BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Senior Nathaniel Aronson took first place individually and the Bates men's cross country team turned in a massive performance, winning the Maine State Championship for the third straight year Saturday, topping a field of 12 teams at Pickard Field Cross Country Course. 

The University of Maine made a rare appearance at the meet, sending their top runners. And the Bobcats beat them by five points. Rivals Colby and Bowdoin placed third and fourth, respectively. It marks the ninth state championship for Bates men's cross country in the last 12 years. Bates finished with 42 points, Maine tallied 47 points, Colby checked in with 52, and Bowdoin with 99. University of Southern Maine rounded out the top five schools with 169 points.

Aronson (West Hartford, Conn.) raced to the finish of the 8K course in 25:09.3, becoming the 19th Bates runner to win the state individual title since the men's meet began in 1968. He is the first Bobcat to win it since James Jones '20 in 2016. It's the first time since 2014 that Bates men's cross country has won the team title and had an individual take first place in the same year. 

Sophomore Nick Walker (Winchester, Mass.) joined Aronson in earning All-State honors for a top-7 finish. Walker crossed the finish line in 25:28.1, good for seventh place in the field of 157 runners. The Bobcats placed an impressive four runners in the top 10, with senior Jack Crum (Bristol, Vt.) taking eighth in 25:34.8 and junior Max Hoffman (Wellesley, Mass.) finishing 10th in 25:41.0. 

Senior Miles Logan (Brunswick, Maine) rounded out the scoring for the Bobcats in 16th place with a time of 25:55.4. 

The Bobcats also showed off their depth with their two displacers taking 17th and 19th place, respectively. Junior JJ Rocha (Cumberland, R.I.) crossed the finish line in 25:55.6, a hair behind Logan. Meanwhile, sophomore Leo Ziff (New York City) turned in a time of 25:55.8. 

Bates is back in action on Friday, Oct. 2 when they compete in the Paul Short Run at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pa.