In cold and windy conditions at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), the women's track team competed against strong D-I competition.
The temperature was more than 20 degrees colder than recent weekends, and the Bowdoin athletes' mental toughness was tested in adapting to the new environment.
Unfazed by the temperature and competing in her home state of New Hampshire in front of her family, junior pole-vaulter Chris Head had another breakout performance.
Having cleared her first two jumps, Head stepped up to the line in an attempt to break her own school record.
As she began to run, for perhaps the only time the entire meet, the wind was calm. With a strong jump and good form, Head vaulted over the bar, successfully breaking her own school record for the second meet in a row.
Also having another strong weekend was first-year Michele Kaufman, who continued her impressive form in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing a strong third. She also competed in the triple jump, 200-meter run and contributed to a second place finish in the 4x100-meter run.
Kaufman was named the NESCAC field performer of the week for her efforts.
"She has really mastered the focused training necessary to excel in such a short season," senior captain Dana Riker said. "She'll be an athlete the rest of the conference will have their eyes on as we head into the championship meets."
Other event winners for the Polar Bears included sophomores Laura Peterson in the long jump and Elsa Millett in the 200-meters.
Riker said she was impressed with the overall performance of the entire women's team.
"There were some truly stellar performances at UNH this weekend" said Riker. "The team really rose to the occasion and competed with a lot of heart against some strong Division I athletes."
Riker hopes that the Polar Bears can continue their strong form into the Aloha Relays Heptathlon this weekend.
"The UNH meet gave us some great momentum for the Aloha Relays this weekend," she said. "It's always a really fun meet with some good competition from Colby and Bates in particular, and it is nice to compete at our home track. We'll look to post some more great performances on Saturday before we head into the championship portion of the season."
The Bowdoin women's track team competes at home on Saturday. The meet will take place at 11:30 a.m. on the Magee-Samuelson track.