The men’s cross country team turned a summer’s worth of hard work and preparation into a much-improved season that leaves great anticipation for what this young team will accomplish next year. The improvement was obvious from the beginning when the team showed up in better shape then they had been in a long time.

“The team got off to a quick start with the preparation that everyone, even the first-years had done, proving that they were ready to give their best runs,” Bo Rydze ’05 said. This was also the first year for Coach Matt Haugen, who brought a new emphasis on teamwork in practice and in competition that was a sharp contrast to the earlier emphasis on individual performance. Haugen is an advocate of pack running where a group of runners from the same team help by pulling and pushing each other along in the race.

Great performances were turned in by many members of the team, especially the top three runners: Rydze, Eric Olson ’05 and Roscoe Sopiwinik ’06. But this year’s season was not about these individual drops in time (which were significant), but how close the team came by way of grueling practices and pasta dinners before big meets. It was this new dedication to the team that allowed some major improvements by many runners. It was the fitting culmination of a year’s hard work when the team finished fourth at the MIAC Conference Meet, the best finish for the team in 17 years. Multiple runners noted that the difference they felt was due to a “good psyche” that they got from their coach.

Most of the runners are looking forward to a great year in 2004 due to this new atmosphere, which will allow them to build on this year’s successes. Peter Dillon ’04 said that the leadership of the underclassmen makes him most excited to see what next year will bring. This year’s team had three of the top nine first-years in the conference, which could lead to a continued success. According to Dillon, there is “no doubt” that with this “huge spirit” and more hard training in the spring and summer, the Scots can improve on their finish at Conference and at Regionals where they finished 11th, this year.

On the women’s side, it was a year of change as well. They brought together a team that was two things: huge and new to Macalester. Twenty-eight of the 38 runners on the team were underclassmen, and while many of them could not compete at the bigger varsity events, it was the support and cohesion of the entire team that allowed the top girls to distinguish themselves. This team aspect made what could have been a major hang-up when they had bus trouble before one of their most important meets, into a positive one as the team used the time just laughing and generally having fun with each other.

The team had some great moments, such as its victory over St. Thomas at Eau Claire and nearly beating the evental conference champion, Gustavus Adolphus. One runner made the moment of the season at the MIAC Conference Chapionships: Koby Hagen ’06, who won the MIAC individual championship, becoming the first Macalester woman to accomplish the feat. Hagen said she was very pleased with how supportive her teammates were and is anxious to see how next year will be following strong improvements by Nathalia Brashear ’06 and Emily Kushner ’07. Coach Jordan Cushing noted that the job as leaders done by their captains, Joan Bennett ’05, Renee Schaefer ’04 and Mo Mullikin ’04, was vital to their success, but that now the weight falls on the underclassmen. Cushing also added that while the team had an up-and-down year, she looks forward to an “awesome” season in 2004.