Women win A-10 Championship

When Tara Hanley spilled her pre-race coffee before the Atlantic 10 Championships, she was not concerned. Hanley has a tendency to spill her coffee before every race, and the fact that this was no exception gave her and her roommate, Taylor Clevinger, a boost of confidence.

“We both were like, “It’s going to be a great day,” Hanley said.

And it was. Hanley, a senior, led the team to a one-point victory over Duquense and finished fourth with a 5k time of 17:20.9. It was the first time the meet had been won by a one-point margin and was the women’s cross country program’s first Atlantic 10 championship since 2010.

Hanley was followed closely by sophomore Courtney Thompson, who finished 11th with a time of 17:39.4. Both picked up All-Conference awards. Additionally, head coach Lori Taylor received the Atlantic 10 cross country women’s coach of the year award.

With Hanley being the lone senior competing for Richmond at the meet, Taylor’s season-long strategy centered on building confidence within a team composed primarily of freshmen and sophomores. Haley Preschutti, a sophomore who came in sixth on the team and 70th overall with a time of 18:51.1, stressed the confidence that Taylor has helped the team to build over the season.

“We are serious about what we do, but we aren’t stone-faced," Preschutti said. "Most of us were smiling up until the gun went off, which I think reflects our positive attitude towards the race and our confidence in the team’s abilities. We have developed crucial confidence in ourselves and our teammates.”

Through wins at the Spider Alumni Invitational and the Wake Forest Cross Country Invitational, the team was able to gradually build confidence and translate it into a positive performance when it mattered the most at the conference championships.

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