Amidst the Bates women's track and field team's unexpectedly resounding victory at the Maine State Women's Indoor Championships in Merrill Gymnasium on Friday night, senior captain Colby Gail had the best meet of her career to date, winning two events and setting a new high jump standard for the 37-year-old meet.
Gail (Topsham, Maine) high jumped a career-best 5 feet and 6 inches to win the state title in the event for the second straight year. Gail's effort bested the 26-year-old meet record of 5-5, set in 1990 by Mellisa Brancely of the University of Maine, which no longer competes in the state championship meet. Gail is now tied for eighth place on the nationwide performance list in the event.
In addition to the 10 team points Gail scored in the high jump, she scored 10 more in the weight throw, thanks to a winning effort of 48-6.25.
The Bobcats won eight of the meet's 19 events and finished second in five others, winning by the largest margin of victory at the meet since 2009. It was Bates' second straight meet win, but only the second since 1984 and fifth overall since the meet began in 1979.
Bates travels to Boston University this Friday to compete in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
