On Saturday at the first Bowdoin Invitational of the year the men’s cross-country team won its first race of the year, beating Tufts, Johnson & Wales University, Maine Maritime and the University of Maine at Farmington.
The women’s cross-country team came in second to Tufts but beat the three other schools competing in the invitational.
In the women’s race, Tufts dominated, claiming the first seven individual finishers; Lucy Skinner ’16 led the Polar Bears with an eighth place finish after spending the majority of the race in 15th.
Head Coach Peter Slovenski praised Skinner’s performance. He wrote in an email to the Orient, that Lucy had been injured over the summer while rock-climbing and is impressed by how far along she is in her recovery.
“Still, [Skinner] ran a very smart race,” wrote Slovenski. “She has been careful about her comeback. She’ll be up with some of the top Tufts runners by the end of the season.”
Tufts has the dominant women’s cross-country team in the NESCAC.
“Tufts is a very fast team that finished 13th in the NCAA last year,” wrote Slovenski. “They are currently ranked No. 14 in the nation.”
In the men’s race, Tufts had the first place individual finisher, but the Polar Bears took second through sixth places, with Kevin Hoose ’15 finishing as the fastest of the Bowdoin’s runners.
Camille Wasinger ’15 had a particularly dramatic performance. In the final few hundred yards of the race Wasinger narrowly surpassed two Tufts runners to improve her final position.
Both teams will attempt to repeat their impressive performances tomorrow at the second Bowdoin Invitational.