Women's cross country sixth at ECAC Championships
November 3, 2007

From left to right: Chloe Bourne '11, Elizabeth Rowley '11, Alexandria Alberto '11, Megan McClelland '11, Alison Leonard '10, coach Jay Hartshorn, Caroline Ginsberg '08 and Katie Bash '10. (Tom Leonard photo)
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The Bates College women's cross country team showed off its impressive depth on Saturday at the ECAC Division III Championships, finishing sixth overall out of 31 scoring teams.

Bates scored 181 points, nine behind Colby for fifth place and ahead of competition such as Coast Guard in seventh (230), Keene State (264), Connecticut College (270), Vassar (316), Tufts (327) and Springfield (365).

Sophomore Katie Bash (Wallingford, Pa.) covered Williams College's 6-kilometer course first for Bates, 25th overall out of more than 200 runners, in 24:04.8. Close behind her her first-years Alexandria Alberto (Concord, Mass.) and Elizabeth Rowley (Evanston, Ill.), in 26th and 31st overall in 24:05.9 and 24:14.6, respectively.

Finishing the top seven for the Bobcats were first-year Megan McClelland (Keene Valley, N.Y.) at 24:51.9, senior co-captain Caroline Ginsberg (Belfast, Maine) in 24:54.9, first-year Chloe Bourne (Litchfield, Conn.) in 25:09.5 and sophomore Alison Leonard (North Granby, Conn.) in 25:47.7.

Head coach Jennifer "Jay" Hartshorn was elated by the Bobcats' performance, pointing out that each runner lowered by at least 40 seconds her time from a week beforehand at the same course at the NESCAC Championships, and that Bates bettered its place from the 2006 ECACs by five places, from 11th. "Everyone competed extremely well, and there was tremendous teamwork at play," said Hartshorn.

Bates competes at the New England Division III Championships at Connecticut College next Saturday at 11 a.m.

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