Returning in confident stride from a series of impressive away races, the men's indoor track team came home only to stumble.
Playing host to five other schools, the Polar Bears placed a disappointing fourth, beating last-place Colby by 19 points. MIT ran away with the overall victory with a score of 240, with second-place Tufts trailing 133 points behind them.
"Overall, we missed a lot of opportunities against Springfield, Tufts, and MIT," Head Coach Peter Slovenski said of the day.
In the 600-meter run, Alex Jeanty '11 was poised for a strong third-place finish, but he tripped while attempting to pass an MIT runner and fell hard on Farley's unforgiving track.
Although he sustained no long-term injuries, Jeanty was unable to finish the race as a result of the fall.
Bowdoin did have a strong showing in its long and middle distance races. In the 5,000-meter run, first year Stan Berkow and sophomore Jonas Crimm finished six seconds apart from each other in third and fourth places, respectively.
At the 1,000-meter distance, senior Tim Katlic finished only three seconds behind first-place runner Mike Griffin of Springfield, with first year Tim Anderson finishing in fourth.
"Katlic and Anderson ran very smart races in the 1,000," Slovenski said of the event. "They got in good position and then made great moves with 300 meters to go."
It was off the track, however, where the Bowdoin men received their highest honors, as Luke Fairbanks '09 secured first place for the Bears in the shot put. In Bowdoin's only win of the day, Fairbanks mustered an impressive throw of 14.78 meters, shattering his personal record and the pride of top-seeded James Oleinik of MIT, who was relegated to the second place podium.
Sophomore Tim Fuderich's performance also shined through on a day of frustration for the Bears. Seeded third in the long jump, Fuderich leapt 6.62 meters to propel himself to second place in the event.
"Luke Fairbanks and Tim Fuderich both had their best competitions of the season and gave us some great momentum going into this week," senior co-captain Brendan Egan said of his teammates. "Both of those guys are tremendous competitors that have led by example this season."
The Bears will host the Maine State meet this weekend at Farley Field House, and look forward to a shot at redemption.