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It doesn’t really matter who you are or what your reason is, but as a part of the University of Maine community, you probably don’t like the University of New Hampshire. Maybe they defeated your favorite Black Bear squad at some point or perhaps you just get a bad vibe from the sight of that wildcat logo. Regardless, UMaine and UNH do not get along in the collegiate sports world. This rivalry doesn’t take a day off, and it doesn’t skip over certain sports either. Friday’s cross country meet was an indication of that, as the men’s and women’s teams from the respective universities battled each other on the fields and in the woods of our home campus. The teams split victories in a meet that was as heated as the September sun.
The men started off the action on a scorching afternoon that had temperatures reaching toward the 80s. With star runner Donnie Drake still resting his injured knee and last week’s America East Men’s Runner of the Week David Englehutt also taking the day off, some younger team members were put into big-time roles and didn’t disappoint. Right out of the gate, UNH started fast as Josh Kearns burst to the front of the pack and had secured a sizable lead as the runners disappeared into the trail stage of the race. When they emerged, he still was out front, but with UMaine’s determined Chris Harmon right on his tail. Harmon closed the gap to just 20 meters but fell four seconds short, finishing in 25.32 and a well-earned second place finish.
“Running without Donnie and Dave is tough, but we need them healthy for the big meets down the road,” a tired but satisfied Harmon said after the race. “We’re confident with the guys on our squad, and we knew we had to run hard and do the best we could. I think guys stepped up in key situations and helped us out a lot today.”
One of those guys was Miles Bartlett, who came flying in after Harmon with a time of 26.19. After another Wildcat crossed the line behind Bartlett, Brendan Carr crossed the stripe for a 5th place finish. Corey Bean and Scott Batson rounded out the top five for the Black Bears with 8th- and 11th-place finishes, respectively. However, it was the sixth and seventh place finishes of the New Hampshire squad that clinched the tight victory, 26-29. But this undermanned UMaine squad revealed the potential they will have when their team regains its full health.
The women’s team was not to be denied, as they came out on top in a tense battle of their own. They were in a similar situation to the men, without top runner Jessica Belliveau, last week’s America East Women’s Runner of the Week. As the heat went down, the competition picked up and the early leaders of the race were mixed between both teams. But down the final stretch, Elonnai Hickok tore away for the victory in a time of 17:54, nearly a full minute ahead of New Hampshire’s top finisher Emily Osgood. Laura Brustolon was right behind her with her third place time of 19:04 and after another Wildcat runner crossed the line, UMaine’s Chelsea Leeman sprinted through in fifth. Jolene Belanger and Sabrina Petri finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Their times secured the 26-29 victory for the women.
While the top three separated themselves from the pack a bit, the next seven runners finished just 17 seconds apart from one another, showing this was a true battle to the end. For the Black Bear women, it was their second victory of the year.
The season will kick into full gear this weekend, as the Murray Keatinge Invitational will be hosted right here in Orono. This meet will attract schools from as far away as California. The men’s and women’s teams both hope to build off their momentum and perform well at this prestigious invitational.
Bangor Daily News