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The University of Maine cross country team will host the annual Murray Keatinge Invitational this weekend. The meet is traditionally UMaine’s largest cross country event, attracting teams from across the country.
Several major colleges are set to compete in the invitational, including the defending champion Duke women, ranked 20th in the nation, and the New Hampshire men. They will join schools like Boston College – boasting the 25th-ranked men’s team in the country – Yale, Holy Cross and Dartmouth, led by senior North Yarmouth native Ben True, one of the best runners in recent Maine history.
Junior runner Miles Bartlett, who opted not to compete at last week’s dual meet, hopes the time off will help him compete with True in the later stages.
“With Ben True in the race, I won’t think about making a move until very late,” Bartlett said. “If I’m still close, I’ll probably have to wait until 400 meters to make my move.”
Bartlett believes the layout of UMaine’s course will challenge runners from every school.
“Maine is a flat course, but it’s actually quite slow,” he said. “The hard-packed ground really puts a beating on your legs, and the winding turns break momentum if you’re not out front.”
Freshman powerhouse Riley Masters believes the trail will provide UMaine runners with a major strategic boost.
“Running here at Maine is definitely going to be a huge advantage,” Masters said. “We all know the course so well, and the fact that it is flat should benefit me; I run much better when there aren’t hills to climb.”
Masters has already planned a special strategy to account for the upgrade in competition.
“My plan for this meet is to find one of the top runners and stick with them as long as I can,” Masters said. “Hopefully I can stay with them through four miles and use my speed in the final mile to run a fast time.”
Masters chose not to compete last weekend as well.
Also looking to make a difference for the men, juniors Chris Harmon and Corey Bean have consistently performed well for the Black Bears. Senior Captain Chuck Therriault, freshman Noah Schoneberg and senior Dave Englehutt have also scored for the men in recent weeks.
Freshman Corey Conner will look to continue her streak of exceptional performances and lead the women’s team to a solid finish.
“I think running against these really good schools is more exciting … [It] does add some intimidation, but I’m more excited to get the chance to run against them,” Conner said.
Conner’s training over the last week has been tailored toward a quicker start.
“One thing I’m gonna have to be ready for is going out a lot faster than normal … since there will be really fast girls there,” Conner said. “Last week we worked on going out in our first part of the race faster, than we are used to, because that’s generally what happens in big races like this one.”
Hilary Maxim, another driving force behind the women’s team’s success this season, is prepared for a breakout race.
“Mentally, I feel great. I know I can run faster and I really want to; I just have to do it,” Maxim said. “I have been a little sore lately, but I feel like I’m in really good shape.”
Conner and Maxim will be supported by senior Captain Stephanie Jette and a bevy of emerging junior runners. Juniors Vanessa Letourneau, Chelsea Leeman and Allie Conner have scored for the women at meets earlier this year.
The women’s race begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, and the men will follow at 10:45 a.m.
