POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 13, 2014) – It's do or die time for the Vassar men's and women's cross country teams this weekend as they travel to Rochester, NY for the 2014 NCAA Atlantic Region Championships, hosted by the University of Rochester. The top two teams will earn automatic bids to the NCAA National Championships. The remaining teams may receive at-large bids, in the order they finished; that is, the fourth place team will not receive an at-large bid unless the third place team does. Last year, the Atlantic Region had four at-large bids on the women's side and two on the men's side. Individually, the top seven runners who are not on qualifying teams will earn a trip to the national championship. The last individual qualifier typically finishes anywhere from 10^th place to 20^th place overall.
 
Meet Details
Meet: NCAA Atlantic Region Championships
Site: Rochester, NY
Facility: Genesee Valley Park
Date: November 15, 2014
Time: Men's 8000m Championships – 11:00 am
           Women's 6000m Championships – 12:15 pm
           Regional Website 
Live Coverage: (Live Results)
 
The Brewers have had numerous individual national championship qualifiers over the years, most recently Aubree Piepmeier '14, who qualified for the 2012 national championship with a tenth place overall finish at the regional championships, which were coincidentally held at Genesee Valley Park, the same location as this year's regional championship. The closest the Brewers have come to qualifying as a team was in 2010, when the women's team finished a heartbreaking sixth place, missing out on fifth place and a spot at nationals by just two points. The women's team also placed sixth the following year, that time by a slightly wider margin. For the men, the best team finishes came in 2001 and 2002, when the Brewers finished eighth as a team. The Brewers placed ninth as a team in 2012, the last time the championship was hosted by Rochester.
 
Nationally ranked for most of the year, at one point as high as 20^th, the women's cross country team will be looking to make history in Rochester. Head Coach James McCowan describes them as "the total package," explaining, "we have women up front, we have a strong pack of women that can run fast together; they are a good team, no doubt—as good as we've ever had." The Brewers will face tough competition from a loaded region that has had as many as nine different teams nationally ranked throughout the year, including eight teams simultaneously ranked at times this season. At the Liberty League Championships this year, the Brewers average time was 23:10. Last year's regional championship was the fastest in history, as the Brewers averaged 22:58, but placed ninth. Prior to 2013, no team had ever averaged faster than 23 minutes at regionals and failed to qualify for the national championships. At the 2012 regional championships, the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth place teams had average times of 23:10, 23:11, 23:09, 23:12, and 23:12, respectively. In 2011, the average times for the fifth through eighth place teams ranged from 23:01 to 23:11. In, 2010 the times for the fourth through seventh place teams ranged from 23:08 to 23:21. Clearly, the Brewers have what it takes to hang with the top teams in the region. They'll need to be at their best, however, as only one team has qualified for the national championships since 2010 with an average time slower than 23:10: SUNY Plattsburgh placed fourth in 2010 with an average time of 23:11.
 
Individually, look for senior Cass Carpenter to be near the front of the pack. Carpenter has been electric this year, setting personal bests in every race since her season debut. Following her first race of the season at Williams, Carpenter has not placed lower than seventh overall in any meet. She picked up First Team All-League honors at the Liberty League Championships, where she ran a blazing fast time of 22:29. By comparison, the final individual qualifier at Rochester in 2012 placed 13^th overall in 22:25. Even in last year's historically fast race, a time of 22:29 would have been good for All-Region honors. Freshman Meghan Willcoxon will likewise be looking to make a name for herself among the region's best. Willcoxon has been nothing short of outstanding in her freshman campaign, placing first for the Brewers in four races and second in the other two. At the Liberty League Championships, she was named Second Team All-League and shattered the 23-minute barrier for the first time in her career.

In addition to Carpenter and Willcoxon, sophomores Lucy Balcezak, Jemma Howlett, and Laura MacDonald, junior Ava Farrell, and senior Taylor Quinn will be battling for points. All of the Brewers have impressive resumes and it's anyone's guess what the finish order will be when these seven women toe the line. Balcezak boasts a 6k personal best of 22:59 and has twice placed second for Vassar this year. Howlett has been one of the most consistently successful runners ever to don the burgundy and grey, never placing lower than fourth on the team and running in every meet since she joined the team in 2013. This season, she's placed in the top three for Vassar in every race. Howlett placed 15^th at the Liberty League Championships, just one spot away from All-League accolades.

MacDonald has scored points in five of the team's seven meets this year, including a top-ten individual finish at the Ron Stonitsch Invitational and an 18:43 clocking for 5k at the Saratoga Invitational. Farrell missed the first half of the competitive season due to injury, but the talented junior has come on strong late in the year, placing fifth for the Brewers at the Liberty League Championships. Finally, there's Quinn, who has faced countless setbacks in her career, but has overcome them all to claim her place on the start line this year at the regional championship. You'd be hard pressed to find a tougher or more determined runner, and she may well prove to be the "X" factor for the Brewers on Saturday. When she's at her best, Quinn is unquestionably one of the Brewers' top runners, as she showed at Saratoga, placing second on the team with a 5k time of 18:32.
 
The Vassar men will look to prove themselves at the regional championships and fulfill the promise they've shown throughout the year. McCowan describes them as "one of the best trained teams we have had," adding, "the quality and quantity of their work has been exceptional and they are definitely capable of big things." As on the women's side, the Atlantic Region is one of the deepest and most competitive in the country, but the Brewers know that anything can happen when the gun goes off. Depth is vital in cross country, and McCowan is confident the Brewers can rise to the occasion. "Our strength is our density," he explained, "We have an incredibly close group of guys. Our Westfield spread was [a remarkable] 20 seconds, and we train even closer than that. If we replicate that kind of cohesion, it will be a successful day."

This Brewers squad bares similarities to the 2012 team that placed ninth at regionals on the Genesee Valley course. That team placed 12^th at the Conn College Invitational several weeks prior; this year's team placed 11^th. This year's harriers averaged 26:49 at the James Earley Invitational, just off the 26:36 clip it took to secure ninth in 2012 at Regionals. The 2012 team was also notable for its depth, with just one runner earning All-Region honors for placing in the top 35, but four runners placing in the top 60.

The Brewers will be led by a trio of seniors: Brian Deer, Andrew Terenzi, and Sean Majer. All three have championship experience and all have been consistent point scorers for the Brewers this year. Deer has an 8k personal best of 26:42 and had a stellar race at the James Earley Invitational, placing second for the Brewers and 21^st overall with a time of 26:45. Terenzi has placed first for the Brewers in four races and second in two. He ran a personal best time of 26:41 at the James Earley Invitational and finished just off that pace at the Liberty League Championships, posting a time of 26:49. Majer has finished in the top-4 for Vassar in five of his six races this season, including a second place finish at the Conn College Invitational. The seniors will be joined by a talented quartet of freshmen: Jared Freedman, Michael Scarlett, Noah Trueblood, and Philip Brown. Freedman came up big for the Brewers at the Liberty League Championships, placing fifth on the team. Scarlett has scored points for the Brewers in four races and posted a fast 6k time of 20:06 at the Saratoga Invitational. Trueblood is known for his unwavering competitiveness and daring mid-race surges. He has finished in the Brewers top five in six of his seven races and has never finished outside the top seven. He broke the 27-minute barrier for the first time at the Liberty League Championships, where he placed second on the team. Brown has produced several highlight performances in his freshman season, most notably a first place finish on the team at Conn College.