VOL. 23, NO. 9	NOVEMBER 14, 1997

Michael Grant. Photo by Todd Kennedy.

fter their most successful Heptagonal Championships in 18 years, where they emerged among the fastest teams in the region, men's cross country runners have a shot at the NCAA Cross Country championships later this month in Greenville, S.C.

  On Oct. 31, the Lions finished third at the Heptagonal Championships—the Ivy League plus Navy—for their best finish since winning the meet in 1979. Columbia was the second-place Ivy team, finishing just four points behind Navy for the runner-up spot, and defeating Brown, the No. 1 team in District I (New York/New England).

  This means that Columbia, which had finished eighth or ninth in each of the last five Heps Championships, has put itself in contention to earn one of the two NCAA berths from District I at the NCAA Regionals at Franklin Park in Boston on Nov. 14.

  "About seven teams have a very legitimate chance at getting one of those top two spots to make nationals," said third-year head coach Willy Wood. "It's pretty much a crapshoot. Whoever runs really well that day goes."

  Having beaten both the top-ranked and third-ranked teams in the region—Brown and Dartmouth, respectively—Columbia is poised to make its first foray into the district top ten ranking, which will be released next week prior to the NCAA Regional race.

Tom Kloos. Photo by Todd Kennedy.

  "We're just excited to be in a position where we're considered a contender," Wood explained. "The success of our season doesn't hinge on whether or not we qualify for nationals, but it would definitely be nice."

  Columbia has never been a part of the elite field of 22 teams at the NCAA Cross Country championships, dating back to the meet's inception in 1938.

  Wood, whose recruiting efforts and training techniques have played a major role in the revitalization of the program, passes off all credit to the efforts of his team: "Developmentally, we have changed the workload and introduced the team to higher mileage, but mostly it has been a commitment to improvement by the team. Their summer workouts were excellent, and they came ready to compete this fall."

  Columbia's top five runners at Heps were all upperclassmen, meaning that the same group that finished eighth at the 1996 meet is now vying for a spot in the most prestigious of all collegiate cross country events. Juniors Michael Grant (first team) and Tom Kloos (second team) both earned All-Ivy League honors, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, at Heps.

  The NCAA Cross Country championships will be held Nov. 24 at Furman University, in Greenville, S.C.