BATES WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY FINISHES THIRD AT N.E. CHAMPIONSHIPS, EARNS TEAM BERTH AT NATIONALS
 

LEWISTON, Maine -- For the second time in three years, the Bates College women's cross country team placed third at the NCAA New England Regional Championships at Gorham Country Club in Gorham, Maine, to earn a berth at the NCAA Championship Meet, held Nov. 22 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.

The Bobcats were paced by a trio of All-New England performances. Senior co-captain Abby Phelps of Chester, N.H., finished the 3.1 mile course sixth overall in 19:11, her third-fastest time of the season. This was the first race of the season in which Phelps was Bates' first finisher. She earned her third consecutive All-New England honor.

Junior All-American Adelia Myrick ofKodiak, Alaska, finished 10th overall in 19:25. Myrick finished 15th at last year's NCAA Championship meet, making her the third women's cross country All-American in school history. Myrick finished sixth at New England last year and 10th in her first season at Bates.

Senior co-captain Kim Walker of Hampton, N.H., was the Bobcats' third finisher, taking 16th place in 19:35, missing a season-best performance by nine seconds. This is the first time Walker has earned All-New England status.

Bates' fourth finisher was first-year harrier Jessica Young of Thetford, Vt., who placed 39th overall with a time of 20:19. Young missed reaching the top 35 and All-New England status by just four seconds, despite having never run cross country at any level prior to this season.

Rounding out the Bobcats' scoring was juniorLauren Nally of South Dennis, Mass. Nally finished 70th in 20:55, marking the second meet this season in which she has scored. Right behind Nally was the next two Bates finishers, first-year runners Kristine Oelberger of Stow, Mass., and Ellen Humphrey of Lexington, Mass., who finished 71st and 72nd in 20:56 and 20:58, respectively.

Coach Carolyn Court's squad finished with 139 points, behind Middlebury College (80 points) and Williams College (91 points). At the 1995 NCAA Championships, the Bobcats finished in 18th place. Click here for full results.