Harper prepared for title run

The Harper College men’s cross country team toes the starting line today in the NJCAA Division III cross country championship meet in Holyoke, Mass.

“I think we are ready,” said Harper coach Jim Macnider.

The starting gun for the men’s race will go off at 9 a.m. The Hawks are the NJCAA’s Division III top-ranked team, along with SUNY-Delhi and Mohawk Valley Community College.

SUNY-Delhi has won the last seven NJCAA Division III titles.

“We know its going to be anybody’s race” Macnider said. “We are not afraid (of SUNY-Delhi and Mohawk).”

The strategy is simple for the Hawks — to run the second half of the race faster than the first half.

That being said, however, Macnider would not mind having an easy morning if the Hawks are able “to decide the outcome as soon as we can.”

Harper’s runners will try to stay in close proximity to one another in order to minimize the number of points the team scores.

“It’s about the position you get, not the time you run,” Macnider said.

The first Hawk to cross the finish line figures to be Pablo Ramirez. He’s been a standout all season for Harper.

If the race’s pace is set more aggressively by another team, the Hawks will make changes to their game plan.

“(The course) is going to be a little sloppy,” Macnider said of a hilly but fair course. “They know they have a shot to win. We are better than last year.”