Sophomore Elise Lambert pulled away for the victory in the final lap of the 4x800 relay, lifting the Bates women's track and field team into a tie with host Bowdoin for first place at the Maine State Indoor Women's Track & Field Championships Saturday night.
The dramatic finish allowed Bates to continue its string of state indoor meet titles to seven in a row. Bates tied Bowdoin for first place with 213 points apiece, followed by Southern Maine (95) and Colby (55).
Incredibly, minutes after the women's 4x800, the Bates men pulled the same feat, coming back from two points behind to tie Bowdoin with a win in the 4x800 relay.
Lambert (Amherst, N.H.) anchored the 4x800 after legs run by first-year Frieda Kickliter (Mobile, Ala.), first-year Elizabeth Patrick (Ipswich, Mass.) and first-year Maggie Marsh (Stratham, N.H.). She dueled with her Bowdoin counterpart over her first three laps before taking off and opening a wide lead in the final lap. Bates' time of 9:34.47 shattered the previous meet record time of 9:41.54 established by Colby in 2010.
Lambert also won the 600-meter run in a personal record time of 1:37.32 and placed second in the high jump (5'1.25").
