The second team goal is to finish in the top four in the NESCAC. As we stand now the team is fifth and the NESCAC and the ECAC Championships to make up ground on fourth place Amherst.

The third goal for the team is qualifying for the Divisions III National Championship, either as a team and as individuals. Head coach Deb Aitken feels very confident that she will be sending at the very least two individuals to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for nationals and possibly the entire team. The one-two punch for Colby this season has been awesome. Senior captain Sarah Toland (E. Orlands, MA) has been the Mules' leader all year with sophomore Maria Mensching (Newburyport, MA) right on her heels.

Coach Aitken points to junior Tiffany Frazer (Russell, MA) as a key to the team qualifying. Frazer has been a solid third runner for Colby all year, but will need help from the rest of the Colby pack which consistently trails her by about 30 seconds.

The number four runner for the Mules has been different almost every race. The duty has been shared by Katie Macdonald (Davers, MA, '02), Gayle Pageau (Northboro, MA, '02), Corey Dwyer (Daxbury, MA, '00) and Rachel Meiklejohn (Windsor, CT, '02). In order for the team to qualify for the national tournament, one or more of these four runners will have to step up to the challenge and run with Frazer.

The National Chamionship will take only the top three teams and the top eight individuals from the New England Division III Championships, held this year at U-Mass Dartmouth. Coach Aitken says she will be surprised if both Toland and Mensching do not qualify for the national race. As for the team, that will depend on the performace of our supporting cast.