HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth men’s cross country team gets the 2016 season started Saturday with the annual Dartmouth Invitational.
The meet is at the Hanover Country Club and will begin for the men on the 8K course at 10:15 a.m., to be followed immediately by the women’s 6K race.
The team just returned from its pre-season trip to the Dartmouth Land Grant in northern New Hampshire where they were for several days preparing for the season.
Saturday’s home meet will see the Big Green face off with runners from Keene State, Middlebury and UMass Lowell.
The Marjorie and Herbert Chase '30 Head Coach of Men's Track and Field and Cross Country Barry Harwick ’77 was kind enough to take a few minutes to preview the 2016 campaign.
In your opinion, what are the top three things you need to be successful this season?
BH: “First and foremost, we have to stay healthy. Our roster is a little smaller than usual and we’ll be counting on a core group of seniors to lead the way. Historically, we have not relied on freshmen, but this year we have a few that could help us immediately. Prime example is Henry Raymond of Poudre High School in Colorado. He won three events at his state track meet in May. We need at least one breakthrough by a sophomore or junior to push over the top; Dom Carrese and Pat Gregory could fill this role.”
Who would you characterize as your most crucial returning runner?
BH: “Daniel Salvas missed qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championship Meet by a mere five seconds last year. He ran a big 10K PR of 29:43 on the track last May, so we project him to lead the way for this year’s squad.”
In that same vein, who would you say is your most promising newcomer?
BH: “Henry Raymond was 13th at the Nike High School Cross Country Nationals last year and went on to win three events at his state meet. He has great range from the 800 through cross country. He is also the biggest guy on the squad at nearly 6-foot-5.”
How does a competitive schedule help prepare your team fro Heps?
BH: “Each meet on the schedule gets successively harder. The home meet will be low key, but then three big invitationals will prime the team for the championships. At the BC Coast to Coast meet, the Green will face off against nationally ranked Arkansas and 20 New England teams. At Lehigh’s Paul Short meet, Dartmouth will see a powerhouse Georgetown squad. And at the NCAA pre-meet at Indiana State, there will be a field of nationally ranked teams.
Saturday's Course Map:
