On Nov. 13, the top seven women and men on Oberlin’s cross-country teams will compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional Championships. The Saturday meet will take place at Alma College in Alma, Mich. at 11 a.m.

The team is excited and upbeat about the race. “I’ve never raced this course before, but apparently it’s supposed to be flat, so that should make it pretty fast,” said first-year Alison Doniger.

“I feel really prepared,” said sophomore Barrie Newberger. “I don’t usually feel that way, so I think that’s a good thing.”

Junior Angela Parker echoed Newberger’s sentiments. “I’m really excited,” Parker said. “There are some really fast people on the team, and I think — no, I know we can do well. I hope we run like a fish pack.

“Hopefully the sky will be really blue, that’s always good for races,” she added.

“It’s supposed to be cold and rainy, and I don’t know how that will factor in,” said Doniger. The forecast for Saturday calls partly cloudy skies with a high of 42 degrees Fahrenheit. “Mud is really good for racing, too,” said Parker.

The women’s regional team is hoping to improve their 17th place finish from the 2003 Regional meet. “I can’t say how well we’ll do comparatively, but I think we have a pretty good shot at getting some people up front,” said Newberger. “I think we can get some people to break out and make people notice Oberlin.”

The women’s regional team is taking care of business to stay fresh. “You know, no partying or anything,” said Newberger, who said she is “drinking mostly water and getting a lot of sleep” in preparation for the meet.

Parker, on the other hand, has been using a more dietary approach. “I’ve been eating a lot of chocolate. I think it can help because my last race I ate chocolate and I did really well,” said Parker. “I’m hoping to run like a tiger. No, really, I growl when I run.”

The Yeowomen also expressed support for the potential of their fellow Yeomen. Many commented that the men’s regional team has a lot of potential to succeed this weekend. “Robby Tinker is great. I’m a big admirer,” said Parker.

Tinker has high hopes for the men’s team’s performance. “I’m feeling really confident about it,” said Tinker. “[The] conference [meet] was a big one, but as a team we didn’t do very well. We’re all hungry for regionals. I think we’ll do well.”

Considering the magnitude of the race, the team will not be dissapointed by finishing in the middle of the pack. “The team is going for a respectable finish, you know, about halfway up the field,” commented sophomore Travis Grout. “We’re definitely prepared. We’ve been training hard all year and we’re pretty well-rested.”

At the beginning of the season, head coach Ray Appenheimer had noted, “These guys are just starting to figure out how good they can be.” It seems that perhaps they have finally figured it out.

Regarding his own race, Tinker said, “I’ve trained hard all season, but have yet to have a good race, so I’m hoping regionals will be better. I’m really into it and want to run faster.”

Tinker pointed to first-year Dan Lesser as a runner in line for an impressive race, commenting that Lesser had been injured at the beginning of the year and has been steadily improving all season. Another runner to watch is Yeomen senior captain Mike Pennino.

“I’d say Mike, you can bet on a good race from him,” said Grout.

Oberlin cross-country fans will be holding their breath during the men’s race, hoping Grout will make a Nationals allocation. “I’d have to cut about 20-30 seconds off my best time,” said Grout, “but you never know, it could happen.”

“[Grout] impressed all of us this season and we’re hoping he will make it to Nationals,” said Tinker. “I’d have to have an incredible race to make it, though,” said Grout.

Neither the men’s nor women’s team seems to be significantly tapering for the meet, however. “We usually run about 50 miles per week,” said Tinker, “and [this] week we’ve only cut that down by about five miles.”

The 2004 men’s cross-country regional team will be comprised of Grout, Pennino, Lesser, Tinker, sophomores John Shaw and Matt Ferris-Smith and first-year Andrew Higgins. Competing for the women’s team will be Morris, Parker, Newberger, Doniger, sophomore Ariane Burwell and first-years Marie Barnett and Danielle Koplinka-Loehr. Alternates for the teams are sophomores Thatcher Newkirk and Sophie Grimes.

“This weekend should be pretty good. I’m hoping for an amazing performance,” said Doniger.