Shwayder Leads Women's Cross Country to Second in NEICAAA Cross Country Championships

Back on the East Coast and racing in Boston, the Harvard women’s cross country team battled to an impressive second place finish in a competition that brought together 35 of the top teams from the New England area.

Hosted by Boston University, the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association’s Cross Country Championships takes place annually on 5,000-meter course in Franklin Park, which also serves as the Crimson’s home turf.

With the second-place finish, the Harvard women’s cross country team put together its second straight top-three performance.

This weeks effort was led by a breakout performance by Junior Elianna Shwayder, who placed third out of over 230 runners. Shwayder’s crossed the finish line in 17:46.1, the best recorded finish in her Harvard cross-country career and her best collegiate 5K time.

Especially in a crowded field along a course with diverse conditions-fields, wide trails and grass pathways, Shwayder’s secret to her success was her mental strength throughout the race.

“One of my biggest goals for the cross country season is to improve my mental approach to racing,” Shwayder said. “I was running to win the race. I knew I would be right in the mix to lead. I felt relaxed and confident throughout most of the race. I believed I could win.”

With two years of collegiate running under her belt, Shwayder no longer fears racing as an opportunity to fail, but rather now views each race and an opportunity to grow.

“This year, I am looking for what I can learn from each and every experience,” Shwayder explained. “Yesterday was just another opportunity to learn about myself as a runner, a competitor, and a teammate.”

Looking forward, Shwayder now knows how she wants to mentally push herself when she is in a position to win.

“After the race, rather than fixating on the negative aspect of losing contact with the leader during the last 1k of the race, I learned that when I am in a position to win, I need to use all my ‘moves’ to prevent,” Shwayder said.

The only team other than New Hampshire to finish three runners in the top-20, the Crimson also snatched 16th and 17th places. Pushing each other throughout the race, freshman Eliza Rego and Brooke Starn finished with times of 18:18.4 and 18:20.3 respectively.

“I have enjoyed watching them push each other, and us upperclassmen, to new levels in both workouts and races,” said sophomore Malia Ellington.

Looking ahead, Harvard will split next weekend for three races around the country - the

Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Oct. 14, and the Princeton Invitational and Pre-National Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana both on Oct. 15.

“The team dynamic this year is more dynamic, cohesive, and driven that it has ever been during my tenure on the team,” said Shwayder. “ It may take a couple of races for them to get to know their collegiate competition. Collegiate racing is about learning how to compete with the pack you're in without knowing exactly where you are during the race.”

–Staff writer Rena Simkowitz can be reached at rsimkowitz@college.harvard.edu.