The goal of most athletic teams is to peak at the end of the season, which is exactly what the women's cross country team did this year.
Before beginning the season, head coach Mike Forbes had few expectations for the months which lay ahead.
"You have to form expectations as the year goes along," Forbes said. "Every year is a completely different team."
One goal that Forbes wanted to achieve, however, was that each runner have her career's best race this season. This goal was accomplished, for most members of the team ran personal best times during the season, according to Forbes.
The team's first meet was at North Carolina-Wilmington's Seahawk Invitational, where the Blue Devils placed third. This meet gave the coaches a good indication of what they could expect for upcoming races. The following weekend, the team finished second behind Yale in a tri-meet against the Elis and Emory.
The Blue Devils then ran into tougher competition at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa., and finished a disappointing 26th. Although the team did not run well, the meet was not a wasted opportunity.
"[The race] benefited us in the long run," Forbes said. "It exposed us to a good meet with a lot of teams."
At the North Carolina State Championships Oct. 16, the Blue Devils placed fourth and were closer to several teams which had outpaced them in the past. After this respectable finish, the team found frustration at the Atlantic Coast Conference meet, where it finished eighth out of nine teams.
This frustration turned to revenge as Duke peaked at the NCAA District III meet last weekend, out-running several teams which had previously beaten the Blue Devils this season. This meet was the highlight of the year for the women.
One reason for the team's improvement was the fact that the Blue Devils suffered few injuries on the this year, allowing the runners to continue their training without interruption.
Senior Jeanne McFeely paced the team as its number one runner the entire season. Because McFeely set impressive standards, it will be hard to fill her shoes next year.
"Jeanne will be tough to replace," Forbes said.
At the meet against Yale and Emory, McFeely shattered the Duke women's cross country course record as she won the race in 18:43, an amazing feat on the hilly and demanding course. She also placed 44th at the District III meet, running a personal best 18:11.
Three of the team's top seven runners McFeely, Alex Orban and Kris Bucher will graduate this year, but there will be several younger runners working to fill their positions.
Robin Schretter, last year's top runner, was studying abroad in Israel this season, but has been training and will be ready for 1994 as a senior.
Freshman Raquel Salume and sophomore Jenny Bischoff were both surprises this season as they moved up to varsity positions in their first year of running collegiate cross country. Also, freshmen Kendra Walker, Kathryn Lockwood and Shari Domow filled the 8th-10th spots on the team this year, and have the potential to move up next year. Varsity runners Amy Gravitt and Liz Hanly will also return.
The women's cross country team has a great deal to look forward to--with this year's improvement the Blue Devils have set a precedent for success in seasons to come.
"We keep getting better as the years go on," Forbes said.
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