2007 Preview
After finishing sixth out of 41 teams at the 2006 NCAA III Mid-East Regionals, the Swarthmore women's cross country team plans to reach new heights in 2007. The Centennial Conference coaches give the Garnet a fighting chance, listing the Swarthmore women fourth in the annual pre-season poll.
Head coach Peter Carroll welcomes back a pair of national-caliber runners in Nyika Corbett '10 (Myrtle Point, Ore. / Myrtle Point) and Emma Stanley '09 (Fogelsville, Pa. / Parkland) back for the 2007 season. Corbett is one of the Centennial Conference's top runners, having become the first Swarthmore freshman to earn a spot at the NCAA national championship meet at the conclusion of the 2006 season. She finished 59th overall at the national meet, capping an impressive freshman season where she was named All Mid-East Region and first-team All-Freshman Mid-East Region, first-team All-Centennial, and All-Tournament at the 2006 Seven Sisters Championship.
Stanley continued to add to her sparkling running career, earning All Mid-East Region and All-Centennial first team for the second consecutive year. The junior finished 13th at the Mid-East Regional and was the region's alternate selection for the NCAA Championship meet.
The lone returning senior Melina Healey (New York, N.Y. / Fieldston) and William & Mary transfer Ashley Davies '09 (Hunterdon Central) combine with Kathy Feeney '09 (Staatsburg, N.Y. / FDR), Faith Pampel '09 (Little Silver, N.J. / Red Bank Regional), Bess Ritter '09 (Quaker Hill, Conn. / Waterford) to provide depth for the Garnet. Other returning runners include Lauren DeLuca '10 (Audubon, Pa. / Kennedy-Kendrick), Chloe Noonan '10 (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) and Bettina Tam '10.
To kick off their season, the Garnet travel to the Delaware Valley Invitational starting at 10:30 a.m. The team will return home on September 8th for the annual Alumni Meet set to begin at 12:00 p.m.
CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE PRE-SEASON POLL
School (1st place votes)1. Dickinson (9)
2. Haverford (1)
3. Johns Hopkins
4. SWARTHMORE
5. Gettysburg
6. Muhlenberg
7. Bryn Mawr 8. F & M 9. Ursinus 10. McDaniel