FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EASTER EARNS ALL-NESCAC X-COUNTRY HONORS

LEWISTON, Maine — Bates College junior Justin Easter of Jay, Maine, finished fourth at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's cross country championships at Bowdoin College Oct. 27, earning first-team All-NESCAC honors for the first time in his cross country career.

Easter, a two-time All-American for the Bobcats in the steeplechase during the outdoor track and field season, has been the Bobcats' top finisher in five of their six races this season. He finished the 5K course in 25:14, shaving 16 seconds off his time from his second-place finish at the State of Maine championships on the same course three weeks earlier. Easter's previous best performance at the conference championships was last year, when he finished 17th overall. He will try to earn his third NCAA cross country championship appearance and seventh NCAA berth overall at the New England regional championships Nov. 10 at Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass.

Easter helped Bates to a fifth-place finish at the NESCAC meet, up from sixth place in 2000. Classmate Malcolm Gray of Bronxville, N.Y., was the Bobcats' second finisher, coming in 28th with a time of 26:17.

Easter is a 1999 graduate of Jay High School. He is the son of Randy and Jennifer Easter, North Jay, Maine.

For more information on Bates cross country, please visit our web site at http://www.bates.edu/sports/mxc.html.