Sometimes first place is not the best position to be in. Big Green runner Sam Wilbur '94 found that out the hard way at the IC4A Championships at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday.
After trailing behind the 200 runners in the beginning of the 6.2-mile race, Wilbur turned on the speed at the five-mile mark and made his move into the first-place position, passing Brian Spoonire of Seton Hall. But as the pair, with only one mile left to go, raced for the finish, things suddenly fell apart.
The course was suddenly obstructed by onlookers, causing the first four runners a great deal of confusion. Unfortunately, when the runners asked the spectators which way the remainder of the course was, they were given the wrong directions.
"I saw that the direction I thought we were supposed to go was completely blocked with spectators. There was nowhere for me to go through, so in confusion and panic, I yelled 'Which way?' A couple of people pointed me to the left, so that's the way I went," Wilbur said Saturday.
By the time Wilbur was able to get back with the pack and sprint to the finish line, 33 other runners had already managed to cross it.
While the race proved to be heartbreaking for Wilbur, there was some consolation. Four of the other runners on the men's team gave a spectacular performance, leading the men to a third-place finish with 105 points, behind Georgetown's 81 and Pennsylvania State's 103, in a field of 32 schools .
Out of the 10 teams in District One, Dartmouth placed first, with a score of 33 points. Boston University placed second with 56.
Ted FitzPatrick '95 gave his usual outstanding performance, finishing seventh overall with a time of 30:18, just six seconds behind winner Louie Quintana of Villanova University. Aaron Bouplon '95, Chris Langan '96 and Jack Dwyer '96 rounded out the pack, finishing 21st, 23rd and 24th, respectively.
"Chris Langan ran the best race of his life, and Ted, Aaron and Jack ran their usual gutty races to power us onto the NCAAs," said Wilbur.
Although the Big Green were unable to take the first place title from the nationally first ranked Georgetown, they will have a chance to challenge the Hoyas at the NCAA championships in Fayetteville, Ark. on Nov. 21.
The women's team, which ran a distance of 3.1 miles, did not have the best of days either. Although the women came in third place in their division, behind Boston College (95 points) and Providence College (21 points), they did not fare as well in the conference as a whole. They finished in sixth place in the ECAC race, with a score of 256, failing to qualify for one of the two automatic places at the national meet. Villanova University won the race with a score of 40.
"We did not run that well yesterday. There were good individual performances, but, as a team, we did not run a great race," Kristin Manwaring '96 said.
But the team heard yesterday that it received an open bid to the national tournament. The NCAA offers spots at the tournament to the top two teams and then gives out a select number of open bids, one of which the Dartmouth women received.
Jenna Rogers '98, who finished in 26th with a time of 17.56, was also able to qualify for the national championship as an individual with her performance. Manwaring finished a step behind Rogers, with a time of 17:59, and will be the first alternate for the NCAA championship.
Despite the somewhat disappointing outcome of Saturday's race, the Big Green will be well represented at the National Championship next week in Arkansas. Wilbur, along with his teammates, is ready to prove once and for all that Dartmouth is capable of winning a national championship.
"People will downplay the undeniable fact that we had the meet won until I was directed off the course. We will show them next week," he said.
