The well-traveled women's cross country team will head to the State Meet hosted by Colby this weekend after strong performances at the Connecticut College Invitational and the Open New England Championships in Boston.
The Bears fell just short of Colby in their second place finish on October 3, while last weekend found the Bears 28th out of 49 teams as they competed against both D-I and D-III teams in Boston.
Well-rested after a week off for the top-runners, the team prepared last Saturday to run against many of the best. The Bears quickly conquered the course, putting themselves up against some of the best of D-I and D-III teams.
The fast course took a scenic route through the Boston's Franklin Park as the Polar Bears sprinted to a 28th place finish amongst a field of 49 teams. Lindsay Hodge '10 finished 110th with a 19:34 and Christina Argueta '11 in 133rd with a 19:47. They were followed by Anna Ackerman '12 in 145th and Olivia MacKenzie '13 in 167th. The two put up a 19:51 and 20:03 respectively.
Boston afforded the Bears a chance to really measure themselves for the upcoming State Meet on October 17. With Bates finishing 13 points ahead of Bowdoin and Colby with 9 points, the stage is set for a very competitive meet giving Bowdoin an underdog shot coming in as the third seed. The Bears, however, look to improve on many aspects of their race before the State Meet in an effort to better their chances.
"We learned a lot from this race. I think we ran well, but we need more practice at racing in big crowds. It's easier to get lost and complacent in a big race. We won't get lost or be complacent this weekend in the state meet," said Slovenski.
The previous weekend of October 3 at Colby brought not only a tough challenge with the torrential rain, but also a chance for the top runners to rest their legs and afford others a chance to shine. The Bears disappointingly fell short of Colby with a 45 in the team score versus the 20 that Colby put up. The team did, however, outpace U-Maine Farmington's team score of 77.
The Polar Bears were paced by Yasmine White '11, who's 6:56 mile pushed her to a 21:32 finish which was good enough for fourth place. She was followed by Laura Newcomb '11 in 6th and Lindsey Horowitz '12 in 12th.
"I think our team did a great job running hard and staying positive despite the fact that it was pouring rain at Colby," said White. "It was a little disappointing that Colby beat us by a few points, but I think our team is improving a lot, so hopefully we can beat Colby this weekend at the State Meet."
Bowdoin will look to better its second-place finish in last year's State Meet as it competes against Colby, Bates and an array of other Maine teams.