For the fourth time ever and the first time since 2008, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ cross country programs get to host the NESCAC Championships this Saturday at Pineland Farms. The men race at noon and the women race at 1:00 p.m.

Both the men and the women won the Maine State Championship this year, and both squads show up in the national rankings, with the men ranked 28th and the women ranked 14th in all of Division III.

“We’re super excited,” women’s captain Callie Reynolds ’18 of West Hartford, Conn. said. “We found out last fall and at first it was exciting and then it was scary because it’s a 6K at Pineland which is a lot considering how intense the hills are there. But now it’s back to exciting again!”

Pineland Farms gives the Bobcats a great home course advantage.

“At Pineland, it’s super windy (as in curvy) and confusing and it took me and I’m sure a lot of people almost a year to figure it out,” says men’s captain Zach Magin ’18 of West Hartford, Conn.

Reynolds points out that the Bobcats’ knowledge of the course means they are able to pace themselves properly.

“Hopefully at the end of the race when everyone else is dying we’ll be able to be like ‘I know this hill and I can finish strong!'”, says Reynolds.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College junior Justin Easter of Jay, Maine, finished 19th out of 215 runners Nov. 17 at the NCAA Division III cross country championships at Augustana College, earning his first All-America honor in cross country and the third overall in his career.

Easter finished the five-mile course in a lifetime best 24:43. Running near the 30th position after four miles, he ran 4:41 in the final mile to improve nearly 15 spots. “Justin ran a fantastic race,” said head coach Al Fereshetian. “The conditions were difficult, around 70 degrees. That made his peformance all the more impressive.”

Easter was the fourth runner from New England to finish the race and the ninth junior. His previous best finish at the NCAAs was in 37th place last year.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College junior Justin Easter of Jay, Maine, finished 19th out of 215 runners Nov. 17 at the NCAA Division III cross country championships at Augustana College, earning his first All-America honor in cross country and the third overall in his career.

Easter finished the five-mile course in a lifetime best 24:43. Running near the 30th position after four miles, he ran 4:41 in the final mile to improve nearly 15 spots. “Justin ran a fantastic race,” said head coach Al Fereshetian. “The conditions were difficult, around 70 degrees. That made his peformance all the more impressive.”

Easter was the fourth runner from New England to finish the race and the ninth junior. His previous best finish at the NCAAs was in 37th place last year.