Coach Frank Haggerty could be excused for getting excited about the cross country season. His men's team boasts perhaps its top recruiting class in years: eight runners Haggerty believes could put Harvard near the top of the Ivies...in a few years.

"I always like to have a good class coming in. But I don't like to count on them," Haggerty said.

The experienced coach has good reason to be cautious. Several of his top runners have now graduated, and he readily admits both Navy and Dartmouth are fielding the top teams in the league.

Captain Rob Failia will likely assume the number one spot on the team, followed by fellow senior Bill Bland, who is now fully recovered from an injury to his Achilles heel.

On the women's side, Haggerty has only one thing on his mind: injuries. His core set of runners are strong, but in a sport with a list of possible injuries as long as the running course, any good coach knows that no team is safe. Especially one that lacks depth. And Haggerty is looking at a small squad with only six top runners.

"In this sport, I always worry about overuse injuries. There's always a fine line between going strong and going over the edge," Haggerty said.

Senior Captain Karin Swartz, who has struggled through injuries her past three years, is healthy and will likely perform at number one, while sophomores Diana Bowers and Jennifer Kearney are expected to have strong seasons.