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Volume CXXXIII, Number 1 |
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Bang! Runners take off
BEN PEISCH
STAFF WRITER
In recent years, the Bowdoin men's cross-country team has achieved a high level of success under head coach Peter Slovenski. The Bears, having won five straight State of Maine titles and back to back NESCAC titles en route to two top-15 finishes at Nationals in 2001 and 2002, appear optimistic about their upcoming season despite having lost several talented runners last spring.
Team depth has been a strength of the Bowdoin cross-country program. The Polar Bears return three strong seniors: Kevin Doyle, who returns after spending a year in Ireland; Scott Herrick; and captain Taylor Washburn. The able-bodied junior class, consisting of Aaron Goldstein, Dan Hall, Patrick Hughes, Benjamin Peisch, and Joseph Sargent is well trained and ready to step up. The sophomore class of Andrew Combs, Evron Legall, Ben Martens, Jonah Popp, Michael Record, and Jeff Switchenko has learned many lessons from their first year of competition and return in top form. The promising freshman class composed of Jeb Bobseine, Robert Burns, Owen McKenna, and Eric Sofen has looked excellent in early season workouts and are poised to contribute in any way possible.
The competition will be savage as rivals Colby and Bates will fight tooth and nail to break the Bowdoin streak of five straight State of Maine championships. Traditional powerhouses Williams, Keene State, and Tufts will once again present formidable challenges to the men in black, as will up and coming competitives MIT, Wesleyan, Amherst, and Connecticut College. The men will have to maximize their potential by training and racing intelligently for the entire season, because only a precious few points will separate those winning tickets to Nationals from those who will stay home. The men have a long season ahead, but if their desire matches their talent, they will be a difficult group to beat in November.
The Bears open their season at Colby tomorrow before heading to New York
City for the NYU Invitational on September 20. The team will use these
early-season races to grow comfortable racing at a high level, as well
as familiarize themselves with the tactical racing that has been the key
ingredient for Bowdoin's success.
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