2002 Season Outlook

The 2002 cross-country season should be filled with many challenges. With the loss to graduation of two of their top seven runners from the 2001 season, the lady mule pack will have to reestablish itself among the New England Division III rankings. Despite those losses the Colby cross-country team will expect to once again place itself amongst the top 10 teams in New England.

The nucleus of the team returns with senior captains Megan Hoar (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) and Ellen Whitesides (Winnetka, Ill.), both coming off strong 2001 seasons. Juniors Sarah Getchell (Cumberland, Maine), Mary Phelps (Piedmont, Calif.), and Cristina Sisson (Oakbrook, Ill.) ran consistently in the top five last year and will be looked upon to continue that trend in 2002. Sophomores Karina Johnson (Tolland, Conn.) and Wendy Sicard (Danville, Vt.) also ran consistently in the top seven and will play a big role in the success of the 2002 team. A number of returnees could find themselves vying for a top seven position including Anna Sommo (Appleton, Maine) and Elizabeth Turnbull (Wenham, Mass.), both coming off strong track seasons. The Colby harriers also will look for contributions from first-year runners, including Hillary Easter (Jay, Maine), Jessica Minty (Concord, Mass.), and Elizabeth Turner (Cape Neddick, Maine). With returning and new talent, the opportunity for a great season is in the hands of those who prepare themselves for the challenges ahead. The journey will be an exciting one.

Workouts and Campbell Trails

Colby's distance training program is divided into four to five phases, with each phase focusing on the improvement of a different energy system. Workouts are designed to improve cellular adaptation, improve running economy, increase maximum oxygen capacity, and elevate lactate threshold. The emphasis is on individual development. Heart rate monitors are used occasionally, to check correct intensity levels, and every effort is made to ensure that each individual is challenged without over- or under-training.

The greater Waterville area is a runner's haven. In addition to the Campbell Trails, a variety of dirt roads within the Belgrade Lakes area, local golf courses, and area trails provide an array of soft surfaces and varying terrain on which to train and endless miles of breathtaking scenery that is hard for the running enthusiast to resist.

Thanks to a gift from Judge and Mrs. Levin Campbell and their daughter, Eleanor '81, Colby has developed five miles of running trails over the 714 acre Mayflower Hill campus. The wood-chipped and grass-covered trails have been the site of state, NESCAC, and ECAC championship races.

About Campbell Trails