Men's Cross Country Opens 2015 Saturday With Dartmouth Invite

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth men's cross country season gets underway on Saturday morning in the familiar setting of the Hanover Country Club.

The 2015 season begins as any other does for the Big Green's cross country program: by hosting the Dartmouth Invitational.

“I like starting with our home meet for a few reasons,” The Marjorie and Herbert Chase '30 Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Barry Harwick '77 said. “First, it gives some of the younger runners an opportunity to run the longer race in a familiar environment. For the veterans, to run the same course at the same point each year allows a nice measuring stick of progress in your time here.”

Joining Dartmouth in Hanover will be Middlebury, Keene State, Bentley and UMass Lowell.

The 8K course will remain in the same location as it has in the past with the start and finish across the street from the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. The men's race is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by the women's 5K early in the 11 o'clock hour.

Heading into the season, Harwick believes that the experience his team has could be beneficial and serve as a base for future successes.

“I feel great that we have a very experienced squad this year. I expect to have at least four seniors in our top seven and XC is certainly a sport where having experience usually pays off,” the 23-year head coaching veteran said. “Seniors like Curtis King, Tim Gorman, Joe Chapin and Brian Masterson will be invaluable for us this fall.”

With a wealth of returning talent, Harwick and his team can also look forward to the incoming Class of 2019 this weekend as the seven-member class makes their collegiate debut.

“We're happy to have seven new faces on the roster, which adds a nice mix for us,” Harwick remarked. “There is a learning curve from high school to collegiate cross country when you have to switch from a 5K to an 8K.

“I especially believe two will be able to make this adjustment more quickly as Marco Pompilj and Dominic Carrese have a very solid background of competing at high levels. They've shown a lot of promise and should make an impact sooner than some of the others,” the head coach added.

The team has only been together for the better part of two weeks, returning to Hanover earlier than other students. The annual team trip served as the first week of official practices and served as a bonding experience for the 2015 version of the Big Green.

“The preseason trip went well, the guys had a great opportunity to run at the Dartmouth Land Grant in great weather in some of the most beautiful places to run,” Harwick said. “We left there feeling good and refreshed.

“There is a real positive attitude throughout the entire team heading into the season.”

The men's 8K course map at the Hanover Country Club.

Schedules