The men's and women's cross-country squads didn't finish as well as they would have hoped at last year's New England Division III Championships.

However, given some of the improvements made by the runners, particularly in the track seasons, the Judges could once again become a formidable force.

"The women's team had no seniors last year," said Amelia Lundkvist '14, "so it's nice to have most everyone back at this point. I think we have a lot of potential."

While the two teams are attempting to figure out where they stand at this point in the season, veteran runners on both sides give Judges' fans reason to be optimistic.

Ed Colvin '14 looks to lead the men's squad. Colvin paced the team last year at the New England meet, taking 50th place with a time of 26 minutes, 1.17 seconds. Colvin clocked some superlative times on the track last spring, breaking 15 minutes for the 5,000 meter run. Classmate Taylor Dundas '14 will unfortunately miss the fall season, having suffered a stress fracture. The loss of Dundas could prove detrimental to the squad, as he has consistently been one of the team's top performers in his first three years of competition (Dundas will retain a season of eligibility as a graduate student).

Though Colvin is the clear-cut leader of the team, he is joined by a strong core. Greg Bray '15, Jarret Harrigan '15 and Michael Rosenbach '15 look to build on their sophomore campaigns. Grady Ward '15 made large improvements during the indoor and outdoor track seasons-he'll look to keep the string of progression going. Classmates Liban Aden '16 and Carl Lieberman '16 should provide depth for this young but talented squad.

On the women's side, the Judges have been led by the senior duo of Lundkvist and Victoria Sanford '14. After taking 41st at last year's New England Regional meet, Lundkvist finished second in the 1500-meter run at the 2013 University Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running the equivalent of a sub-five-minute-mile, and will look to build on her spring success. Sanford is a strong competitor as well-she was the team's top finisher at the 2012 UAA Cross-Country Championships-and is often neck-and-neck with Lundkvist. Ali Kirsch '14 took 43rd at the UAA Championships last year, and is often in the running for the team's top spot.
As always, the UAA provides great competition, which Lundkvist believes could play to the team's advantage as it strives to improve during the season.

"The UAA Championships is a smaller race, which makes it easier to focus on certain individuals in competition. And while it's not quite as competitive as [the New England Division III Regional Meet], it is still pretty competitive."

And while Lundkvist realizes that the team may take a bit of time to develop its fitness, she believes the women could make a challenge to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships.

"We want to make Nationals," she said. "While that might be unlikely at this point, I think we have a shot. We have the chance to be a really great team."

Though the teams-which only feature four seniors between the men and women-will likely take some time to find its stride (no pun intended), rest assured that with its talent, it has the potential to be formidable by season's end.