The GW cross country teams have been mediocre this season – with middle-of-the pack finishes and brief flashes of success.

If the teams step up Saturday at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships in Philadelphia, the mediocre finishes in the Bronx, N.Y. two weeks ago or at the U.S. Naval Academy and LaSalle won’t matter.

This weekend, the cross country teams will compete against 11 conference foes, with UMass, La Salle, St. Joseph’s and Virginia Tech being some of the squads to beat.

This race is important because it will determine whether the team had a successful season, head coach Jim Hopkins said.

Nobody cares how we did in New York, Hopkins said. Nobody cares about other meets. This is the one that matters – on Saturday.

For the men, success usually rests with senior Jeff McCarthy and freshmen David Talbird and Matt Kascak. Hopkins said McCarthy is running the best he has ever seen, and, although they are a bit fatigued, he said the freshmen look good.

We looked tired at the ECAC/IC4A, McCarthy said. But the guys look like they’re getting the legs back. The freshmen are not used to this kind of training.

Hopkins said the determining factor at A-10s will be the results of the men whose finishes have been mediocre so far. If the middle runners – junior Mike Donaldson, senior Dan Uriano and sophomore James Moniz – can step up and push harder, then the team might just get the success it competes for day in and day out, Hopkins said.

The same factor is necessary for the women to succeed. Senior Julie Ann Laurance, sophomore Jenee Peterson and junior Erin Farrelly will look to finish well. But with the loss of freshman Yumi Cosbert, the middle runners for the Colonial women must push harder as well if GW is to put together a solid finish.