Moore leads Bates women to seventh place at New Englands
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Kathryn Moore likely qualified for the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships. (Photo by Tom Leonard) |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Bates College had an outstanding day at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Women’s Cross country Championships, placing seventh out of 48 competing teams at Springfield College.
With 235 points, Bates was beaten only by nationally ranked Middlebury (73, Amherst (78), Williams (100), Tufts (118), Keene State (160) and Colby (214). The Bobcats, in turn, edged out such high-quality opponents as Smith (263), Connecticut College (271), Coast Guard (284), Bowdoin (305), Wheaton (335), Brandeis (359) and MIT (360).
“We ran unbelievably well,” said Bates head coach Jay Hartshorn. “I think if we were in any other region but New England, we would have made nationals as a team.”
Senior co-captain Kathryn Moore (Pelham, N.H.) finished 19th out of 321 competitors overall, covering the 6-kilometer course in 22:37.3 and likely qualifying for next weekend’s NCAA Division III Championships in Wilmington, Ohio, for the first time in her career.
The rest of Bates’ runners ran in a pack over most of the course, with excellent results. Junior Aviva Goldstein (Manchester, N.H.) was Bates’ second finisher, coming in 43rd with a time of 23:38.6. Close behind her were senior Emily Williams (Harvard, Mass.), who was 53rd in 23:47.7; first-year Esther Kendall (Ridgeway, Ontario), who was 59th in 23:55.2; junior Molly Balentine (Hampden, Maine), who was 61st in 23:57.6; senior Jen Caban (Bedford, Mass.), who was 72nd in 24:05.9; and first-year Abby Samuelson (Freeport, Maine), who was 107th overall in 24:48.8.