This Saturday, the Emory men's and women's cross country teams will be one of two Division III schools out of 30 teams competing in the inaugural Furman University (S.C.) Cross Country Classic. Five of the top seven runners for the men's team will not be timed, making way for some of the less-experienced runners to compete in the 8K. The women's team will have their top runners competing this Saturday in the 6K run.
For this season, the Eagles increased their required weekly miles quota up to 90 miles per week – an intensified regimen that has brought them early success in both the Emory Watermelon Run and the Sewanee Invitational in Tennessee.
Their next meet will be a step up from those that preceded it. "Emory is competing with the big dogs this weekend," Head Coach John Curtin said.
While the Furman Classic does not impact the playoff meets for Emory, it gives the team an opportunity to compete against some of the top cross country teams in the nation from Division I, such as Duke University (N.C.) and Georgia Tech. From the women's team, Tamara Surtees, Emily Caesar and Marissa Gogniat placed in the top four; and for the men, Eddie Mulder, Michael McBane, and Tyler Cooke placed in the top 10.
One potential cause for concern on the men's side sophomore Lukas Mees, one of the top two or three runners on the team, is out with an infection in his back. Curtin said that they have certainly not ruled out a return for this season.
"If there's anyone who can come back from this injury, it's Lukas," Curtin added.
This weekend will give both teams an understanding of where they stand heading into the rest of the season. While both the men's and women's teams would love to be national champions, they are primarily focused on making the nationals meet at the end of the year. These early season meets are "steps along the journey," as Curtin puts it, to be ready for the playoff meets at the end of the season. Both teams want to do well in the University Athletic Association (UAA) and expect to win the regional competition. With an excellent freshman class and returning runners for both the men and women's teams, the outlook is very positive for the 2013 season.
– By Shawn Farshchi
Photo by Christine Hines
