Courtesy of Brian Beard

The women’s cross country team finished seventh and the men’s cross country team finished eighth at the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton College last weekend. Bowdoin was led by Leila Trummel ’23, who earned All-NESCAC honors with her individual sixth-place finish. The teams hope to take the championship results in stride as they prepare for the NCAA East Regional races next weekend.

Stephanie Chun ’24, who finished twentieth in the women’s race, said that the championship was the most competitive meet Bowdoin has faced this season.

“I could tell all the other racers around me really wanted to win as badly as we did. I think I was trying to stay focused and stay calm in the sense of not overhyping the situation too much in my head. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in these bigger meets,” Chun said.

Trummel added that the team’s mentality was to compete with each other in mind throughout the meet.

“We had a long talk about how we were doing it for our teammates and how when it gets really hard, you should think of all the other people behind you in front of you. They’re working hard, too, because they trust you. You’re all going to come together to have this really special performance,” Trummel said.

Trummel said that the end of the race was a push, but it was well worth the struggle when she heard about her results.

“In the last 14 meters it was really tough, and I was pushing as hard as I could,” Trummel said. “[When I got sixth], I was really excited. I was really surprised, too, actually. Something that I’ve focused on this season is focusing on the process of racing and not necessarily the outcome.”

Will Goddard ’25 placed 21st in the men’s championship. He was surprised by the pace at the beginning of the race.

“The starting line was high…. Then it started downhill, so people got out fast. The whole field was moving quickly,” Goddard said. “Normally, you start out a little slower and then accelerate throughout the race. It was a super quick first mile.”

Goddard’s brother, Ziggy Goddard, runs at Middlebury College and was one of the competitors running alongside him.

“In the second mile, I saw that my brother was a bit ahead of me. So, I made a move to go get him, and I ran with him for most of the race,” Goddard said. “We grinded in the middle, and in the last mile … I was decelerating a bit, and he ended up beating me by a few seconds, which was kind of rough, but when I crossed the finish line, it was a personal record, which was nice.”

The meet represented years’ worth of hard work for some runners, including Sam Angevine ’24, who finished 23rd, just under seven seconds after Goddard.

“I think the best thing about our sport is the delayed gratification and that it sometimes takes a while to see results. But when you finally see those results, that is the best feeling in the world,” Angevine said.

Chun views the teams’ finishes as a confidence booster heading into regionals and a reminder that they are capable of getting the results they are striving for.

Trummel said the team is enthusiastic for the opportunity to race in such a big meet at home.

“It’s our biggest meet of the season,” Trummel said. “I’m really excited. I’m nervous, of course, but I’m really looking forward to being in the moment and racing. I’m looking forward to having some of my friends there, and my parents are coming … just having people there that I know and seeing them throughout the race. Regardless of my goals this season, on that day, I think I’ll have a lot to be proud of.”

The regional tournament will also be a chance for runners to individually qualify for nationals, but Goddard said the team is trying not to focus too much on the implications of their performances.

“We know [the regional tournament] is an important race,” he said. “My mindset going into it is the same as it was last weekend, but I’ll try to be a little wiser and use what I learned from this race.”

The NCAA East Regional will take place on November 12 at Pickard Fields.