DePauw cross country closed out its 2014 campaign this past weekend at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with solid finishes by both the men and women.
The DePauw women placed seventh out of the 35 teams while the men finished eighth out of 38 teams in the event held in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Finishing seventh in one of the most competitive regions is a huge accomplishment and puts the realization of the national meet in our main goals for next year,” junior Heather O’Brien said.
It was O’Brien who ended up leading the way on the women’s side for the Tigers, as she completed the course in just over 22 minutes. O’Brien’s effort was good enough for an 18th place finish in the individual portion of the event.
“It was a bittersweet feeling,” O’Brien said. “Obviously the ultimate goal is to get to nationals. I missed the mark by only a few spots, so that was upsetting. But I ran one of my best races this season at the regional meet and gave it everything I had, so I was still pleased with my performance.”
Next across the line for the Tigers was sophomore Emma MacAnally, who finished just four seconds behind O’Brien.
For their efforts, O’Brien and MacAnally were both awarded All-Region marks.
The Tigers’ 221 points put them 160 points behind of eventual winner Calvin College and 148 points behind North Coast Athletic Conference Rival Oberlin College who came in second with 73 points.
“The results just give me more fuel and motivation for next season,” O’Brien said.
On the men’s side, the Tigers were paced by senior Noah Gatwood and junior Paul Watts who both walked away with All-Region honors.
“It’s really a great honor,” Watts said. “Each team having multiple people make all-region marks a huge step forward for our team.”
Gatwood covered the 8000-meter course in just under 25 minutes and placed 18th. Watts finished 33rd crossing the line 11 seconds after his teammate.
“I was really pleased,” Watts said. “We always try to train smart and have our best race at the end of the year and that’s what we did.”
“I went out aggressively from the start and stayed with the front of the pack the entire race,” Gatwood said. “I just focused on on keeping myself in a competitive position within the field… Definitely my strongest race I’ve run with DePauw.”
The Tigers’ 260 points were 214 points behind rival Wabash College whose team finished first in the event.
While the results were positive for both squads, neither group had an individual qualify for the national meet.
“I unfortunately fell just short of qualifying for nationals but [I] can’t be disappointed with my effort,” Gatwood said.
For the women, that means saying goodbye to 10 seniors, while the men will part ways with only three of its runners.
"I'm definitely sad I won't be wearing the tiger stripes anymore," Gatwood said. "Running cross country for DePauw is a pretty unique experience that has largely shaped my time here. However, I find some sort of solace in the fact that I'm leaving a program that is continually improving and that I was a contributing member."
The large loss for the women doesn’t mean there will be a dip in their success, however.
“Next year should be one of our strongest years in a while,” O’Brien said. “We are returning six of our top seven runners and [have] the entire summer to train hard. Our top seven should come back even stronger and more prepared than we were this year.”
The Tigers will look to carry over momentum from their solid finish in 2014 when they get back to work next fall.
