The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin sailing failed to qualify for the fleet race championships last weekend at Boston College and will now focus on team racing for the remainder of the season in hopes of qualifying for nationals. Bowdoin finished 15th in an 18-boat fleet at the New England Dinghy Championships. The Polar Bears sailed against the top teams in New England. After a tough start in Division A, captain Doria Cole '09 came in off the bench and strung together several good finishes in a very competitive fleet.

Despite wind conditions preventing the final races, Bowdoin sailors competed in the Friis/Marchiando team race at MIT and Tufts and finished sixth of 12 teams in the Alymer's Trophy. The team placed sixth after a fourth-place finish in A division and seventh in B division. On Saturday the Polar Bears sailed in big breeze on the Charles River at MIT in FJs. Eight teams competed at MIT, Bowdoin included, and another eight raced at Tufts.

On a breezy weekend, Bowdoin sailing finished sixth in the Ferrarone team race event at Yale and finished eighth in the Central Series at Tufts. After Saturday's round robin, the Polar Bears at Yale qualified to race in the gold fleet on Sunday. The team lost Sunday's races and finished sixth of 10 teams. "We were still in every race and only lost it on the final beat; downwind we were pretty fast and could split around the teams and attack," Coach Frank Pizzo said.

After a tough weekend sailing in Newport at the Salve Regina Southern Series, the sailing team will look to rebound in Rhode Island at Brown University's Dellenbaugh Trophy regatta. Additional teams heading to Yale for the Ferrarone Trophy regatta and Tufts for the Centennial Series. In the Southern Series at Salve Regina, DJ Hatch '11 skippered in Division A with crew Leah Hughes '11.

In the sailing teams' first official races of the spring season, they won the Central Series regatta at Harvard and a race in the Veitor Trophy at Salve Regina. At the Harvard Central Series on March 21, co-captain Doria Cole '09 skippered in the A division with crew Erin Taylor '09. Co-captain Pete Wadden '09, with crew Audrey Hatch '10, skipped for the B division.

At the Middlebury carnival last weekend, the Nordic team raced in a 10K classic event and a relay where the men placed ninth and the women placed 10th overall, each out of 11 teams. In the 10K classic event Erin Hatton '12 came in 41st. "She did a really good job pacing herself," Coach Nathan Alsobrook said. "She picked people off as she went along and gained several places in the second half."

Led by Colman Hatton '10, Spencer Eusden '12 and Courtney Martin '09, the men's Nordic team placed ninth and the women placed 10th out of 13 teams at the Dartmouth Carnival in Hanover, N.H., last weekend. The Dartmouth course was the most challenging one the team has raced on this season, and Bowdoin suffered from several crashes during the race.

The Nordic team raced in the open UVM carnival last weekend in inclement weather conditions. The men finished ninth and the women finished 10th in a field of 11 teams. The carnival hosted a collegiate race, a Supertour, and an Eastern Cup Junior Olympic Qualifier, so a large number of nationally ranked skiers were present.

The Nordic ski team placed ninth out of 11 teams at the University of New Hampshire carnival in Jackson, N.H., in a 1.4K classic sprint on Friday and a 10K freestyle race on Saturday. Erin Hatton '12 was the first Bowdoin woman finisher in 55th place in the sprint. Hatton was followed by Olivia Orr '12 in 58th and captain Elissa Rodman '10 in 74th.

The men's nordic ski team placed ninth and the women's team placed 10th in their first collegiate carnival of the season, hosted by Bates at Blake Mountain in Rumford. Courtney Martin '09 was the top Bowdoin finisher in 64th in the women's 5K classic event on Friday. Erin Hatton '12 finished next in 66th.

Women's rugby saw its fall season come to an end last Sunday with an 8-0 loss to Stonehill College in the NERFU (New England Rugby Football Union) Division II tournament finals. The loss dashed the squad's hopes of making it to the Northeast Regionals.

Not many have noticed it, but the women's rugby team is undefeated. The team beat University of Maine?Orono 22-5 to add to its perfect season record. This is its first undefeated season since 1995. The Bears have outscored their opponents 186-27 on the season.

The women's rugby team came away with its second win against Bates this season with an even more decisive victory of 22-0. "They play a physical, rough game, and we play smarter, not harder," Coach MaryBeth Mathews said. Although the team fought hard to dominate in the first half, it was still a close game with a score of 5-0. The try was scored with a blind-side attack designed to create an overlap.

Taking on intra-state rival University of Maine-Farmington, the women's rugby team made a defiant statement, winning the game by a resounding score of 79-0. "The game was a scoring fest with a lot of attacking opportunities," Head Coach MaryBeth Mathews said. "Their victory was a team effort; nine different players scored tries throughout the game, which shows the strength of the team as a whole."

On Saturday the Polar Bears were able to solidly defeat rivals Colby on their home turf by an astounding score of 34-0. The girls dominated from the beginning, and after the first half the score was 22-0 in the Bears' favor. Becky Stevens '11 scored two tries and two conversions in the first half along with Alivia Moore '09, Hannah Wadsworth '11, Anna Nicole '11, and Maria Koenigs '09, who each scored a try.

The women's rugby team opened its season at the Beantown Collegiate Women's Rugby Tournament. Its first game on Saturday, was a drubbing Plymouth State University, whom they beat 48-0. "[Plymouth State University] clearly had a young team and didn't have sophisticated or physical enough defense to stop our offense," captain Alivia Moore '09 said.