Women’s cross country sweeps class wave races at Colby
Hannah Zeltner ’16 (center) had the fastest time on the team as Bates women’s cross country swept Colby in two class wave races in Waterville. Elena Jay ’15 was third in the First-Year/Sophomore race. (Photo by Tom Leonard ’78)
WATERVILLE, Maine — The Bates women’s cross country team started the 2012 season by turning the tables on rival Colby in the annual Bates-Colby Class Wave Races, sweeping both the First-Year/Sophomore and Junior/Senior races from the Mules on their 3-mile home course.
With the higher score winning (in contrast to typical cross-country team scoring), Bates won the Juniors/Seniors race by a convincing 33-24 score, and also defeated the Mules 30-25 in the First-Years/Sophomores battle, for a 63-49 combined win.
Colby, rated ninth in New England in the USTFCCCA preseason rankings, edged Bates in both races a year ago at Pineland Farms.
“We ran really smart races,” said head coach Jay Hartshorn. “Everybody got off to good paces and were able to maintain them.
First-year Hannah Zeltner (Bedford, N.H.) won the First-Year/Sophomore race with Bates’ fastest time of the day, 18:39.18, over 21 seconds ahead of the runner-up from Colby. Sophomore Elena Jay (West Hartford, Conn.) finished third overall in 19:18.79, and Bates’ scoring (top five) wrapped up with sophomore Erica Gagnon (Weymouth, Mass.) fourth in 19:35.00, first-year Addie Cullenberg (Farmington, Maine) seventh in 20:29.08 and first-year Isabel Ferguson (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) 10th in 20:42.03.
Bates junior Gabby Naranja (Fort Kent, Maine), who transferred to Bates this year from St. Michael’s (Vt.) College, led the Bobcats with a second-place showing in the Junior/Senior race, trailing only Colby senior Berol Dewdney, 18:36.65 to 18:48.19. Naranja also was the winner of the women’s Alumni Race a week ago. Senior captains Alicia Fannon (Haverhill, Mass.) and Amanda Solch (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) were a strong third and fourth, in 18:52.90 and 19:02.50. Junior Mira Carey-Hatch (Laconia, N.H.) and junior Andrea Fischer (Williamstown, Mass.) were sixth and ninth, respectively, in 19:23.72 and 19:46.47.
The Bobcats next host Tufts in the Bates Invitational next Saturday, Sept. 15, at 11am at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.
MEET RESULTS (PDF)