FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BATES MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RANKED 23rd NATIONALLY

LEWISTON, Maine - For the second time in three years, the Bates College men's cross country team has earned a ranking in the preseason College Cross Country Coaches Association Division III poll.

The Bobcats, who were ranked 20th in the preseason in 1997, return five of their top seven runners from a year ago. Top returnees include seniors Matt Twiest of Albuquerque, N.M., and Michael Danahy of South Windsor, Conn., both of whom qualified for the NCAA cross country championships as individuals in 1998. Twiest is a two-time All-America who placed ninth in the nation as sophomore in 1997 and 17th last year as a junior, while Danahy made his first appearance at nationals last year, placing 56th. The Bobcats will also benefit from the addition of first-year runner Justin Easter of Jay, the 1998 Maine Principals' Athletics Association Class C champion.

Bates reached as high as 24th in the nation in 1998. The Bobcats finished third in the prestigious New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and eighth at the New England championships last year. There are five other New England colleges and universities represented in the preseason top 25, plus another three schools receiving votes.

"This preseason ranking is an honor for the program," said head coach Al Fereshetian, who begins his fifth year at the helm of the program. "New England is one of the deepest regions in the country. It will be a challenge to maintain a high ranking throughout the season, but this team is capable of not only living up to expectations, but surpassing them."

College Cross Country Coaches' Association Division III preseason poll
Rank	School (first-place votes)	Votes
1.	North Central (Ill.) (8)	200
2. 	Calvin (Mich.)			190
3.	Wisc.-LaCrosse			173
4.	Wisc.-Stevens Point		158
4.	Wisc.-Whitewater		158
6.	St. Johns (Minn.)		149
7.	Keene State (N.H.)		146
8.	Williams (Mass.)		144
9.	Nebraska Wesleyan		122
10.	Cortland (N.Y.) State 		120
11.	Puget Sound	(Wash.)		111
12.	Heidelburg (Ind.)		100
13.	St.Thomas (Minn.)		 98
14.	Brandeis (Mass.)		 97
15.	MIT (Mass.)			 89
16.	Tufts (Mass.)			 71
17.	College of New Jersey		 62
18.	Haverford (Pa.)			 57
19.	Carnegie Mellon (Pa.)		 56
20.	Wisc.-Oshkosh			 53
21.	Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)	 50
22.	Wabash (Ind.)			 40
23.	BATES (Maine)		 32
24.	Wisc.-Eau Claire		 16
25.	Washington (Mo.)		 15

Others Receiving Votes:  Coast Guard, Frostburg (Md.) State, Middlebury,
RIT, Augustana, Plattsburgh (N.Y.) State, St. Lawrence, Hope, Amherst,
Rowan.