Senior Farewell, YOU WILL BE MISSED!

Kylee Drugan-Eppich

Abby Mosca

Victoria Dunch 

Katie Paulson-Smith 

Micaela Young

DIII Cross Country Regionals: Gorham Maine

CONGRATS SMITH WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ! 2013 has been....GRAND!  

"GORHAM, Maine--The Smith College cross country team ended the 2013 season at the NCAA New England Regional race at the Narragansett School, hosted by the University of Southern Maine on Saturday.  The Pioneers placed 13th out of 53 New England Teams. 

Danielle Opatovsky led Smith with a time of 22:32.51 on the six kilometer course, good for 49th place overall in a field of 371.  All seven of Smith's runners were in the top 150.  

Micaela Young was Smith's second finisher, crossing the line in 22:52.43, followed by Cynthia Masai in 23:05.98, for 78th place.  Kylee Drugan-Eppich also finished in the top 100, with a time of 23:27.88 (98th overall), with Victoria Dunch (23:36.49, 110th), Katie Paulson-Smith(24:07.49, 128th), and Abby Mosca (24:17.20, 138th).

Williams College won finished first overall as a team, with the Ephs' Kaleigh Kenny capturing individual medalist honors in a time of 21:02.18." (www.smithpioneers.com) 

Cynthia laces up her shoes for a fast race.  She PRed for both the 6k and 5k!

Sun's Out Buns Out. 

Katie Steve swingin' and cheerin'

Lucky number 12!

We have a new teammate! 

Senior Profile: Victoria!

1. Major/ area of interest

 Environmental Science and Policy major and Marine Science Minor

2. What do you think is the most exciting part of Cross Country? 

For me, the part of this sport that I find most exciting is breaking times and distances. There's nothing more satisfying than finishing a run or crossing a finish line and thinking, "I just pushed myself harder than I ever have before. I've never been this strong. I just did something I've never done before." When I'm not in a competitive mode though, what I find most exciting about running cross country is just the things you see and encounter and the feeling that gives you. Finding yourself alone in the middle of the woods or somewhere hidden miles from home, and knowing that you carried yourself there. Sometimes it feels like you ran into a fairy world and back out, some place no one else knows or understands. 

3. What is your best running moment?

My best running moments have generally been in races, when I can specifically remember deciding that I wanted to pass a pack of girls toward the end, or thinking about the "ghosts of those who came before me" on certain courses. But one of my favorite moments was when I was running alone on the beach in South Carolina summer of 2012. It was sunset so of course it was beautiful and a pod of dolphins came right by where I was running and one was no more than 3 meters from me, because the water dropped off very suddenly at that specific spot near the marshes. After following them along the beach for an hour I finally ran back to my car and started crying from sheer joy and amazement. It was incredibly moving. 

4. What is your favorite thing to do in Northampton?

Going out to eat is definitely one of my favorite things to do in Northampton since there are so many good restaurants. Going downtown to GoBerry with the XC team is a favorite. 

5. How does it feel to be a senior at Smith ! 

I'm excited to be a senior at Smith for many, probably somewhat obvious reasons. Graduation and the rest of my life are close at hand, and it makes all the moments I spend with the women I love even more special. There are also many tradition in my own house that come with being a senior, Medieval Banquet and Senior Banquet for example. The first is one where we all dress up in Medieval garb and have a banquet where we're entertained by "jesters." The second is where we all gather to reflect on some special and comical moments over the past four years. These are exciting events I'm looking forward to, and then of course Senior Week and Graduation which are all conducted so beautifully here at Smith. 

6. What is your favorite thing/story about the team?

One of my favorite stories about the team is the time we were running downtown on our way out of town. We had to stop and wait for the crosswalk at the intersection by Florence Savings Bank, and a guy standing nearby shouted out, "Hey! Are you guys like a gang or something?" And we said, "No, we're Smith's Cross Country team." To which the man said something like, "Oh right! I heard you guys were in town!" That phrase ended up on our shirt that year, "I heard you guys were in town!" We died laughing and kept on running. 

Senior Profile: Kylee!

Abby (Left), Kylee (Right)

1. Major/ Area of interest 

Psychology major, Study of Women and Gender minor 

2. What do you think is the most exciting part of Cross Country? 

I find racing to be the most exciting part of cross-country.  We have the chance to see what we can do with all the hard work we've put in, testing ourselves physically and mentally! 

3. What is your best running moment? 

My best running moment is not one, but every single time I find myself fighting through the negative thoughts and succeeding in pushing myself and finding the power I know we all have. 

4. What is your favorite thing to do in Northampton?

My favorite thing to do in Northampton is going to Herrell's and getting a scoop of Mudpie ice cream in a chocolate dipped/sprinkled waffle cone.  Getting nachos at Mama Iguana's is right up there, too. :) 

5. How does it feel to be a senior at Smith ! 

It is a bizarre feeling, being a senior.  As most seniors would say, it does in fact feel like I was a first year just a little while ago.  Time really does fly, and especially when you're a part of such an amazing team, I think these 4 years have been the best so far!  I'm excited to see what we can do for the rest of the season, and itching to see what running has in store for me in the next phase of my life. 

6. What is your favorite thing/story about the team?

I'd have to say that my favorite thing about the team is how incredibly close we are.  We push through our toughest moments together, we comfort each other, and we laugh together.  A great image that I have of the team is dinners at Tyler, being loud, and laughing so hard we pee.

Overall, cross-country has been the highlight of my college experience, and I can't wait to extend the friendships I've made here into the real world!

Kylee making the team laugh after a hard workout! 

Rise and Shine! Early Morning Practice Fun

Smith Cross Country. Lookin' FAST.

More photos from NEWMAC!

Seniors...we will miss you!  You are the best!

And, of course, the requisite silly team pic:

NEWMAC Conference Championships 2013 Part 1

“Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be. In running the mind flees with the body, the mysterious efflorescence of language seems to pulse in the brain, in rhythm with our feet and the swinging of our arms.” 

- Joyce Carol Oates

Below are some amateur photos taken from the meet this past weekend ; ) If family, friends or athletes have any photos they would like to share please feel free to email us at smithxc11@gmail.com. 

Also included is a link to professional photos taken by Frank Poulin that can be purchased online. http://frankpoulinphotography.smugmug.com/Sports2013-2014/Cross-Country-2013/NEWMAC-womens-cross-country-ch

Thank you all again for keeping up with Smith Cross Country! We appreciate your support. Additional NEWMAC photo's coming soon....

Abby staying warm!

Team warmup or cuddle time?

On the line ready to run fast!

Buddies - Sarah and Katie Steve

WE ARE IRON WOMAN!

A few photos from the Smith XC's annual Halloween practice. The coaches were dressed as iron-rich foods. Hamburgers! Grape Nuts! Raisin Bran! Oh my! (Fun Fact: Did you know Grape Nuts are high in iron and folic acid and also include 8grams of protein per serving.)

A Great Day at Seven Sisters

What do bagpipes, the Blue Bonnet Diner, and cross country have in common?

It just so happened that Smith hosted the Seven Sisters cross-country championship on the same day that Smith's new president, Kathleen McCartney (who is a runner!), was inaugurated.  Normally, after the race, the athletes have a chance to shower and dress in non-athletic clothes and eat together at a banquet on campus.  However, since Smith had 5,000 people on campus for the inauguration, there were no facilities available.  So, we headed into town to the Blue Bonnet Diner.  Um, a diner?  For a championship banquet?  Yes, that was our first reaction, too.  It turns out, the diner actually has a lovely banquet hall and plenty of room for the seven teams to sit (with athletes from different teams sitting together, per tradition), and provided ample pasta, salad, and cookies.  Shout out to captains Abby and Micaela for giving the pre-banquet speech!  (As if race day did not provide enough jitters without adding public speaking to the mix....)

Abby and Micaela kick off the banquet

Smith sophomore Danielle Opatovsky and senior Micaela Young were named to the All Seven Sisters Team, which is presented to the top ten finishers.  Danielle finished third overall with a course PR time of 18:59.  Micaela finished seventh, also PR-ing on the course with a time of 19:32. 

Danielle (3rd overall) and Micaela (7th overall)

Danielle and Micaela were not the only two who PRed on the course.  In fact, the list is quite something: Cynthia - 16 sec PR; Katie PS - 37 sec PR; Sarah - 21 sec PR; Sophie - 31 sec PR; Lotte - 22 sec PR; Victoria - 10 sec PR.  Wow! Smith came in third place overall after Vassar and Wellesley. 

Driving back to Smith from the Blue Bonnet Diner, we were stopped by a parade of bagpipes going through campus.

Following the bagpipes was Kathy McCartney and her entourage, marching to the ITT, which some of you may know as the indoor track and tennis facility, but--through much work and massive technological efforts--it had been turned into a great hall for the event.  Welcome, President McCartney!

Yes, believe it or not, that is the indoor track.

Why Seven Sisters Matters

“Sprinters poised to start” (1926)

Photograph by Eric Stahlberg, Smith College Archives.

Smith hosted the Seven Sisters Cross-Country Championship on Saturday, October 19.  Five of the original Seven Sisters (Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and Vassar) competed, along with two new-comers: St. Catherine's (all the way from Minnesota!) and Simmons.  (Barnard and Radcliffe now compete with Columbia and Harvard.)

When Smith's cross country team began, they were not part of the NCAA (that was for men's sports only), nor part of their current conference, NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference).  Instead, they participated in the Seven Sisters Conference, which was for women's colleges in New England.  The Seven Sisters Championship was the biggest and most important race of the season.  Not only did the race promise strong competition, but it also presented an opportunity for the women to come together afterwards for a celebratory banquet where they had a chance to get to know one another not as competitors but as peers--women striving both athletically and academically in a world that was not always ready to accept them for either. 

Every year, the Seven Sisters Championship race serves as a reminder of the important role women's colleges played in women's history, not only as academic institutions, but as institutions that believed the body as well as the mind should be nurtured.  When chemist and educator Mary Lyons founded Mount Holyoke in 1837, women were required to walk a mile a day.  Vassar, founded in 1865, had a gymnasium, bowling alley, riding school, boating, swimming, and ice skating for women.  In 1892, educator Senda Berenson was hired to teach physical education (then called "hygiene") at Smith. She introduced the students to Swedish gymnastics and organized fencing, volleyball, and field hockey contests.  Most famously, Berenson introduced Smith to basketball, resulting in the first women's basketball game to take place among Smith women.

The women's athletic philosophy of the time was "the most for the most," meaning that all students should be involved in athletics in some way. The first running competitions at Smith took place in 1926, when the school incorporated track events into the students' Field Day.  NOTE: women were not allowed to compete in track and field in the Olympics until 1928.  However, cross country and track and field did not become athletic teams until the 1970s and 1980s, and cross country was not considered a varsity sport at Smith until 1981.

This was Post Title IX, and more schools were offering different sports to female students.  Yet a big question loomed over this transition: what is the philosophy of women's athletics?  Is it, "A sport for every girl, and a girl for every sport," (the motto of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), which was the governing body of women's sports until 1981), or should women's sports follow the competitive path of men's sports?

Ultimately, the competition-driven philosophy of the NCAA won out (thanks in part to its deep pockets; it offered to pay the expenses for all teams - including women's - who would compete in an NCAA championship), and slowly but surely, most competitive schools joined the NCAA, including Smith.  The AIAW folded in 1982.  

Many positive changes have taken place since those days, but Smith is proud to continue the Seven Sisters tradition.  It serves as a reminder that although women's athletics has made great strides, the strides must continue.  And it brings up two important questions: Now that women are competing in great numbers, what is next for women's athletics?  And, how can Smith and the Seven Sisters continue to be pioneers in achieving that goal?

Pumpkin Fest!

Big thanks to Assistant Coach Lily for hosting team dinner and pumpkin painting!

Chef Abby delegates cooking tasks.

Chef Micaela preps the pasta

Yummy!

Smith’s Triumphant Return to Franklin Park: Open New England’s Review

Smith Cross Country returned to Franklin park this weekend in style! Typically the team travels to meets on a large travel bus, however this weekend athletes and coaches were greeted by a limousine van with the words “PARTY TIME” written across the front. Needless to say it was a funny morning. After an exciting but bumpy ride the team arrived at the Open New England Invitational ready to go. 

Knowing that they have run this course before the ladies were honing in on specific time goals and improvements the second time around. For those that were racing for the first time their energy and excitement to get back to racing was a huge motivator for the team. The combination of these two attitudes resulted in some amazing PR’s and strategically well run races. The times show that the hard work in practice is starting to pay off. There is still some tough workouts and mental fine tuning ahead but the team is rolling right into the next phase of training smoothly. We are looking forward to even more improvements! 

Below are photos from the meet this weekend with individual PR’s and times. Thank you to all the family and friends that cheered the team on. We always appreciate your support! Smith XC will close fall break tomorrow with a practice and regrouping meeting. Onward into the next half of the semester!

First Year Becky Colfer had the biggest course PR - cutting off 44 seconds from her previous time running 21:10. Way to go Becky! Another first year Sophie Dilek had a solid first race back. She is looking forward conquering those hills next weekend on our home course ; ) 

Sarah (left) ran a career PR and a 31 second course PR coming in at 21:28! Lotte (Center)  hopped back into racing with a positive attitude that brightened everyones day. Clearly she missed Sophia! Cynthia (right) took of 26 seconds from her last race and ran a speedy 20:51

Micaela - 8 second PR on course AND a career PR of 19:34!

KPS, Birthday Girl! Not only did KPS run a 13 second course PR - She also ran a career PR of 20:30 on her 22nd birthday! Congrats KPS

Danielle (left) had a solid first race back running a 19:08. She is fired up about racing again! Victoria (right) also had a huge PR from last race dropping 36 seconds off her previous time. She ran a 20:35 and really stepped up to the plate for the Varsity race. 

Abby took off 31 seconds from last race - ran 20:28. Good racing Abby!

Senior Kylee Drugan Eppich (20:25)  and Junior Katie Dempsey (21:21) ran well on the crowded course this Saturday.