Johnson a repeat winner at State of Maine Championships
WATERVILLE, Maine — Bates College senior Dan Johnson (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) was the overall winner and led a balanced effort as the men’s cross country team placed second in the Maine State Championships Saturday at Colby College.
In very rainy and muddy conditions, Johnson led the pack for the second straight year at the event, covering the 8-kilometer course in 25:59. Johnson was 36 seconds ahead of second-place Andrew Combs of Bowdoin.
“That was an excellent time, particularly in these conditions,” said Bates head coach Al Fereshetian.
The Bobcats garnered 49 points, behind first-place Bowdoin College (24 points) and ahead of host Colby (67).
Earning all-state honors along with Johnson was Bates junior Steve Monsulick (Kents Hill, Maine), who placed seventh overall in 26:59.
Following Johnson and Monsulick were senior Matt Biggart (Cheshire, Conn.) in 12th place at 27:14, sophomore Matt Dunlap (Farmington, Maine) in 27:22 and sophomore Alex Whalen (South Salem, N.Y.) in 27:32.
“As a team, we ran a lot better than we did last week (at Open New Englands),” said Fereshetian. “The gap between our second and fifth runners was reduced by about 30 seconds.”
Bates will run at the NESCAC Championships Oct. 29 at Wesleyan University.
Find complete race results here.