Bates College

First-year Claire Markonic finished third in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships this past weekend, gaining Bobcat of the Week accolades for the week of Apr. 28 to May 4.

A native of Millerton, N.Y., Markonic took the bronze in the event behind a time of 57.63 seconds, finishing 0.01 seconds ahead of fourth-place finisher Emily Doyle of Colby. With the performance, Markonic moved from third to second into Bates’ all-time list, passing junior Sarah Fusco. Dana Lindauer ’11 stands as the only runner ahead of Markonic with a school-record time of 56.74.

The Webutuck High School graduate scored six points with her finish, helping the Bobcats accumulate 45 points as a team to finish in fifth out of 33 schools. Tufts (50 points) and Middlebury (47) came in third and fourth respectively while Worcester State (42) was sixth.

Markonic and the Bobcats return to action at the Open New England Outdoor Championships from Friday to Saturday at Westfield State in Westfield, Mass.