Photo courtesy of Wheaton College Athletics
On Sunday afternoon at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Cross Country Championships hosted by Wellesley College, Georgia Crane ’16 took the course by storm.
With a time of 19:04 for the 5K race, Crane ’16 finished 12th out of 151 runners and earned the NEWMAC All-Conference honors as a top-14 runner. This time was also her personal best. Crane ’16 said, “The last time I PR’d [personal record] and was All-Conference was my freshman year. Back then, I didn’t know what All-Conference was. This time around, knowing what was at stake made a difference in how I performed and how it felt to be named all conference again.”
Running has always been a passion for Crane ’16 and her dedication to the sport is a big part of her success. Although running is not always easy, Crane ’16 has mastered being able to conquer her fears. “I think the hardest part about racing is the mentality,” Crane said, “I’ve found that talking about my fears and addressing things that make me feel mentally weak is the best solution. I constantly pep talk myself during my race, too. When it gets tough I always tell myself to keep going and that I’ve got this. I reflect on a lot of what my coach tells me and use that to keep me where I need to be.”
Overall, the Wheaton College women’s cross country team placed fifth in the race. Crane ’16 commented that they “fell a little short with what we wanted to do. We had hoped for a better placing, but that being said there were still great things that happened and a lot was learned.”
Crane ’16 and her fellow cross country runners are using the lessons learned from this meet to become stronger and faster for regionals. As a senior, Crane ’16 saw how important this championship race was. Crane ‘16 said, “It was my last NEWMAC and I definitely made the most of it!”
After graduation, Crane ’16 plans on continuing to run in half or full marathons. She has also been considering joining a club team so she can continue to compete. Beyond running, Crane ’16 hopes to get a teaching job in either Boston or abroad. She really wants to balance running, teaching and travel in her post-grad years to come.
Congratulations to the women’s cross country team on a strong finish at championships! We wish you the best of luck with regionals, and possibly nationals!