Keene State Cross Country Returns to National Stage

Sunday, Nov. 15, was supposed to be day of relaxation and rejuvenation for the Keene State College women’s cross country team. After all, the runners had done their job the previous day, not only navigating the windy 6K coastal course at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, CT, but battling 60 schools and 400 runners to finish sixth at the NCAA Division III New England Region Cross Country Championship.

While the Owls’ top two runners, seniors Kaitlin Wheeler and Samantha Goldsmith, who crossed the finish line almost simultaneously in 14th (22:03.3) and 15th (22:03.6) place respectively, were assured a spot in next Saturday’s NCAA Championship in Winneconne, WI, there were lingering doubts about whether the team would earn one of the highly coveted at-large berths in the national meet.

There was justifiable concern among the team members as they filed into the College’s cramped conference room just before 3 p.m. on Sunday to await official word from the NCAA. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were right. The waiting is the hardest part. “It was pretty nerve-wracking. A lot of us didn’t sleep on Saturday night because we were so nervous,” said Goldsmith. “We were all sitting there shaking, waiting for it to come up on the screen.”

Eventually finding the link, first-year coach Tom Pickering added to the suspense as he nervously hit the refresh button. Finally, at 3:05 p.m., the Owls got the word they were waiting for: for the first time in nine years, they were headed to the NCAA Championships. “We were just overjoyed and crying,” said junior Carli Davis. “I’m still shaking thinking about it.”

Heading to Wisconsin

A veteran team comprised of upperclassmen – seniors Molly Schaefer and Cara Colotti, juniors Lindsay Szuch and Katelyn Terry, and senior alternate Lauren Markoe, who overcame a bout of appendicitis midway through the season – will accompany Wheeler, Goldsmith, and Davis to the championship, which will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

“The women had a good close bond and definitely came together over the course of the season,” said Pickering. “They ran better and got more focused as the season progressed and saved their best performance for their biggest race at the regionals.”

“My teammates are like family to me,” said Davis. “You’re not only running for yourself but for your teammates. I think that bond has brought us all this way.”

Davis also said Pickering brought stability to the program, providing productive workouts and positive encouragement. “We’re thankful to have him as our coach,” said Davis, who was the Owls’ third runner at the regionals, placing 24th with a time of 22:11. “He always has words of encouragement, which gives us confidence in ourselves.” The Owls will have company on their trip. Hayden Patterson, a senior on the KSC men’s cross country team, earned an individual berth, becoming the first male runner to represent the College at the championship since 2013.

At the New Englands

Ranked 18th nationally and fifth in the region going into the race, the KSC women knew they had their work cut out for them as they got set to step to the starting line Saturday. Facing a field that included four teams in the top-10 national poll wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Nervous at the beginning of the race, the Owls were able to regroup after a false start. “The false start was actually a blessing in disguise,” said Wheeler. “Coach Pickering was awesome. He came out on the course and said that was just a really long stride. Now you’re all warmed up and ready to go.”

Getting off to a good start, the Owls led a charge of runners that funneled through a tricky first turn. “I definitely felt more confident,” said Goldsmith, who qualified as an at-large runner at last year’s national championship. “Instead of this being a scary experience, I wanted it to be an exciting experience.”

Keene State was up to the challenge. Despite an uphill climb and a stiff wind over the final 1,000 meters, Owls runners were able to pick off many competitors as they headed for the finish line. Seeing so many of their teammates coming across the finish line, the Owls were confident they had done enough to warrant a trip the championship. Bu the results weren’t conclusive. They would have to wait another day to see if their NCAA dream became a reality.

Patterson didn’t have to wait to learn his NCAA fate. “I could tell by the numbers that people were shouting at me during the race that I had run the race that I had been envisioning for pretty much four years,” said Patterson, who finished in a time of 25:26, good for 23rd place. “It was an incredible sense of relief knowing I was able to execute on that day.”

“It was great that everything came together for him at the race that meant the most to him on Saturday,” said Pickering of Patterson’s performance. “It says a lot about the ability to step up when the pressure was the highest.”

Looking Forward

The Owl women finished 17th during their last visit to the NCAA championships, back in 2006. This time around, expectations will be just as high. “I think our performance at regionals was a confidence booster for our team,” said Goldsmith. “New England is an extremely competitive region and even though we’re not in the top three doesn’t mean we can’t be one of the best teams in the country. We just need to go out there and be fearless, because at this point we have nothing to lose.”

“We’d like to prove to everybody that little Keene State can run with those big-name schools and do really well,” added Schaefer, who endorsed a comment made by Coach Pickering on the teams’ Facebook page: “Don’t forget about what happened, but look forward and don’t settle and let’s see what else we can do at the national level.”

Pickering might be in his first season coaching the Owls, but he has already left his mark with the program that has produced a combined 48 All-American runners. Dormant on the national scene for many years prior to his arrival, Keene State will once again have runners on the starting line at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, WI, on Saturday. “Despite the transition, the members of the cross country teams at Keene State found a way to persevere through a tough time and can certainly take a lot of pride in their accomplishments this season,” said Pickering. “I think we’re going to be able to look back on the season as a new beginning for the program.”