Women’s cross country placed second at the NCAA Div. III Championships in Spartanburg, S.C., on Nov. 22, capping a stellar season with the team’s best national finish since 2015. Totaling an impressive score of just 106 points, the Ephs delivered a strong, team-oriented performance, with all seven runners finishing less than a minute apart. 

Tamar Byl-Brann ’27 and Morgan Eigel ’27 led the Ephs, finishing the 6k in 18th and 20th with times of 21:30 and 21:34, respectively. Co-captains Charlene Peng ’26 and Kate Swann ’26 weren’t far behind, placing 22nd and 27th with times of 21:38 and 21:41, respectively. Kate Tuttle ’28 joined her teammates in earning All-American honors, finishing in 40th with a time of 22:02. The final two Ephs were Fiona Picone ’26 and Jordan Liss-Riordan ’27 who placed 46th and 62nd with times of 22:07 and 22:21, respectively.

The Ephs’ success this season has been defined by their impressively tight spread, a hallmark of elite cross-country running. “We’ve had an unbelievable season in terms of running as a team and having our spread, which is the time between the first and the fifth runner finishing, be very tight,” Eigel said. “[Our spread has been] within 20 seconds pretty much every race. Not a lot of teams can do that.”

The Ephs’ ability to run together fueled their camaraderie and motivation throughout the season, according to Eigel. “I’ve never been on a team that is able to hold itself like that,” Eigel said. “Every single race this season, I would look around and see our garish cow print [on the back of our jerseys] and be like, ‘Oh my gosh. It’s the Ephs. We’re all together.’”

The weather conditions at NCAAs posed additional challenges. After racing in 30-degree weather at regionals the previous week, the team met mid-70s heat and stifling humidity in South Carolina, according to Eigel. “It was not a fun race,” she said. “[The heat] was quite a shock to the system. But I had the same thought process of, ‘I need to do this for the team. I feel terrible, but my teammates are relying on me.’” 

Despite the challenging conditions, the Ephs advanced together — some for the last time. “This was my last cross-country season of my career ever, so I just wanted to do the best I could for the team and really give it my everything, which I think I did do,” Peng said. “It was really helpful to be able to run with my teammates, and I was happy with the way I performed.”

The race unfolded differently than usual, Eigel said, with runners who usually run toward the back of the Ephs lineup pulling ahead of their teammates. “One of the results of that was that the order of the team got a bit mixed up and we got a bit stratified within the race,” she said. “But I think the benefit of that was you were spotting people more frequently. Nationals is an enormous race, and it’s unusual to be able to see all of your top five in your line of sight, and I was able to do that.”

Even through their exhaustion, the Ephs encouraged one another from stride to stride. “At one point, I was running with Morgan and Kate, and [Morgan] was like, ‘Go, go, go!’” Peng said. “Honestly, it was really helpful.” 

The Ephs’ camaraderie was evident even off of the course. More than 30 members of the men’s and women’s cross country teams made the 18-hour drive to South Carolina to cheer on the seven Ephs competing. “They were just so excited and brought so much good energy,” Peng said. “That was really great motivation.”

“I couldn’t have done it without the other six people that were racing, and I couldn’t have done it without the 30 people that made the drive,” Eigel added. 

Eigel also credited the coaching staff for shaping such a successful season. “Our coaches definitely did a great job with training,” she said. “I trust the coaches entirely because I feel like they must be doing something right if they’re able to turn out a team like this. I think that it’s very reassuring as an athlete to be part of a program that’s historically really successful because you can trust that the things that you are being told to do are right and have reasoning behind them.”

Head Coach Dusty Lopez and Assistant Coach Stephanie Mauer anchored that trust. “I think that they work together really well,” Eigel said. 

“It’s really clear how much they care about this team and how much time and effort they invest into every single athlete,” Peng added.

Peng expressed pride and gratitude as she reflected on the successful season. “I’m just really happy with how the season went,” she said. “[I’m] really proud of everyone, and just super glad I got to have this season with the most amazing teammates and the best coaching. I’m excited to see what the team is able to do going forward.”

With a notably successful cross country season behind them, the Ephs are ready to bring the same intensity and effort to the track season. “I’m so proud of us,” Eigel said. “I am in awe of the fact that I get to train with the second place team in the country. That is such a crazy thing. And I think it gives us really great momentum moving into track. It gives everybody a boost of confidence.”