Volume CXXXIII, Number 16 February 15, 2002 f

Women's squash
EILEEN SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER

With only two of nine players from last year's starting lineup, the women's squash team has clawed its way back into the nation's second division.

Since 1998, the Division II championship has been tossed back and forth from Williamstown to Brunswick. Bowdoin took the title in 1998 and then threw it back at the Cows in 1999. The Bears won the 2000 Division II championship from Williams by a slim 5-4 margin, and Williams returned the favor last year, seizing the cup by the same score. After four seasons on the cusp of divisions I and II, Bowdoin's 2002 team has spent the majority of the season hovering .

A December 5, 2001 national ranking put the Polar Bears at #20 in the country, four spots below the DII cutoff. Regular season wins over F&M, Connecticut College, Tufts and Mt. Holyoke bumped Black up to a #17 ranking after January 30. Bowdoin owes its current #16 ranking to Tufts who closed out Vassar 5-4 on February 2nd. When the national championship draws were published on Tuesday, Bowdoin appeared in the last slot of the second division, with Tufts leading the DIII pool.

Bowdoin looks at the second division seeding with promise. "We've competed well against many of the DII teams this season, they know the girls in black can push them, and better yet, we know they know." Said captain Cristin O'Brien '02.

Well Cristin, you think you know, but you have no idea; the P. Bears posted a 4-5 loss to #13 ranked Middlebury, and have waged battle against #9 Bates, #11 Amherst, and #15 Colby. In fact, the girls traveled up I 95 to take on the Mules this Tuesday, but ended up falling 3-6.

"But honestly, it could have gone either way if the rest of you would just pull yourselves together for once," said #2 Katie Irving '04, who posted a win, alongside #1 O'Brien and #4 Sara Kaufman '02. The Bears play has improved against rival Colby, from a 1-8 blowout in a November scrimmage, to a 2-7 loss January 8th, to Tuesday's 3-6 decision. The Polar Bears and Mules are likely to meet again at the nationals this weekend, and hopefully, the Bears will pull themselves together.

The first challenge of the tournament will be Bates, the #1 seed in the division. The Bobcats and Bears have faced off twice in the last two weeks, with Bates taking 7-2 and 8-1 decisions. The Division II seedings are as followed:

9. Bates
10. U Penn
11. Amherst
12. St. Lawrence
13. Middlebury
14. Wellesley
15. Colby
16. Bowdoin

Nationals are held this weekend, February 15-17, at Yale University. The girls in black will open against Bates on Friday at 10:30a.m.