Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Ivy Heps
Princeton Readies for Ivy Heps
October 24, 2018 | Women's Cross Country
As one of two Ivy League programs in the national poll, Princeton is up for the challenge as it hosts the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship on Saturday. The women's 6k race kicks things off at 11 a.m., on West Windsor Fields.
The Tigers are ranked No. 30 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll. The battle at the line most likely will be Orange and Blue as defending Heps champ Columbia is ranked No. 20 in the poll. Yale and Dartmouth are also receiving votes in the national poll.
Princeton has relied on a tight team pack throughout the regular season. The Orange & Black pack defeated Yale and Harvard at HYP, won the Lakefront Invitational over numerous power 5 programs and finished fourth overall at the prestigious Penn State National Meet, beating four other Ivy League programs in attendance.
The Tigers have a dynamic blend of youthful talent and seasoned veterans paving the way. Four seniors have all run in the top five at least once this fall: Alie Fordyce, Allie Klimkiewicz, Brighie Leach and Madison Offstein. Klimkiewicz and Offstein are both returning scorers from a year ago. Klimkiewicz was the No. 3 at last year's Heps placing 22nd overall and has been consistently Princeton's No. 4 runner this year. Offstein was the No. 4 last year and has continued to make strides and was the No. 2 at Penn State.
Fordyce and Leach have both finished as Princeton scorers in previous Ivy League Championships, and both have demonstrated great consistency throughout the fall. Sophomore Melia Chittenden and freshmen Gillian Wagner and Page Lester have all run in the top five for the team in every race entered this fall. Look for the Tiger pack to mix it up with national implications and the Ivy League title on the line. Wagner was the top finisher at Loyola, taking fourth place overall. Right behind her was Chittenden who was the Tigers' top scorer at Penn State two weeks ago.
For more information on the league meet, visit the Ivy League Web site.
Players Mentioned
