On a wind-stricken, snow-filled Saturday afternoon when other Centennial Conference events were postponed, the men's and women's cross country Conference championship wagered on in Newville, PA.
The Lady Jays, who entered the meet ranked 10th in the nation, enjoyed familiar success, wrapping up their fourth consecutive conference title. On the men's side, the Blue Jays finished fourth in the Centennial, a step down from their third place finish a season ago.
However, both teams will advance to the NCAA Mideast Regional Chmapionships on Nov. 12th in Center Valley, PA.
Hopkins's women were led by a consortium of underclassmen, namely sophomore Holly Clarke who placed third overall in the competition. Clarke, who finished the race in 23:49.7, was followed closely by freshmen Hannah Eckstein and Ashley Murphy who finished within one second of each in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
Also placing in the top 20 for the Jays were junior Liz Provost (11th), freshman Frances Loeb (12th), sophomore Lillian Murphy (15th) and freshman Lindsey Sanborn (19th).
Despite the cool temperatures, Clarke managed to continue her breakout campaign which has included an individual title back on Sept. 10 in the Lebanon Valley Invitational.
"It was really cold," Clarke said. "That was the one thing running through my mind the whole time. It was tough but I'm from Massachusetts, so I could deal with the elements."
The event was the second of the season for Hopkins at host Dickinson's track, and that time the Blue Jays finished in second. Clarke knew the key to a first-place finish was staying together as a team.
"I had run that same course a few weekends ago when I was sick and I didn't run that well," Clarke said. "I wasn't sure how I was going to do, so I just tried to stick with the top group."
As it turned out, not only did she stick with the group, Clarke ran ahead.
"I felt really good, especially at the mile mark when I knew I was going to have to pick it up and do well to help the team win," the sophmore said. "I was excited to be up there at the top and know that there would be 11 other girls behind me that could round up the team for the win."
As a team, Hopkins scored 43 points, inching past conference rivals Haverford, who had 52 points, and Dickinson, who had 69 points.
Hopkins's men's squad had more difficulty in the Centennial Championships, but still received solid showings from sophomore Max Robinson, freshman Austin Stecklair, senior Brandon Hahn and sophomore Ricky Mulroy. All four Blue Jays finished in succession, spanning the trail between 28:30-28:42.
While Hopkins came in fourth, Haverford repeated as conference champions in the men's race. Dickinson and Swarthmore edged out the Jays for second and third place, respectively.
Both teams now look ahead to the Mideast Regional. A year ago, the women's squad, led by senior Cecilia Furlong who has sat out this fall with an injury, won the Region.
Furlong and Head coach Bobby Van Allen, who is in his 13th year at the helm of both the men's and women's teams, were named the Mideast Region Athlete and Coach of the Year.
The men came in seventh.
Clarke is looking forward to executing their game plan in two weeks and beyond.
"For Regionals, we're working as a team in workouts right now to run together and stay in a group," she said. "That's what our coach [Bobby Van Allen] is trying to get us to do right now. We know that in our region it's us, Dickinson and Haverford that are the tough competition.
"At Nationals, we need to be in our prime and continue working as a group in order to win."
