NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine -- The No. 10 nationally ranked Bates women's cross country team became the first Division III squad to win five straight Maine State Meets in a dominating first-place finish on their home course Saturday at Pineland Farms.

Junior Jillian Richardson (Auburn, Maine) took first place individually and was followed to the finish line by a host of teammates. Bates' signature depth again impressed as the Bobcats' top five runners all finished among the top nine individuals, while Bates' two displacers finished 10th and 13th overall, respectively.

Bates, ranked second in the NCAA East Region and 10th nationally, scored 27 points for first place. Colby, ranked sixth in the East, finished second with 46 points, and Bowdoin, eighth in the East, finished third with 76. Rounding out the team scoring were University of New England (113), Husson (154), Saint Joseph's (189), UMaine-Farmington (199), Southern Maine (217) and Thomas (253).

Bates has won each state meet since 2016, with no meet held in 2020. Only the University of Maine, which no longer participates in the meet, won as many as five straight Maine State Meets since the women's meet was first held in 1978.

Richardson covered the 5-kilometer course in 18:39, first out of 120 runners, to become Bates' first individual state champion since Katherine Cook in 2017. She was joined on the All-State team, comprising the top seven individuals, by senior Tara Ellard (Brewster, Mass.) in fourth place (19:01), junior Jordan Wilson (Medfield, Mass.) in sixth (19:10.8) and first-year Olivia Reynolds (Cumberland, Maine) in seventh (19:14.1). It is the second all-state honor for both Richardson and Ellard.

Bates junior Sarah Gallagher (Dummerston, Vt.) rounded out the team scoring in ninth place overall (19:24), and sophomore Jen Coseno (Sutton, Mass.) also finished inside the top 10 as Bates' first displacer (19:25). Sophomore Anne-Gamble Jennings (Richmond, Va.) was Bates' second displacer, in 13th place overall (19:48.5).

Bates will next race at the St. Joe's Invitational on Oct. 9 at 11am.