Bates College

Senior captain Tara Ellard placed second on the team and 10th overall out of 221 competitors Saturday at the first-ever NCAA East Regional Championships, held at Franklin Park.

Ellard (Brewster, Mass.) raced to the finish in 23:18.4, earning All-East Region and All-New England honors.

The No. 16 nationally ranked Bates women's cross country team placed third out of 30 teams at the meet. 

For the third straight season and the seventh in team history, the Bobcats received an at-large invitation Sunday to compete as a team at the national championships this Saturday in Louisville, Ky.