Cross Country enters the 2008 season with expectations of many exciting races, team victories, medal-winning performances and personal best times.  Co-Captains Hannah Sholder ’09 and Kate Watson ’09 will lead a strong lineup of twenty runners – twelve returnees and eight newcomers.  The team put in a high-mileage preseason week prior to the start of classes, with training sessions at many of our familiar venues (Lake Waban trails, Elm Bank, Natick Town Forest, Hardy School loop, Winding River Road, Temple Road), as well as a trip to Nantasket Beach in Hull for our annual beach run.  The racing season is set to begin on September 13th at the Smith Invitational, where the Wellesley women will debut their brand new uniforms: Wellesley blue with a distinctive white “W” on the front.  Other early-season highlights include the U. Mass. Dartmouth Invitational (Sept. 20), Purple Valley Classic at Williams (Sept. 27) and the Gordon College Invitational (Oct. 4).  The Gordon meet is in Wenham, Mass., not far from Wellesley, so if you’re in town for Wellesley October Weekend, we hope you’ll drive up and cheer the team on!