After a victory over Bates to open the season, the men's cross-country team will once again have a chance to prove their mettle when it competes in its first major meet of the 2009 season this Saturday at the Connecticut College Invitational held at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut.
"After a dual meet on a hilly course [against Bates], we're ready for a big invitational on a flat course," said Head Coach Peter Slovenski. "There are a lot of things to try out and learn about cross-country racing, so we're ready to learn some new things this weekend."
In addition to producing another strong performance, Bowdoin also hopes to utilize Saturday's meet to build momentum that will carry the team throughout the rest of the season.
"Conn. is just another tune up. There will be some serious competition there, but we're just looking to get a little faster each week," said Colman Hatton '10. "This team is all about running fast in November."
The team looks to build on its victory over Bates at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine last Saturday.
It was the men's cross-country team's official beginning to the 2009 season, and the Polar Bears edged rival Bates in a dual meet, 111-101.
Though Bates had three of the top-four finishers in the race, the Polar Bears's depth proved to be the difference.
Led by senior co-captains Hatton and Thompson Ogilvie, Bowdoin proceeded to take eight of the top twelve finishes overall to earn the win. Stan Berkow '11, Colin Ogilvie '12, and Scott Longwell '12 also played crucial roles by finishing fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
"The team looked great this weekend. The first meet of the year is mostly just to get some experience and remind yourself what it's like to race," said Hatton. "As such, we knew we didn't want to beat Bates from the front—that will come later in the season. We were counting on our depth to carry us through. We ended up with eight of the top 12 places, and that was big."
With this impressive showing to start the season, the team believes it has a good foundation to build upon in preparation for future meets.
"Bates is a really strong team this year and this has shown us that we are one of the top programs in New England now," said Ogilvie. "We are still in the base building period of the season, but our development is looking good so far."
"Our team will be very fast and tough if we can stay healthy," said Slovenski. "Staying healthy is the top priority, and it's tough to do while running eighty miles a week and trying to avoid anyone with swine flu."