The team of Isabelle Unger, Claire Markonic, Sarah Fusco, and Kallie Nixon set a new team record and notched the second fastest time in Division III this season with a time of 11:44.83 in the distance medley relay on Friday at Open New Englands, gaining Bobcat of the Week laurels for the week of Feb. 24 to Mar. 2 in the process.
A sophomore from Charlotte, Vt., Unger opened the relay for the Bobcats with the 1,200-meter leg with Markonic, a first-year out of Millerton, N.Y., following in the 400-meter second leg. Fusco, a product of Cheshire, Conn., and a junior, ran next in the 800 meters, and Nixon, a senior captain from Medfield, Mass., anchored the relay in the 1,600-meter leg.
Bates beat the former team record of Nixon, Tina Tobin, Fusco, and Elizabeth Arens of 11:49.57 set in 2012 and trailed only Division II Stonehill (11:41.79) at the meet at Boston University.
In all likelihood, the team will compete at the NCAA Division III Championships in Lincoln, Neb., later this month as only Wisconsin-Oshkosh (11:43.60) has registered a lower time in the event this season.
Prior to NCAAs, the Bobcats will next compete at the Last Chance Meet at Tufts (Thursday) and the ECAC Championships (Friday to Saturday).
