The temperature was a comfortable 70 degrees, the course is known for its flat terrain, and the women's cross country team knew they were in for a fast race.
And as the first five Polar Bears went through the first mile mark of the 5K course under, or close to, a six-minute-mile, it was clear that the race would end up being just that.
The women's squad placed 21st at Open New England's last Saturday, out of a field of 45 teams that included several Division I schools. Franklin Park, the Boston public park where the race took place, has earned a reputation among New England teams for particularly fast times run on it.
"It's a great place to run a personal record," said co-captain Courtney Martin '09. "The ground is solid, and there are only a couple of minor hills to work up."
Many of the squad's varsity runners had their last scheduled meet at Connecticut College, canceled due to thunderstorms, and were anxious to test out their legs after almost a month of all training and no racing. Feeling fresh, the runners went out in a hard first mile, continuing to work their way up through a field of 301 runners.
Annie Monjar '09 came in 22nd for the Bears with a time of 18:28, followed by 73rd place finisher Christina Argueta '11 in 19:08, and Martin, who finished 124th with a time of 19:43. Grace Kerr '11, Lindsey Schickner '09, and Anna Ackerman '12 crossed the finish line within 16 seconds of each other, in 174th, 185th, and 198th places, respectively. Rounding off the top seven was Holly Jacobson '11, who ran a personal best of 20:41.
Ackerman felt strong after her victory at the University of Maine-Farmington Invitational on October 4, leading the field by nearly 20 seconds. Jacobson, Lindsay Hodge '11, and Laura Newcomb '11 also helped to sweep that race, coming in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
With Open New England's under their belts, the Polar Bears now have a firmer idea of what competition will be like as they approach late-season championship meets.
"We made a good showing at the race," said Head Coach Peter Slovenski. "We were hoping to be a top-20 team, and I think we'll get there in the next month."
Among the teams that the Polar Bears will have to defeat in order to achieve that goal is Colby College, whose women's squad placed 13th at Opens. The two teams will meet this Saturday at Twin Brooks Parks, where the State of Maine Championship race will take place. Though the Bowdoin women will be underdogs of the meet, Slovenski, as well as co-captains Martin and Monjar, remain optimistic about the Bears' chances of success.
"We've done a lot of good hill training this season to get ready for the championships," Slovenski said. "All three of our major championships?the state meet, NESCAC, and NCAA regional?will be held on hilly courses. We've done tough workouts so we'll be ready for tough courses."
The state meet, hosted by University of Southern Maine and held on the notoriously soft and hilly Twin Brooks Park, will take place on Saturday. Bowdoin, the defending champions of the race, will attempt to stave off Colby and Bates, as well as a host of other Maine college teams, in an effort to hold its title as State of Maine champions.