1999 Season Outlook

The 1999 cross country season looks promising for Colby. With five of their top seven runners returning form a very productive '98 season the White Mules will be setting their goals high. This past season Colby won the State Championship, placed fourth at the NESCAC championships, and placed an impressive third at the New England Division III Championships. In the coming season, Colby will aim to repeat as state champion and to capture a top-three team postion at the N.E. Division III Championships, which will earn them a trip to the NCAA Naionals. The competition will be fierce, with several strong teams vying for the top three positions, including Williams, Middlebury, Amherst, Brandeis, and Tufts.

The nucleus of the team returns with senior tri-captains Sarah Toalnd, Beth Haeussler and Corey Dwyer, all coming off strong '98 seasons. Toland was the Mules' top runner last fall, just missing an individual NCAA National spot with a sixth-place finish at the regional qualifier. Haeussler and Dwyer filled in the three through seven positions last year and are looking forward to strong, consistent performances in their senior campaigns.

Sophomore Maria Menshing established herself as Colby's second place runner in the '98 season. Mensching is coming of a strong spring season where she qualified for nationals in both the 3000- and 10,000-meter runs. Kaite Macdonald, another sophomore, who moved up to the third postion over the course of her first season at Colby, returns with two strong track seasons behind her in the multi events. Joining the top seven will be junior Tiffany Frazar, who ran consistently in the seventh spot throughout most of last seson and had an incredibly improved indoor and outdoor track season with personal records in the 3000- and 5000-meter runs. Frazar is expected to move higher into the top seven during her junior campaign. Several other returning runners will make bids for top spots in 1999, including senior Lauren McCarthy and sophomores Rachel Meiklejohn and Gayle Pageau.

With a host of first-year runners added to their roster, the White Mules will use their depth and experience to challenge for a top-three performance at the NCAA Regional Qualifier and hopefully earn a trip to the Nationals at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

• 1998

To receive more information on Colby Women's Cross Country, please contact Head Coach Deb Aitken by Email or by phone: (207) 872-3363.