Slip Sliding Away

Princeton, N.J. — If and when they add cross country running to the Winter Olympic Games program — a proposal gaining steady traction — 183 Ivy League distancepeople will be able to offer expert testimony on the ingredients of success.

Ninety-two men and 91 women of the Ancient Eight schools had it out in the 72nd Heptagonal Cross Country Championships Saturday and if the scene felt more like Chamonix, Lake Placid, Squaw Valley or Lillehammer than Princeton's West Windsor Fields, well, that was fully understandable.

This was a Nordic event, held in driving snow that turned the course into an icy, oozing slush, and staged with everything but the skis.

King of the slushers was Dartmouth senior Ethan Shaw, the 2010 third-placer who outkicked Columbia senior Kyle Merber in the final strides of the men's 8,000-meter title race. The margin was exactly 1/10th of a second — 24:47.6 to 24:47.7, precisely 5:00-mile pace in the closest Heps finish since 2002 and equal-closest ever in Heps annals, which date back to 1939.

And the queen — putting both members of Ivy royalty in Hanover, N.H. — was Dartmouth sophomore Abbey D'Agostino with a 21:58.2 performance over the 6,000-meter route, 5:54 pace. Just as it was in the men's race, the silver medalist was a Columbian, freshman Waverly Neer in 22:02.7. Princeton All-American Alex Banfich, the defending champion, settled for third in 22:04.9.

Led by third-placer Donn Cabral (like Banfich a defrocked defender), Princeton's host Tigers ran off with the men's title, by a 37-51 margin over Columbia, with Dartmouth (79), Brown (91) and Cornell (125) next in line, and Yale (162), Harvard (184) and Penn (233) trailing.

For the Tigers, who endured a one-point loss to Columbia in 2009 but regained the crown in 2010, it was their fifth Heps crown in six years and 16th all told.

The women's team race was a lot closer than the men's battle — Cornell (49) nosing out Columbia (51) with Princeton (94) a distant third, and Yale (105), Dartmouth (119), Harvard (129), Brown (153) and Penn (226) next in line. The Big Red women hadn't won the Heps XC since 1998, just three before that (1991-92-93), and put an end to Princeton's five-year winning streak.

This was just the fourth time in Heps men's history that the meet was held anywhere but Van Cortlandt Park in New York. Not since 1979 — at Lehigh — has there been another site.

By unanimous vote, however, the day's most prominent role was played by the weatherman.

"I couldn't feel my feet the whole time," said Dartmouth's D'Agostino, through chattering teeth. "It was hard to focus because I my muscles were literally freezing up."

She ran a perfect strategic race, staying with the leaders, sheltered amid the front pack much of the way, before surging to the lead with about 400 yards to go.

"Can't talk anymore, though," she said, rushing back to the team bus. "Right now, I just need to get warm."

Despite the elements, Princeton men's coach Steve Dolan considered it a win-win occasion. His deep team emerged triumphant and the Tigers proved the best of hosts in the worst of weather.

"I was very proud of the guys," said Dolan. "It was one of those days that we haven't known for a long time. Sure it would have been great to see all these athletes running fast on our course, but this was a whole different race. It was just about slogging it out in the mud.

"Columbia (led by 3:58.4 miler Merber) had a really good run and gave us a great challenge but our guys ran the heck out of that last mile. They really came in strong. These guys finished like champions.

"Donn Cabral, he's courageous, a really great runner and team leader. He's real special. He gave it everything he had. He didn't win it, it wasn't his day, but he gave us the low number up front when we needed it.

"He's right on pattern to have an amazing end of the season, at the National Championships. We certainly couldn't have won this without Donn. He was amazing."

"Conditions here will be remembered for a long time," said Cornell coach Artie Smith. "It was really brutal. Certainly there's a lot of parity in the (Heps) women's league this year.

"On the second half of the race, with everything at stake, that's when we really came through. They were fearless.

"Every point mattered. Katie Kellner and Genna Hartung, both juniors, they led the way for us in fourth and fifth. Our next two were sophomores, Emily Shearer (11th) and Devin McMahon (12th.) But it was (senior) Janel Parker who really sealed the deal. She must have passed at least six people, maybe more, in the last mile.

"She passed a Columbia kid right at the line, one less point for us, one more point for them. In a two-point meet, that made all the difference."

"We've run in a couple of regional meets that were kind of snowy. But this was as bad as I can remember.

"It took a strong will, a mentally strong, emotionally mature kind of runner to succeed in this. They've been grinding along all season and they did it again today.

"Clearly, they didn't let the weather distract them."

Speaking for the mid-packers, past the finish line, were Dartmouth senior Jake Shoemaker and Columbia junior Paul Snyder.

Said Shoemaker: "It was cold and numbing. Once the leaders started to drop the pace, a lot of guys just froze up and tightened up. Still, it was it a fun and competitive race, a great cross country experience.

"The cold and wet on your feet was just brutal but this wasn't nearly the worst I've ever run in, either. Once, I ran in eight inches of snow. That's what makes cross country a great sport."

Said Snyder: "Before it starts, it's easy to relish the idea of running in these conditions, because you have so much adrenaline pumping. But right now I've never been more uncomfortable in my entire life.

"Of course, it could have been a lot worse. Guys could have lost shoes, but I didn't see that happen. Most of the guys taped their shoes on, triple-knotted them. That wasn't the issue today. It was everything else.

Bottom-lined Harry Groves, the famed retired Penn State and USA international team coach who served as meet referee: "The tough thing today was that nobody was ready for this kind of weather. The wind was blowing along with everything else. It just chilled you right through."

Soon as all results were declared official, he led a sprint back to his car and turned the heat up full blast.