Part of the girls cross country team practices on the track to improve their speed. Many of the athletes in cross country continue their season into track and field. (Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus)
The UConn women’s cross country team, coming off two straight first-place finishes, will compete in the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, Friday in Boston, Massachusetts.
The phrase “Coast-to-Coast” is not being used as an embellishment, as teams from across the Eastern and Southern United States are traveling to Boston in hopes of showcasing their talents on a big stage. Early national meets are the best place to measure up against nationwide talent to see where a program stands early in the season. A streaking Huskies team can utilize this opportunity to showcase their talents, put the nation on watch and benchmark the progress of their team in late September.
Personal and team accolades have piled up for the Huskies after the first two races of the season. In the Minuteman Invitational and UB Stampede, the women have compiled two team first-place finishes and at least five runners within the top-10 finishers. Freshman Mia Nahom has finished first and second place, respectively. This race will put all these accolades to the test and hint at how far the 2017 Huskies can go this season.
Alongside the Huskies will be 22 other programs from multiple different conferences and corners of the United States. Some of those teams include Boston College, Georgetown, Harvard, Illinois, Indiana, Northeastern, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse and URI. Of those schools, there are a handful of nationally ranked programs. The U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association ranks the top-30 programs across the nation. Within that top-30, three teams that will be competing this weekend in Beantown. Providence is the only team within the top-10, ranked No. 7. The Friars are followed by Indiana at No.18 and Georgetown at No. 25. Teams like Harvard and Syracuse have received national recognition, as they have received votes to be in the top-30, but they did not crack the list.
The Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown at Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts is set begin to Friday at 3 p.m. with the women’s race. That will be followed by the combined men’s and women’s 5k at 4:15. The UConn men will not be participating, but their next race will be Friday, Sept. 29 when they participate in the Paul Short Run.
Kenny Beardsley is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at kenneth.beardsley_iii@uconn.edu.