The time has finally arrived.

This Friday, the Ancient Eight’s cross-country teams will travel to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., to compete in the Heptagonal Championships and to fight for the right to be called Ivy League champions.

“It’s always exciting since it’s the Ivy League, and you want to dominate all the other schools,” senior Claire Richardson said. “This is an opportunity to show how hard we’ve been working.”

After a season of strong individual and team performances, the Crimson will be put to the toughest test of all, as it faces formidable competition in its search for the title.

Currently ranked 18th in the nation, the Princeton women are looking to capture their fifth consecutive Ivy League title.

The Tigers return three of the top five runners who led them to victory in last season’s championships.

Cornell and Columbia, currently ranked fifth and seventh in the Northeast Region, respectively, also pose a serious threat to dethrone the reigning titleholder.

One thing is for certain: a new individual champion will be crowned.

Last year’s victor, Princeton’s Liz Costello, was a graduating senior, providing extra incentive for the competitors.

“The biggest challenge is staying focused, because it’s really easy to get overexcited,” Richardson said. “The Ivy League is competitive, and there are a lot of teams working for the top spot.”

Harvard hopes to pose a strong challenge for the title and to build off last year’s sixth-place finish, which saw three runners awarded All-Ivy League status.

The Crimson was led by Richardson, who recorded the eighth-fastest time in the women’s team’s history at the meet, but Richardson will not be running this year, due to a stress fracture.

She remains confident that her teammates will more than make up for her absence after the squad’s strong showing this season, peaking at 31st in the nation.

“I hope that they will work together, stay confident, believe in themselves, and have fun,” Richardson said. “If they do all of those things, they’ll do their best.”

While the Harvard men’s team also looks to improve upon last year’s sixth-place finish, Dan Chenoweth has an additional goal: to defend his title as the individual reigning champion.

Chenoweth was last year’s top overall finisher with a time of 25:09 for the 8k course, becoming the first Crimson male to take the title in 14 years.

If he succeeds in defending his crown, he will be the first repeat Ivy League champion since 2005-06.

But it won’t be easy, since all of the top six finishers from last year will be returning to compete in this year’s championship.

“It’s interesting because so many of the guys are coming back,” Chenoweth said. “Some of those guys have gotten a lot better from last year, so it will make things more challenging. I’m making sure that I adjust my strategy so that I don’t underestimate anyone.”

He appears to be ready for the challenge after a season of strong results, including a third-place finish at this year’s NCAA Cross Country National Championships.

After being plagued with injuries to upperclassmen all season, the men’s team will continue to depend on its younger talent to fill out the top five with some strong results.

“We have a lot of young guys, and they’ve never been to a race like this,” Chenoweth said. “The biggest challenge that they’ll face is applying what they’ve learned to this race and the races in the next weeks.”

Columbia reclaimed the team title last year for the first time since 2004, breaking Princeton’s three-year streak, and the Lions hope to defend their position with the return of four of the top five runners from the meet.

Princeton, currently ranked 18th nationally, is a strong contender to reclaim the title.

With tough competitors facing both the men’s and women’s teams, the Harvard squads will have their work cut out for them.

But as the Crimson is fully aware, with any big meet comes the opportunity for big results.