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Volume CXXXII, Number 13 |
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Defeat motivates track & field squad
GRACE CHO
ORIENT STAFF
In a tough day of running, jumping, throwing, and vaulting the Bowdoin Women's Track and Field Team provided tough competition for long time rival Colby College in a dual meet at Farley Field House this past weekend. Unfortunately, Colby's team score of 92.5 points bettered Bowdoin's score of 74.5.
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| First-year Jill Schweitezer (left) and Libby Barney share a laugh during a warm-up run. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
Despite the loss, the coaches and the women did not see the loss as grounds for defeat, but rather a chance to learn and gain motivation. "Colby is a very good team, and beat us when we had a good day. It will be a good challenge to see if we can beat Colby when we face them next in the state meet," said Head Coach Peter Slovenski.
However, the day did not go without some spectacular individual performances by the Polar Bears. Senior Sara Bodnar's win in the 55-meter dash set the team on pace for first place finishes throughout the day, including all three relays.
In addition, junior Jane Cullina posted an impressive 600-meter victory, while senior Kate Brinkerhoff posted a second place finish in the 800-meter run. These performances show that neither athlete is hindered after spending a semester abroad.
Similar to last week, Libby Barney '03, Cait Fowkes '03, and Acadia Senese '03 once again helped power the team to a close finish to Colby. Barney, in her first 3000-meter of the season, ran a time of 10:19 setting a personal record.
Distance coach Julia Kirtland said of Barney's performance, "She ran most of the race by herself, which shows incredible focus and discipline."
Fowkes also improved upon both her shot put and weight throw distances, throwing two personal records in both the events respectively.
However, Senese made the performance of the day by besting last week's jump by seven inches and placing second overall. With a jump of 35 feet 11 inches, she remains a meager eight inches from provisionally qualifying for indoor nationals.
Powered by experience and motivated by a loss, the women look forward to meeting Colby again in February for the state meet title.
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