2010 NCAA Championships

Hi Everyone,
For those of you who read our blog but may not be on our cross country list serve, below is a note I sent out this morning regarding our last race of 2010, a very historic race for both the men's and women's teams:

X-C Alums, Parents, and Friends,
I promise this will be the last time (this year) I clutter up your in-boxes
however I feel compelled to report the results of our final race of the
season.
As one parent put it, “Hollywood couldn’t have scripted your final season
any better!” First, BOTH teams win the NESCAC Championship (a first for the
men’s team)
The following weekend the women win the ECAC with a record-low score placing
6 in the top 8 and the men place a close second to Williams. At the NCAA
Regional the next weekend the men qualify for the NCAA Championships for the
first time in the program’s history and Michael Schmidt becomes the first
male athlete to win a NCAA Regional. The women win by 33 points qualifying
for the NCAA Championships for the 15th consecutive year. On Nov. 20th in
the NCAA Div. 3 national championships the men placed a respectable 21st out
of 32 teams in their first-ever appearance and the women became National
Champions for the 6th time in 11 years.
Michael Schmidt, as he has done all year, led the team with a 41st place
finish (first from the New England Region). He was followed by Jack Davies,
130th, Jack Terrett, 148th, Greg Krathwohl, 155th, Nate Sans, 217th, Taylor
Sundali, 232nd, and Sam Miller, 272nd.
In the women’s race, Colette Whitney, a first year who ran with the poise
and maturity of a senior, led the team with a 40th place finish. She was
followed closely by Addie Tousley, 46th, Margo Cramer, 49th, Hannah Meier,
71st, Claire McIlvennie, 83rd, Madie Hubbell, 102nd, and Katie Rominger,
167th.
Seniors Donnie Dickson and Amanda Lee made the trip as alternates and did a
tremendous job of supporting their teammates and were ready to race in the
event of sickness or injury.
As I told the group at the President's reception for both teams last night,
I have never been more proud of any team I have coached at Middlebury. The
team set goals at the start of the season, worked as hard as any cross
country team ever has, believed in themselves, and accomplished their goals.
It's difficult to single out any one runner for they all played a part in
the team's success. The win for the women's team was due to our depth,
ability to run as a team, and our 26 second spread between our first and
fifth scorer. On the men's side, Michael Schmidt has raised the bar with
respect to what our men's team has been able to accomplish in practice and
the heightened work ethic has resulted in a substantially faster team.
2010 will certainly be a season and a team I will never forget. More
importantly than the outstanding results was the fact that I had the
privilege to work with such outstanding student-athletes. There have been
many changes here at Middlebury over my 36 years however the quality of the
students who come here has not changed. This year has truly been, A GREAT
YEAR TO BE A PANTHER!
Terry