The women's cross-country team will look to rebound this coming weekend at the NESCAC Championships at Trinity College after falling short of Colby in the State Meet last Saturday. The Bears' second-place finish in an eight team field did, however, put them in a competitive position as the meet at Trinity approaches.
The trip to Hartford will yet again put Bowdoin up against the best of the best. A good performance at the NESCAC Championships will only help the Bears at the New England D III Championship in Cumberland, Maine on November 14th. Tuning their speed and running a smart race will be the focus for the Bears in the upcoming weeks as they enter the latter half of their season.
Last weekend, perfect running weather in Waterville gave the Bears a prime opportunity to challenge Colby after falling short of them in both the New England Championship on October 10th and at Colby on October 3rd.
Unfortunately Mayflower Hill, the hilliest course the Bears had seen all season, presented a big challenge. The team could not capitalize but did succeed in defending their second-place finish from last year to remain a force in the Maine cross-country scene.
"We ran very tough and intelligently on the uphills and the downhills," said Coach Peter Slovenski. "That's a challenging course, and we came through with our best race of the season."
Last Saturday's second-place finish with 44 points put Bowdoin just out of reach of Colby's 31. The Bears raced competitively, placing four runners in the top ten spots, with all finishing under the 20 minute marker and within nine seconds of each other.
It was senior Lindsay Hodge who grabbed 4th along with junior and co-captain Christina Argueta right on her heels in fifth. Sophomore Anna Ackerman's fast feet propelled her to the No. 8 spot followed by first year Olivia Mackenzie in No. 9. Both runners helped Bowdoin stay above Bates in the team score.
"Our front pack of four worked extraordinarily well together," said Hodge. "If we are able to get a fifth runner up with this pack, I think our team can run with some of the best in New England."
Teamwork helped the Bears to their second-place finish as Ackerman, MacKenzie, Argueta, and Hodge took turns leading during different sections of the course.
The team was the first to have four runners cross the finish line. Unfortunately, they were edged out by Colby's efforts in being the first to finish five runners.
The Bears first taste of the big stage at the State Meet is only a precursor to the big meets that are rapidly approaching in their schedule.
With the NESCAC Championships followed by the New England Division III Championships, Bowdoin hopes to be running in peak condition. Colby's hilly course provided the team another chance to run hills which will also play a role in the upcoming NESCAC meet at Trinity.
"The NESCAC race is also on a ...hilly course, so we'll continue to practice our uphill and downhill running. The team is getting...faster every week," said Slovenski.