Women to Begin Title Defense With Season-Opening Dartmouth Invite

HANOVER, N.H. – There will continue to be a big target on the back of the Dartmouth women's cross country team in 2015.

The now-two-time defending Ivy League Champion heads into the fall as one of the favorites to claim the Heptagonal title once again in late October at Van Cortlandt Park in New York.

However, a three-peat is anything but guaranteed as the Ancient Eight will once again feature a deep and talented field of programs this fall with Princeton picked by many to challenge the Big Green's recent dominance.

Expectations are that seniors Dana Giordano, Reid Watson and Sarah Bennett will anchor Dartmouth this autumn after all three earned All-Ivy honors last fall in the team's second championship run.

Giordano was second overall, while Bennett and Watson were 12th and 13th, respectively, at Princeton's West Windsor Field and helping guide their team to 47 points, 20 better than the host team in second.

“Last season proved our depth as a team and we hope to continue that with even more improvements by younger runners, which will illustrate our staying power as a complete program from top to bottom,” 2014 Ivy League Women's Coach of the Year Courtney Jaworski said.

The team will look to open its title defense this weekend at their annual home meet, the Dartmouth Invitational at the Hanover Country Club on Saturday morning. The women's 6K race is scheduled to begin in the 11 o'clock hour following the completion of the men's 8K that begins at 10:30 a.m.

"After a summer of training on their own, Saturday's meet will be a great opportunity for members of the women's team to demonstrate their current fitness levels," Jaworski added.

The team's success will weigh heavily on the strength of Dartmouth's four-through-seven runners. Sophomore Bridget O'Neill and junior Helen Schlachtenhaufen will add depth to the positions in addition to incoming freshmen Grace Thompson and Olivia Lantz who are expected to be immediate contributors this fall.

Leigh Moffett and Kennedy Jensen are also poised for solid seasons as Jaworski highlighted their great improvements since the conclusion of last season. Also look for senior and All-Ivy League performer Elizabeth Markowitz to add to the team scoring after spending last fall abroad.

Competing on Saturday at the Dartmouth Invitational alongside the home team: Middlebury, Keene State, Bentley and UMass Lowell.

The women's 6K course map at the Hanover Country Club.

Schedules