The men’s and women’s cross-country teams open their 2005 seasons Saturday. The men are competing at the Georgetown Invitational while the women are running at the Fordham Invitational.

The Eli women, which return top runner Lindsay Donaldson ’08, finished runner-up at last year’s Invitational.

“It’s pretty much a race to see where we’re at,” captain Katie Matlack ’06 said. “Everyone has been working really hard and is looking at the season with a long term vision … We’re not as much concerned with the results as come November.”

Donaldson, who finished sixth in the 6,000-meter at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships, is expected to lead the Bulldogs as they try to improve upon last year’s third place finish at the Heptagonal Championships.

Cara Kiernan ’07, who also competed at last year’s NCAA Championships, has been struggling with injuries since last winter and it is uncertain when she will return.

The men, meanwhile, must try to make up for the loss of two of their top runners, namely Lucas Meyer ’05 and Casey Moriarty ’05. The pair finished second and fourth, respectively, at Heps last year.

The men’s and women’s golf teams play their first matches of the fall this weekend as well. The women are playing at the Notre Dame Invitational. The men travel north for the Dartmouth Invitational. Both tournaments begin Saturday.

The co-ed sailing team is racing in multiple events this weekend, including the Great Herring Pond Open, the Pine Trophy Sloop and the Captain Hurst Bowl.

The Bulldogs started the 2005-06 season last weekend at the Harry Anderson Regatta, where they finished sixth out of 24 teams.

The women’s sailing team, which tied for second at last year’s national championships, is at the Man-Labs Trophy and Captains Cup this weekend.

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