Fourteen runners in the New England Small College Athletic Conference men’s cross country championship meet earn all-league distinction.

Faced with the prospect of finishing 15th on Saturday, Matt Dunlap of Farmington and Bates College edged John Swain of Colby by a shoelace to claim the final spot for himself and the Bobcats.

Both Dunlap and Swain were credited with a time of 26 minutes, 44 seconds around the 8-kilometer course. Only Dunlap picked up the second-team NESCAC honor, however.

It continued a stellar senior season for the Mt. Blue High School graduate. Dunlap, the team’s lone captain this fall, logged top-six finishes in his previous three starts.

Dunlap ran sixth at the Tufts Invitational, took third in the James Earley Invitational at Westfield State, and finished fifth in the State of Maine Championship held at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.

Each result marked an improvement over Dunlap’s finish in those races a year ago.

The finishing kick gave Bates an all-NESCAC male runner for the fourth consecutive season. Dunlap follows Joel Anderson, Dan Johnson and Steve Monsulick in that progression.

Best offense is a strong defenseman

It’s usually a pretty good sign for a soccer team when a fullback doubles his goal tally for the season in a 15-minute span of a playoff game.

Husson College received that welcome boost Wednesday from Jeff Truchon, springing the Eagles to a 2-0 upset of Becker College and earning a berth in the North Atlantic Conference championship game.

Truchon, a junior from Greene and a graduate of Leavitt Area High School, deflected a direct kick by Joshua Bartlett into the left corner of the cage for his first goal. It broke a scoreless tie in the 62nd minute.

He later cashed in a long throw-in from William Shannon for an insurance goal.

Truchon entered the game with two goals and four assists, making him the Eagles’ fourth-leading scorer.

Husson (10-9-1) will collide with Castleton State in the final this weekend.

Fabulous fall for Farmington

Twin cross country championships and conference title bids in soccer and field hockey have made it an autumn to remember at UMF.

UMF captured its fourth North Atlantic Conference men’s title in the last five years, while the women collected their third league championship in four seasons.

The 5-kilometer jaunts took place on Farmington’s home course at Mt. Blue High School.

Amanda Gunter of Farmington (Mt. Blue) and Lyn Plog of Avon (Mt. Abram) finished directly behind teammate and individual champion Emily Farley of Mount Desert Island to give the Beavers a sweep of the top three spots in the women’s race.

Farley crossed the finish line in 21:03.15, trailed by Gunter (21:13.83) and Plog (21:49.21). Gunter, a sophomore, was named NAC Rookie of the Week for her efforts.

Women’s soccer advanced to the NAC title game with a 1-0 win over Elms College in penalty kicks. The Beavers (14-4-2) will meet Husson in Saturday’s final.

It’ll be the same UMF-Husson pairing in the NAC field hockey showdown. Farmington held up its end of the bargain with a 2-0 triumph over Lasell. Alyssa St. Pierre of Jay assisted the game-winning goal by Ashley Wentworth.