The women's cross country team finished sixth at the NESCAC Cross Country Championship behind five ranked teams that participated in the event. The team only finished four points away from the team in fifth place and 17 points away from the team in fourth.
"These are very small differences in score in a meet this size, so we will definitely look to challenge teams at the New England regional meet," said Yasmine White '11.
"It was a muddy course, which can demoralize any runner, but the Bowdoin runners showed a lot of determination in the way they competed in the mud," head coach Peter Slovenski said.
First year Carolyn Baskir, who passed 25 runners during the race, said the less than ideal conditions caused runners to compete without any expectations for times but rather to run for places. Baskir finished ninth at the race, beating the top finishers of Tufts and Colby.
"I ran the race exactly how [the team and I] had planned it," she said. "I was happy to come in ninth place and to know that I can run a strategic race...starting slow and passing people than going out fast and trying to hold my position."
Slovenski noted that there are a few adjustments that should be made.
"We haven't put everything together yet for our best team race," he said. "If we can get our top five runners to have a good race on the same day, we'll be one of the top six teams in the regional championship."
The top seven runners on the team will represent the women's cross country team in two weeks at Williams for regionals. There, the team or individual players can qualify for nationals.
"The next meet is what really matters," said Grace Kerr '11. "We are going to put everything we have into it. We have been working up to this meet and I think we will be the best we have been."
Even with an eye toward the end of season meets, the team still aspires to the goals it set at the beginning of the season.
"One of our goals was to have no regrets at the end of the season and to be proud when we look back at our accomplishments," said Madelena Rizzo '14. "We will remain supportive of each other and very cohesive, which greatly helps performance."
"We can definitely beat Tufts, for we have before, but Colby will be a challenge," Baskir added. "Everyone will have to run to their potential, run smart and work together. We can't control how well other teams race, all we can do is give our strongest effort and hope to exceed."
Captain Christina Argueta '11 said the team's goal of finishing in the top five in the region is still reachable, but it depends on the team's finishing effort.