Women's Cross-Country—Season Overview

2009 Season Outlook

Colby College's Deb Aitken returns for her 25th year as head coach of women's cross country and once again should have a team consistently ranked in the national top 20.

The Mules head into the season ranked 17th in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll. Colby was fourth in the preseason New England Region poll.

The Mules finished 17th in the country in 2008 at the NCAA meet after placing 11th in 2007. Aitken returns most of her top runners from last year's squad, including Cassi Knight '10. She just missed All-America honors after placing 36th (top 35 earn honors) at the national meet. Katrina Gravel '10 was 49th at the NCAA meet, while Emma Linhard '11 took 77th at nationals.

Colby finished third among NESCAC schools at the NCAA meet after placing fourth at the NCAA New England Regional Qualifier. The Mules also were third at the league meet.

Knight took 12th at the New England regional and was 17th at the conference meet. Gravel placed 16th at the regional and 19th at the league meet. Linhard, who helped Colby win the Maine State title by placing second overall, was 23rd in the regional meet and 20th at the NESCAC run.

Mandy Ivey '10 also returns for the Mules after some solid finishes a year ago. Heather MacDonald '10 is running cross country for the first time,  but could secure a top-seven position. Nora McCall '11 and Greta Wells '11 had some strong finishes as well last year, while Jessica Mullaney '11 and Robyn St. Laurent '12 also return.

First-year runners Berol Dewdney and Morgan Lingar will battle for top-seven spots. Aitken also hopes for solid finishes from first-years Laura Duff, Megan Flaherty, Virginia Keesler, Brittany Colford, and Layne Schwab.

 

2008 Season Outlook

With two consecutive fifth-place finishes at the NCAA Division III Championship meets in 2004 and 2005, two individuals and an All-American in 2006 and an 11th place team finish in 2007, Colby has established itself as one of the top teams in the country. The 2008 team is expected to be a strong contender for another run for nationals.

Despite the graduation of four runners from the 2007 team, the Colby Mule pack returns a strong nucleus—five of its top seven runners from a year ago.

Co-captain Devan FitzPatrick '09 (Greenwich, Conn.), a top-seven runner for the past three years, had some injury and illness issues for much of the 2007 season, but should return from a semester abroad ready to be a factor in the top five. Co- captain Jen MacDowell '09 (Portland , Maine ) established herself as a top-seven runner in the last year and had her best race at nationals with a sixth-place finish. Kathleen Maynard ’09 (Jackson, N.H.), the number-three runner in the 2006 season, returns to the team after studying abroad during the 2007 season and will bring strength and experience to the top seven. Hannah Taska ’09 ( Lowell , Vt. ) is another senior who could be vying for a top-seven spot.

A strong group of juniors will add depth to the top seven. Mandy Ivey '10 (Oxford, Maine ), the lead runner in 2007, should vie for the top spot again in 2008. Cassie Knight ’10 (Concord, Mass.) had an amazing season last year, finishing second for the team at nationals and was the 46th individual to cross the finish line. Katrina Gravel ’10 ( Peabody , Mass. ) remained a top-seven runner throughout the season and should be a factor again in the team’s success.

Emma Linhard '11 (Brunswick, Maine) made an impact in her first year at Colby as a consistent top-five runner, including finishing fourth among Colby runners at the national meet, and then she gained a great deal of confidence in Colby's indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. 

The Colby harriers will also look for contributions from returning runners Jeanne Loftus '11 (East Falmouth , Mass. ), Nora McCall ’11 ( Silver Spring , Md. ), Jessica Mullaney ’11 ( Higganum , Conn. ), Debbie Merzbach ’11 ( Rochester , N.Y. ), and Greta Wells ’11 ( Seattle , Wash. ).