure comfort food to make a long bus ride that much more palatable post-race (not to mention good carbs and protein to help the muscles recover). Thank you, Michelle and Oscar, and of course, Antonio!

Don't be SCARED...

The Smith College cross-country season may be over, but have no FEAR! We at the Smith cross-country blog, and the women of the team, will return for the always STARTLINGLY exciting indoor track & field season. A full meet schedule can be found at this link: http://smithpioneers.com/schedule.aspx?path=wtrack. For now, just enjoy a video from our last team practice... filmed under a HAUNTINGLY full moon.

Smith Places 24th at NCAA New England Regionals!

Last weekend the Smith harriers completed their final race of the season at Bowdoin College. Caroline Kimball-Katz led the way placing 81st with a time of 23:28. Following Kimball-Katz came Victoria Dunch, placing 93rd with a time of 23:46. Hania Thomas-Adams, Katie Paulson-Smith and Abby Mosca rounded out the top five, in that order, with times of 24:35, 24:43 and 25:31, respectively. Overall, the team placed 24th out of 51.

Check out the paddock and starting line from the meet!

Complete results from the meet can be found at the following link: http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/information/ncaaxc/2011women.

Meet the Team!

Runner of the Week: Victoria Dunch '14

Sophomore Victoria Dunch earned this week's Queen T-shirt and Runner of the Week accolade as a result of her stellar performance in last week's NEWMAC championship.  Victoria met a season goal of breaking 20 minutes for the first time, clocking in at 19:57.  Despite the sloppy conditions, she ran the Franklin Park course 43 seconds faster than her 20:39 finish on the same course earlier in October.  Victoria finished second for the team and twentieth overall in a field of 140 runners.  Next up for Victoria: breaking 19:45 at this weekend's regional meet?  One thing is certain: she is not intimidated by a good challenge.

Meet in Maine!

The Smith cross-country women will be traveling to Maine this weekend to contest the 2011 New England Region Cross-Country Championships. Bowdoin will be hosting the meet, held Saturday, 12 November at 11:00am. Men run after the women at noon.

Come and support us in Brunswick. If you think the meet is too far, think again! There's so much to do!

You may see a moose...

 You could pick some blueberries...

You could buy some maple syrup...

Or even catch a lobster and cook it like fellow Smithie Julia Child!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPcGiLVp9Zw

See you all this weekend!

Runner of the Week AND Fans of the Week!

Runner of the Week: Kristin Peck '12

Who needs a hamstring, anyway?  Senior Kristin Peck takes the Runner of the Week honors for her stoic effort at the NEWMAC championship on Monday.  Undeterred by either the pain or the hulking Ace wrap, she finished third for the team with a time of 21:01.  Kristin is also known for her skills as a James Bond intimidator, Japanese speaker, and the ever-important purveyor of Sophia.

Super Fans Extraordinaire!  

A huge thanks from the cross-country team to Nina Kimball and Justine Brusseau!  Not only did they manage to attend the NEWMAC race in Boston on a Monday afternoon, but they also treated us to a sampling of their fine catering skills.  As all the other NEWMAC teams looked on with longing, these two set up a dinner-picnic for the team, complete with tablecloths (Smith colors!), homemade pesto, pizza, utensils, plates, and even Halloween candy.  Most memorable and still discussed at practice three days later was the rich and delicious HOT hot chocolate.  Talk about a Halloween treat.  Thank you, Nina and Justine!

Smith Places Fourth at NEWMACs!

Clarke cheers as the team takes off at Franklin Park.

Snowstorm, race delay, a surprise Saturday workout, power outage, dorm evacuation....these are not the events that normally precede a championship cross-country race, but there's nothing like New England weather to remind us that cross country is not a sport for those who like predictability.  The championship race finally took place Monday afternoon, October 31, on the muddy, soggy Franklin Park course.  Conditions were not exactly prime for record-breaking times, but this did not stop the rugged Smith runners from  doing just that. They raced to a fourth place finish out of the ten NEWMAC Conference teams.  MIT, Wellesley, and Coast Guard captured first, second, and third respectively.

A few gems from the race:

Sophomore Victoria Dunch raced through the mud to a personal best time of 19:57 and finished 20th overall.

 Senior Hania Thomas-Adams tackled Bear Cage Hill to finish 60th overall.

The Pack: Kristin, fierce wounded warrior (note the intimidating hamstring wrap front and center), Abby, and Katie (about to pass the two Wellesley runners in the background) finished within five seconds of each other.

Courtney passes a runner from Babson en route to her strongest race performance so far this season.

Kylee was back in action for NEWMACs after overcoming a knee injury that kept her cross-training for the first part of the season.  Wounded knee no more!

Katie finds her fifth gear as she races to the finish line.

This picture does no justice to the muddiness of the runners' feet, legs, and backs after the race.

NEWMAC All Conference Team: Caroline Kimball-Katz (left) placed fourteenth place overall to secure a spot on the All Conference team.

Big thanks to Liza for taking all these pictures!

UPDATE

**UPDATE**

NEWMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

ARE POSTPONED UNTIL

MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2011

MEN @ 3P

WOMEN @ 4P

If you are coming to cheer our women on please

drive safely. See you then! 

Smithies Prepare for Battle!

This weekend will see the Smith women battle it out for the NEWMAC Cross-Country Championship crown. Wellesley will be hosting the meet to be held at Franklin Park in Boston. Women begin racing at noon. The Pioneers have their eyes set on the Cadets... err... Midshipwomen... err... Coast Guarders (and not the kind you place on your coffee table, ba'dum chhh). It should be a good, hard fight, but we think we may sink their battleship...err... rescue dinghy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgDVU934HzA

Meet the Team!

Runners of the Week from the Past Two Weeks: 

Hania Thomas-Adams '12 and Courtney Collins '15

(Photo) Courtney and Hania smile for the camera as Kristin peaks in from behind.

Captain and Senior Hania Thomas-Adams made her first race appearance in three years on Saturday, October 15 at the Seven Sisters Championship! Despite a series of frustrating injuries that have prevented her from running for years, Hania has come to practice every day, completely committed to the sport and her team.  All her work finally paid off.  Not only did she race at Seven Sisters, but she raced well, placing fifth for the team.  All this from workouts done mostly on the elliptical!  Well done, Hania!

Hania passed on the Runner of the Week honors to first year runner Courtney Collins, from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Courtney wowed us all during the infamous "Michigan" workout last Tuesday.  This workout is mentally and physically tough, requiring multiple intervals on the track with very little recovery.  Courtney has always said that she loves running on the track, and now we understand why.  Great work, Courtney!

The team competes at Franklin Park in Boston, MA, this weekend for the NEWMAC Championship.

Smith Makes the New York Times!

Here is a photo of Smithie Julia Chase-Brand '64 at the AAU sanctioned Manchester Road Race.

 
Fifty years ago she defied the social constructs of womanhood and ran the race, though shunned. The New York Times wrote a very eloquent piece about this pioneer of our sport, referring to her as America's first true woman road racer. Check out the awesome article below:


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/sports/julia-chase-brand-a-leading-pioneer-in-womens-running.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Perhaps she was also a trailblazer in the name department? What do you think Drugan-Eppich, Kimball-Katz, Paulson-Smith and Thomas-Adams?

Last tempo at Child's Park

The Smithies completed their last tempo at Child's Park on Friday. Though sentimental to all, our seniors are sure to remember running hard under the beautiful autumn dawn on this final visit to the park. Note the rising sun in the background. Talk about dedication!

Just a few more...

Here are just a few more photos from last weekend's event at Bryn Mawr. As a side note, all photos on this blog are attached in their full scale. Parents, friends, Smith student-athletes, &c., if you'd like to keep these photos simply click on it so that it opens into a new window then drag it to your desktop. If you use a PC, right click on the photo then select save image.

 Coaches at work...

 Student-athletes warming up on course...

 Taking off from the start line...

 Victoria leading Wellesley...

 Caroline coming home...

Kristin and Sophia exhausted and heading back to Smith.

Meet the Team!

Runner of the Week: Abby Mosca

Abby gets taped up before the race.

Abby Mosca, a sophomore from New Hampshire, earned the honor of Runner of the Week after her stellar performance at Open New England Invitational at Franklin Park, October 8.  She showed her talent and team dedication even more heartily this past weekend at the Seven Sisters Invitational.  During this race at Bryn Mawr, Abby took on the role of "pack leader." The goal was to establish this season's first real pack appearance on the trail, intimidating all competitors with four Smith uniforms one beside the other during the race--not to mention improving the team score by finishing close together.  Abby slowed her speed slightly in order to pace and encourage Victoria, Kristin, and Katie to stick together and with her through the first two miles.  Abby's leadership led to each of those runners improving their times 12-30 seconds from last week's race; and, despite spending much of the race communicating with and encouraging the pack, Abby's overall time slowed by only 11 seconds compared to last week's 5k.  Phenomenal work, Abby!

Smith Competes at Seven Sisters

Yesterday, Smith College competed at the Seven Sisters Cross-Country Championships hosted by Bryn Mawr College. The women placed fourth as a group, following first place Vassar, second place Wellesley and third place visiting team Swarthmore. Smith bettered visiting team St. Catherine, Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke. Caroline Kimball-Katz earned First-Team All-Seven Sisters honors by placing sixth as an individual over the 5k course. She ran 19:36 and was followed by a great group of fellow Pioneers including Victoria Dunch, Abby Mosca, Kristin Peck and Katie Paulson-Smith. They ran 20:22, 20:39, 20:47 and 21:12, respectively. Both captains, Hania Thomas-Adams and Liza Rosenfield, competed and finished the race, which is awesome considering they have both been battling injuries throughout the season.

The cross-country championships once featured all Seven Sisters teams including Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Radcliffe, Mount Holyoke, Vassar and Wellesley. Since its inception in 1982, which saw Barnard take home the Smith College Alumnae Cup (the championship's annually awarded trophy), two teams have combined with other programs. Barnard athletes now compete under the Columbia insignia and Radcliffe College, as an institution, merged with Harvard. Today, the remaining five continue to uphold tradition and contest the yearly race. Vassar won the 2011 edition

Below are some pictures from our time in Bryn Mawr.

Results from Open New England Championships

First year Smithie Caroline Kimball-Katz ran 19:31 over the 5k course at Franklin Park to place an impressive 95th at the Open New England Championships. Abby Mosca and Victoria Dunch were close behind and ran 20:28 and 20:39, respectively. Kristen Peck ran 21:03 and Katie Paulson-Smith 21:41 to round out the scoring team. As a whole the women placed 30th beating NEWMAC rivals WPI (35th), Mount Holyoke (36th) and Springfield (37th).

Thank you to all the parents who brought food to the meet. It was much appreciated by both student-athletes and coaches. See you all next week at Bryn Mawr for the Seven Sisters Championships.

Smith College "Float Night"

Float Night, a tradition since 1952, features canoes decorated and maneuvered by Smith College students. The event is open to students of all college houses, organizations and athletic teams on campus and is held annually as a way to "get the Smith Community more involved with the Athletic Association." Students enjoy music and root beer floats while watching the decorated water vessels float along the calm waters of Paradise Pond. The canoe's passenger, though, are not so calm. Check out the Smith College cross-country team at last night's event!

Bringing Together the Best of New England

This weekend Smith College will travel to historical Franklin Park and compete in the Open New England Cross-Country Championships. Colleges and universities of all divisions will be contesting the race with the Pioneers running at 12:30p. Follow this link to find information on the schedule, past meet results and a course map: http://www.neicaaa.org/XC/franklinmap.html.

We will also be having a bake-off after the meet! Parents and friends, please bring something of the following variety:

Evil stepbrothers with runny noses, bring something more like this:

See you all at Franklin!

MUUUUUUD!

THE HORROR! Actually, not that horrible... Another successful tempo scratched off the list! After a night of hard rain, lightening and thunder, Childs Park was left a touch muddy. The women ran well, nonetheless, dodging puddles the size of Champlain!... well... perhaps Sophia would say they were more the size of a bird bath, but whatever... the proof is in da puddin'.

Meet the Team!

Runner of the Week, Micaela Young

 Runner of the Week and wear-er of "The Queen" T-shirt in Friday's workout is Micaela Young.  A sophomore from Saugerties, NY, Micaela is known for her big smile and contagious optimism. Although a knee injury has held back her running since the beginning of the season, it sure hasn't stopped her from keeping all our spirits up at practice and at the starting line.

Cross-Country Competes at Williams

Caroline Kimball-Katz led the way for the Pioneers at Williams' Plansky Invitational last weekend. Her 24:02 performance over the 6k course earned her 45th place. Abby Mosca closed out the course with a 25:40 showing while Katie Paulson-Smith was close behind at 26:00. They were Smith's number 2 and 3, respectively. The meet featured teams from all three NCAA divisions including D-I Fordham University. Caroline, Abby and Katie will be accompanied by the rest of the team in two weeks at the Open New England Championships at Franklin Park. Look for a strong showing against another mixed NCAA division contest. 

Former Smith assistant coach Ben Raphelson, now at Williams, starts the race. Look out for Smith, the group closest to the camera!

The Burpee Lowdown

Is this what a burpee (how is that spelled, anyway?) should look like? Check out your form!  These short videos show you a few snippets from Wednesday's circuit workout.  Admittedly, the burpee video isn't the best of the bunch because you'll have to analyze your form while tilting your head (you'll see what I mean), but you can still get a pretty good idea of what you are doing well and what you need to work on for next Wednesday.

And now check out your donkey kicks. Yee haw!

A little brushing up before Williams

Mile repeats were on the menu today for the Smith cross-country women. Brushing up on charging hills, packing and pacing, they clipped off mile loops with great consistency. The Smithies will be competing at the Plansky Invitational this Saturday hosted by Williams College. The meet begins at 12:45pm.

Meet the Captains!

Seniors Hania Thomas-Adams and Liza Rosenfield are this year's cross-country captains. Both have been running with the team for four years.

Whether running, cross-training, cheering, video-taping, or lugging the behomothic bag of laundry  from the field house to the gym, both Liza and Hania have shown limitless enthusiasm for the team...as well as stoic grit: neither were able to run in the first meet because of injury, but we hope all the ice baths and aqua jogging will put them back in action soon. Here are a few tidbits about this year's classy captains.

Where are you from, and what is your major at Smith?

Hania: I am from Deerfield, MA, and I'm majoring in psychology with a minor in government. 

Liza: I am from Wayland, MA. I'm also majoring in psychology, but with a minor in education.  

What have been some of your favorite classes at Smith?

Hania:  Child Clinical Psychology, Learning and Behavior, and The Politics of Sexuality.

Liza: Education in the City, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychopharmacology.

Where is your favorite place to run?

Hania: Northfield Mountain, MA.

Liza: Dogtown Commons in Gloucester, MA.

Do you have a favorite post-workout or post-race treat?

Hania: Hot chocolate on cold days, watermelon on hot days!

Liza: I don't really have a specific post-race meal, but I almost always have a peanut butter sandwich before races.

Unfortunately, both of you have had your share of injuries.  What is your advice for other runners to help them stay sane while injured?

Hania: I love everything about this sport, and even if you have to take the running out of the picture there's still so much left. My advice to people who can't run due to injury is to remain as much a part of the team as you can, in whatever ways you can. Go to practice, stretch with your team, help time workouts, cheer like crazy. If people ask you what sport you do, tell them you do cross country. Don't ever count yourself out.

Liza: Cross-train, take it day by day, know you will be back up and running soon!

 

What do you love most about being on the cross-country team?

Hania: Most definitely my teammates. They are all incredible, brilliant women, and I never cease to be amazed by their talent and dedication--even at 6am!

Liza: Our teammates! They definitely make it all worthwhile!

Grizzly Morning

As is habit, the cross-country squad woke up with the birds to run a tempo workout. Little did they know, they would be waking up with the bears and that their hearts would be doing the tempo! BEAR SIGHTING!

The workout was underway shortly after Yogi crossed our paths. Strong and consistent all around... I could only imagine what Sophia (our mascot) would say about this!

Meet the Team!

Each week we will introduce you to a few of the members of the Smith Cross Country team.  Here are a few members of note for this week.

Runner of the Week: 

Caroline Kimball-Katz

Caroline finished third overall in this past weekend's Smith Invitational.  

Overheard: "When I get tired, I go faster...."

The Team Mascot: Sophia the Beaver

Sophomore Micaela gives Sophia a pre-race pep talk.  Sophia followed the team on the course on Saturday, courtesy of the Smith maintenance crew sweep vehicle.

The team's smallest biggest fan: 

Shea O'Neil

Keeps head coach and Mom Ellen O'Neil running....