Published : Thursday-November 18, 2004

Bobcats ready for nationals

When coach Al Fereshetian told his team about the many things that can derail a seemingly perfect season, he wasn't expecting all of them to happen to his team at once.

First it was freshman David Krause and a stress fracture. Then senior Mike Downing came down with Achilles tendinitis. Follow that with fatigue to Nick Hanson and Matt Daly, who Fereshetian admits may have trained too hard during the summer, and the team that many felt would be a lock for the NCAA Division III meet in Colfax, Wis. suddenly looked mortal.

They made it anyway.

Junior Dan Johnson, senior Joel Anderson and sophomore Steve Monsulick (who ran for Maranacook Community High School in Readfield) gutted out top-30 finishes at the New England Regional at Twin Brook last week to lift the Bobcats to a fourth-place finish and an automatic bid to the national meet.

"The team is really excited," said Fereshetian. "We came into the season with high hopes, but I always prepare a team for the worst to happen, just in case. We certainly had our share of bad news this season, but everyone hung with it."

Krause was one of the team's top runners as a freshman, but his injury sidelined him for the season early. Bates had been ranked in the top 10 in Division !! at one time, but started to slip after Krause, Downing, Hanson and Daly went down.

"At the NESCAC meet, we came in third, which most year's we'd be happy with," said Fereshetian, "but this year there was a sense of a letdown. Relatively speaking we were not pleased."

That's where the seniors came in. Captains Downing and Anderson took control of the team.

"They drew a line in the sand for the rest of the runners," said Fereshetian. "They told everyone what was happening, and gave everyone the confidence that we had started to lack.'

Even Downing, with pain in his ankle, ran the regional race. The Gorham native finished 34th overall and fourth among Bates runners, providing crucial points that helped Bates pull out the fourth-place finish, one that is even better, said Fereshetian, when you look at the number of underclassmen contributing to this team.

"Every class is represented in this lineup," said Fereshetian. "You have to look at it as encouraging when you have five guys coming back next year and you were able to make it to the NCAA meet this season."

Also running in the top seven for Bates at nationals will be former Mt. blue standout Matt Dunlap, currently a freshman.

"He just brings so much energy to this team," said Fereshetian. "When I found out he was coming here I was excited to have him. he is still adjusting go the distance that we win (eight kilometers instead of the five in high school), but given a year, I am expecting good things from him and from (fellow freshman) Harrison Little (who runs sixth for the Bobcats).

Monsulick developed in much the same way, starting out as a green freshman last season and now running second or third in his sophomore season.

Bates last appeared in the national meet in 1999, the only other appearance for the Bobcats under the current regionalized format. Seeded 17th, they finished 10th that year.

"That was a different team, because in that team we had clear front-runners," said Fereshetian. "This year, our pack is stronger than it was that year. I am hoping that between my four top guys, we can sneak one or two of them into the top 35, which would be All-American status. Honestly, though, to go to nationals with five guys that will be coming back next year, how can we not be excited? That is huge."

Even bigger, still, if the Bobcats come back with a solid performance.

Notes: Former Jay High School standout Hillary Easter is also headed to Colfax, Wisc. as part of the Colby College women's team, which is ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division III. Colby rose from 16th to ninth this week after upending then-No. 5 Amherst at the women's regional meet.

Who: Bates College mens' cross country team

What: NCAA Division III national meet

Where: Whitetail Golf Course, Colfax, Wisconsin

Host team: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

When: Saturday, November 20, 2004