Four years ago, the Colby men’s cross country team finished 11th — last place — at the New England Small College Athletic Conference championships. The next year, the Mules moved up to 10th.
Last Wednesday, the latest Division III men’s cross country poll was released, and Colby was ranked sixth in the nation.
Colby has won two of its four meets this season. The Mules tied Bates, ranked No. 23 in the country, in their season opener. On Sept. 20, Colby finished second to Middlebury. At that meet, the Mules were without Jeff Hale of Waterville and sophomore standout David Chelimo. A week later, Hale and Chelimo were 1-2 among Colby runners as the Mules placed first in a 24-team meet at Williams. At that meet, Colby had each of its five scoring runners finish in the top 18, with Charlie Coffman, Ben Lester and Silas Eastman rounding out the scorers.
The Mules are in action each of the next two Saturdays. They’re at the Open New England Championships in Boston this weekend. A week later, it’s the Maine State Championships in Farmington.
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The University of Maine field hockey team is playing a “Melanoma Awareness Game” on Saturday against Yale. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the Black Bears are hoping to raise $5,000 for the Melanoma Foundation of New England.
The team previously held a Middle School Play Day and raised over $1,200. To donate to the cause, you can visit the team’s fundraising page.
After Tuesday afternoon’s 5-2 win over Dartmouth, Maine is 6-6 and has won four straight. The Black Bears have seven local players on their roster: Adriana Martineau, Nicole Sevey, and Jess Skillings (Skowhegan), Lynnae Luettich (Messalonskee), Marissa Shaw (Nokomis), and Becca Paradee (Gardiner).
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The UMaine-Farmington field hockey team has a stretch of 13 days with only one game — but that game is a huge one. On Saturday, UMF hosts Husson at noon.
Both teams are 2-0 in conference play, with one of those wins against Castleton. The Beavers came from behind for a dramatic 5-4 victory over Castleton, while Husson beat the Spartans, 5-0. The game being in Farmington is an advantage for the Beavers. UMF plays on a somewhat bumpy grass field, while Husson plays its home games on turf.
UMF is 6-3 overall. Freshman Carly Raymond has eight goals, including two game-winners, in nine games. Chelsea Morley and Messalonskee graduate Mara Balboni have five goals apiece. Morley also leads the Beavers with five assists, while Mt. Blue grad Sarita Crandall has three.
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The Maine Majestix club field hockey team has 12 local players on Division I rosters. Oddly enough, three of those are at Bryant University, where Skowhegan’s Mikayla Fitzmaurice and Megan Hancock and Winslow’s Bethany Winkin are all starters. Kents Hill grad Maya Bentley, a Readfield native, plays at St. Louis. Most of UMaine’s local players spent time in Majestix, as did Skowhegan’s Sarah Finnemore, who now starts for Harvard, and Skowhegan’s Allie Lancaster, a freshman at Providence.
Majestix is run by Amy and Brian Bernatchez. Their two daughters both play Division I field hockey. Kristy Bernatchez is a starter at the University of North Carolina, which is ranked No. 1 in the country, while Katie starts for Boston University.
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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