The Bowdoin Orient

When Frank Chi ’07 called William Donahoe ’08 late in 2008 about helping him create a website, neither would have expected that four years later, they would be producing online content for a U.S. Senate campaign. The two had previously collaborated as students at Bowdoin for the College Democrats of America, and quickly began working together in the evenings after their day jobs. Together, they created The Antebellum Project: a self-funded website that tells stories about Civil War era Bowdoin alumni. Chi and Donahoe became fascinated with the stories and the ways they were connected. What started as a simple outlet for their creative instincts became the start of their business.

With their first fully healthy side in over a year, the men have scored 15 goals in four games while allowing only two. After a sluggish opening loss to Wesleyan, the Polar Bears are now on a three game win streak.

Oliver Van Zant '13 is having one of the most dominating seasons ever for a Bowdoin pitcher. His statistics speak for themselves: 1.75 ERA, a 5-1 record and a .164 batting average against.

With a league-leading 2.28 ERA, the baseball team boasts the most dominant pitching staff in the NESCAC. Leading the way is Oliver Van Zant '13, who is first in the NESCAC in innings pitched, ERA and strikeouts. In two starts last week, Van Zant pitched 13 innings—including one complete game—and allowed no earned runs, striking out 19 batters and letting up only a single walk.

In the winter of 1999, a second grade girl was dribbling down the court at the local rec center. Her small hands had trouble handling the ball, but she made her way across halfcourt nonetheless. Fast forward 13 years. Jill Henrikson '12 was driving hard to the basket, her sneakers burning into the floor of Morrell Gymnasium. Just as the swarms of red-jersey defenders closed in around her, she put the ball up with the lightest touch.

In the women's basketball team's home NESCAC quarterfinal game against Wesleyan last Saturday, the Polar Bears held the Cardinals to just 37 points—the fewest an opponent has scored since Bowdoin's first game of the season. Bowdoin's defense clamped down from the start, holding Wesleyan to 20 points or fewer in each half for a 53-37 victory.

In a year of ups and downs, the women's basketball team finished its season the right way. After a comfortable 70-56 win over Wesleyan on Friday, the Polar Bears (18-6, 7-3 NESCAC) had their senior day ceremony prior to their final game against Connecticut College on Saturday.

While much of Polar Bear Nation was at home hibernating over break, the women's basketball team was sprinting up and down the court in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at the Posada Royale Holiday Classic. A winter of games and training has put the team in a solid position for the stretch leading up to the NESCAC tournament.

Sprinting down the court, guard Jill Henrikson '12 collected the outlet pass from forward Alexa Barry '12 and dribbled hard to the basket. Plymouth State's defender simply could not keep up, and Henrikson beat her to the basket for an easy two points. By the end of the game, the run-and-gun offense of the women's basketball team was simply too much for Plymouth State, as the Polar Bears handled the Panthers 80-27.

The football team ended its season on a high note last weekend with a 20-10 victory over Colby. Even though the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) Championship technically ended in a tie, in which each team had one win and one loss, the Polar Bears will retain the CBB trophy because they won the title last year.

Early in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, Wesleyan's football team was threatening to score. While the Polar Bears held a 12-0 advantage, the Cardinals were gaining some steam as they pushed from the Bowdoin 38-yard line. From the advantageous field position, the Cardinals marched to the 14-yard line, but went no further.

After a 0-2 start to the season, the Polar Bears rolled past Hamilton to get their second consecutive victory on Saturday. However, in the process of doing so, starting quarterback Grant White '14 broke his collarbone, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Against the top defense in the league, the Polar Bears only threw the ball 12 times, opting instead for 46 rushing attempts.

Quarterback Grant White '14 snapped the ball and stepped back into the pocket. From the edges, he could see the Williams pass rushers coming off his offensive line. As the clock was winding down, White looked downfield to his wide receivers—captain Pat Noone '12 and Nick Goldin '13—and running back Zach Donnarumma '14 sprinting towards the end zone.

After finishing 3-5 for the second consecutive season in 2010, the football team is determined to set things right this year.

Peering over a bunker and onto the green, golfer Bobby Kaminski '14 took a step back to scan from a better angle. Confident in his decision, he addressed the ball again and with a short, compact swing, punched the ball over the hill in a spray of white sand. After a short flight, the ball dropped slightly above the pin and with a slight backspin, rolled gently until it stopped near the hole.