The Georgetown women’s cross country team will start its postseason this weekend, traveling to Louisville for the Big East Championships. The No. 6 Hoyas will look to repeat their success from a year ago, when seven runners placed in the top 20 overall finishers, resulting in a second place showing.
The Hoyas have had a tremendous campaign thus far, living up to their preseason No. 1 ranking. After opening with a first-place showing at the Harry Groves Invitational, the Hoyas finished fourth out of 45 competitors at the Paul Short Invitational.
But despite the positive results, head coach Chris Miltenberg has tempered expectations for the upcoming race, seeing it more as a training ground for the NCAA Championship later this fall.
“It is very tough to say” how the team will do in the Big East race, Miltenberg said. “We are running against the best competition in the country, and it will really get us ready for the NCAA Championship.”
With six other teams ranked in the top 25, the Hoyas will have a very good idea of where they stand after testing themselves against the mighty Big East.
“It’s a good chance for us to race some of our major competitors at the NCAA,” junior Emily Jones said. “We are lucky to be in the Big East with such strong teams. It benefits us to race against them and see where we are.”
Senior Emily Infeld feels that regular season standings are not accurate predictors of postseason success, and the strength of the team is what matters.
“Cross country is all about the toughness,” Infeld wrote in an email. “I feel that we are the toughest team. We want to just keep competing and getting stronger every week.”
Infeld has been a star on the racecourse for the Hoyas this season, finishing fifth at the Pre-National Meet two weeks ago and leading the Hoyas to a second-place overall finish behind No. 1 Florida State.
“I feel like our whole team gained a lot from Pre-Nationals,” Infeld wrote. “Our team is very excited to be racing against the best competition in the country this weekend, as the Big East proves highly competitive.”
Miltenberg is similarly confident in the squad’s postseason potential due to their consistent preparation at the highest level. Having proven themselves against the best all season, the Hoyas know they can give any team a run for their money.
“We train with the best people in the country every day, we run against the best competition at our meets,” said Miltenberg. “That gives us confidence.”
