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• Program Notes
• 2004 Results
• 2004 Roster

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Program Notes

Seniors Michael Downing (will captain the Bobcats for the second year in a row in 2004.

The Bates College men's cross country team provides student athletes with an opportunity to compete at individual, regional and national levels. The team has had at least one individual qualifier for the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship for the last nine years, including the 1999 season, when the Bobcats qualified as a team.

Athletes are expected to set challenging yet achievable individual and team goals. It is up to each member of the team to work towards those goals with guidance from the coaching staff. The program also emphasizes the importance of finding balance in life. Student-athletes are expected to establish priorities with their commitment to academics first.   Beyond that they need to be committed to the goals and objectives of the cross country team. This is an environment that allows athletes and coaches develop a relationship of mutual respect, and provides each student-athlete the opportunity to excel academically and athletically.

The season begins with several open invitationals in September and early October. The championship portion of the season lasts about a month, with the team vying for Open New England, State of Maine, New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and ECAC titles before competing for a spot at the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Championship at the New England Regional Championship.

Steve Monsulick was an individual qualifier for the NCAA Championship as a rookie in 2003.

2003 Recap/2004 Outlook
The Bobcats will return all six of the seven runners who led the team to a sixth-place finish at last year's regional championship. Steve Monsulick '07 (Kents Hill, Maine) qualified for nationals as an individual, and the team was just two positions shy of qualifying as a group.

Bates will have strong veteran leadership as they look to repeat as State of Maine champions in 2004. Michael Downing '05 (Gorham, Maine), who along with Monsulick, earned All-New England honors in 2003, will lead a group of six seniors. The 2004 team will also be bolstered by the return of track captain Joel Anderson '05 (New Brighton, Minn.) who missed the 2003 season.