Dear Former Harrier,
I hope that this letter finds you well, and perhaps reminiscing about your XC days. We are in full swing with our season and, while we only have a couple of races under our spikes, we have had some great early season success. We have set our sights on winning the National Championships for the women, and returning to the National Championships for the men.
At the time of this writing, the women are ranked first in the NCAA and New England polls, while the men sit precariously on the bubble of the NCAA rankings and are third in the Regional poll. Both teams have a formidable combination of front runners, quality mid-packs, depth, experience and leadership that are essential to accomplishing the lofty goals we have set for ourselves. The women have returned all but one runner from last year’s NCAA runner-up squad, and the one point loss has certainly served as a great source of motivation and inspiration to stand on top of the podium this November. We are fortunate to have three All-Americans (co-captains Kim Partee and Heather Wilson, along with Elise Tropiano) who should provide as strong a front trio as any team in the country; and with the experience of the rest of the team, the goal of winning the NCAA title is within our grasp. The men took some formidable losses from last year’s team; but the experience of the returning runners, especially those who were first years last year, should make the team even stronger. Sophomores Daniel Murner and Carlyle Eubank, along with co-captain Mike Harbus, German exchange student Florian Reichert, and another great recruiting class should provide the spark to make the trip to St. Olaf University in November for the NCAA’s.
While I have tried to provide a little insight into this season and the potential for success, I would encourage you to take a moment and check out the website that I maintain for the team at www.amherst.edu/~xcountry. I update the site every week and there is a far greater wealth of information on there then I could possibly provide in a brief letter. In addition to the team site, I have also created an alumni website at www.amherst.edu/~xcountry/alumni/alumni.html. It is a bit of a work in progress that I started this past year. I would absolutely love and welcome any of your thoughts and ideas as to how to make this a source of information that is beneficial to both alumni and to our program. For those who may be returning for the reunion weekend in May, this could be a great source to get some running activity planned out in advance – be it a race, or a get together of the teams of the past. I am also interested in establishing an alumni member list on the page that can serve as a resource for contacting some of your former teammates.
As alumni/ae, you can be essential to the success of the program through your support. Your monetary contributions are used primarily for helping with the salaries of our assistant coaches; but I also use those contributions to be able to fund travel that may be beyond the scope of the college, dinners at Nationals and after the season, and with other things that come up unexpectedly during the course of the season. These things are only possible as a result of your generosity, and I want to thank you for the past support and ask that you continue to support your program. If you are not already a member of the Friends of Amherst Athletics for the 2007-08 academic year, the first $20 of your contribution is deducted for the membership. The “Friends” money is used to support all intercollegiate programs. The registration card is included in this letter.
Whether it's been one year or forty since you laced up your spikes as an Amherst runner, this could be the time to dust off your racing shoes and try to relive your glory days at the NESCAC Championships at Williams College on October 27th. After the championships races at 12:00 and 1:00, there is an open race for all who wish to compete. Come out and support the team, and get a little muddy in the process! If you are interested in running NESCAC, have some thoughts for the web site or would simply like to say hello, then please do not hesitate to contact me at elnedeau@amherst.edu or by phone at 413-542-8117.
For those from whom I have not heard in a while, please do not be a stranger!
Thank you for all of your support, and have a great fall.
Erik Nedeau
Amherst College Cross Country