Bowdoin sports hit a roadblock over Spring Break, with men's ice hockey, women's ice hockey, men's basketball and men's swimming and diving all facing difficulties in post-season play.
The lone winner was women's basketball, which won the NESCAC championships after failing to win the tournament last season.
The women's basketball team received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after its conference championship, and pounced on its first opponent Castleton, winning by a score of 72-31. Katie Bergeron '11 led the team with 16 points.
However, the strong first-round performance wouldn't completely carry over to the next. The Polar Bears fell to Muhlenberg College by a heartbreaking score of 58-57. The devastating loss was remarkably similar to the team's 1-point loss to Amherst in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
The Bears trailed in the second half, but stormed back, and, with just seconds left in regulation, they were able to put the ball in senior tri-captain Alexa Kaubris' hands, but she missed the buzzer-beater attempt, ending the team's season with a 24-5 overall record.
Director of Athletics Jeff Ward said that the loss was tough, but that the team had made great progress throughout the year.
"For Coach [Adrienne] Shibles it was a great first year," he said. "She's just a really good fit for Bowdoin."
The men's basketball team entered the playoffs with a fifth seed in the NESCAC and a chance at rival Colby in Waterville. The Bears were not fazed by the Mules' home court advantage and powered their way to a 66-54 victory, led by Mark Phillips '09 with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Ward was proud of the team for making it to the NESCAC semifinals.
"We're a much better team in men's basketball than most people realize," he said.
However, the team was trounced by top-seed Middlebury in the semifinals, falling 76-46 to the Panthers.
The women's ice hockey team waltzed into the playoffs with high hopes after an impressive eight-game winning streak, securing a fifth seed in the NESCAC tournament.
They fell just short, however, losing to the Mules at Colby 2-1. Down 2-0, the Bears kept fighting, and Lindsay McNamara '09 scored a goal to bring them within one, but the Polar Bears couldn't find a second goal. The Bears finished with an 11-11-1 record, but with their eyes set dead ahead.
"The women's ice hockey team gave us a glimpse of what their team is going to be like in the future," Ward said.
The men's ice hockey team suffered a similar fate. The No. 6 seed in the NESCAC, the Polar Bears traveled to Williamstown, Mass. to face the Ephs.
The Bears had beaten Williams 8-3 earlier in the season at the opening game of the Sidney J. Watson arena, but were deadlocked 2-2 at the end of regulation.
However, Williams scored the golden goal putting the up-and-down Polar Bear season to rest. The Bears finished below .500 on the season.
The men's swimming and diving team finished in 10th place out of 11 squads in the NESCAC championship meet, but there were some highlights for the Polar Bears, particularly by first years.
Nathan Mecray '12 broke a school record and finished in second place in the 100-yard breaststroke and Mac Routh '12 also broke a school record with his third-place finish in the 50-yard butterfly.
While the track teams will continue on, their indoor season has ended.
On the women's side, Annie Monjar '09 and Ali Chase '09 competed in the NCAA meet.
Chase, who came in fifth place in the 800-meter run, was named an All-American. Monjar finished in 15th place in the 5000-meter run.
The men didn't have quite the same highlights, ending their indoor season with 38th place finish out of 49 teams in the ECAC championships.
Ward felt that on the whole, it was a decent end of the season for the Polar Bears.
"Overall I would say it was very good, but probably left us with a taste for a bit more."