The peace and serenity of the woods behind the Bowdoin athletic fields was briefly interrupted last Saturday as runners in the 2010 Maine State Intercollegiate Cross-Country Championship blazed through in pursuit of victory.
Bowdoin's new and difficult course, featuring a treacherous gully, proved to be a benefit to the men's cross-country team.
At the end of the meet, the Polar Bears placed five runners among the top eight finishers, resulting in the sixth-lowest winning score in the history of the meet.
First year powerhouse Coby Horowitz led the pack once again for the Polar Bears, edging out a runner from Bates by less than a second in the last 50 meters of the race.
His spectacular finish at the championship meet earned him the honor of being named NESCAC Cross-Country Performer of the Week.
Other Bowdoin runners in the top eight were Stan Berkow '11 in third, Colin Ogilvie '12 in fifth, Sam Seekins '14 in sixth and Nick Saba '14 in eighth.
The home course advantage was a key factor in the Polar Bears' crushing victory.
In his blog, Coach Peter Slovenski described the final stretch of the new course as "completely lined on both sides with parents, Bowdoin alumni, Bowdoin students, women runners, and Frisbee players to watch a furious final sprint to the wire."
"It's a very spectator-friendly course," said Horowitz. "It's nice to have the home field advantage."
On October 30, the cross-country team will make its way to the NESCAC Championship at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where it hopes to build on its strong season.
The momentum carrying from this weekend's victory will be a strong factor in their approach to the race.
"The team has a lot of discipline and commitment," said Slovenski.
The Polar Bears will try to maintain that discipline, along with their momentum that they gained last weekend, to drive themselves towards victory at NESCACs.