The women's cross-country team has its sights set on outpacing both Colby and University of Maine-Farmington in this weekend's meet at Colby, after a strong performance last weekend. The Bears look to quicken the pace after a third-place finish last Saturday in the Connecticut College Invitational.
Strong performances from Christina Argueta '11, Olivia MacKenzie '13 and Anna Ackerman '12 helped propel the Bears through the Long Island Sound course in Waterford. Argueta snagged an 11th-place finish after managing to pass 20 runners over the final two miles of the race. She was followed by Mackenzie, who collected 15th, and Ackerman, who finished 19th.
"Our top five runners worked very well in this race. Sometimes it's been Lindsay who makes the best surge, and other times it's been Olivia. This week they all got out well, and it was Christina who led the pack. She found a great rhythm, and then she attacked the last two miles," said Head Coach Peter Slovenski.
In the team scores, the Polar Bears finished tied for third with Connecticut College at 92 points, only two points behind of second-place RPI. Brandeis, a nationally ranked team, paced the field with a 56. The strong performance of last Saturday gives Bowdoin momentum heading into the midway point of the season, as the team knows it can run with the best.
"The 6K course we ran on Saturday was very flat and fast; a nice break from the usual hilly course," MacKenzie said. "Our goal was to finish in the top three and we accomplished that, so overall it was a great day with awesome efforts from all the girls."
Looking ahead to Colby, the team will give its top five runners a chance to rest their legs, and give the other runners a chance to score. The meet also gives the team its first chance to see the course they will be running at the State Meet.
"Colby this weekend will be another meet to get further racing experience under our belts, give people that need it a rest, and give those who have yet to race a chance to get out on a course," said Argueta. "It will also be important to take a good look at the course as our State Meet is also at Colby."
The Bears will look to build momentum heading into the latter half of the season and the approaching championship meets.
A strong finish in Waterford has the Bears eagerly anticipating Colby and UMF on October 3. Also of note, the Colby meet will be the Polar Bears' last meet before heading to the Open New England Championships in Boston on October 10.