After losing to Bates on January 25, the men's squash team fell to the Bobcats once again last weekend, this time in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament.
With a final 5-4 tally, the match was one of the closest of the season. The No. 5 Polar Bears started out 0-3 against the No. 4 Bobcats, but wins from Stephan Danyluk '14, Will Winmill '14, Max Bearse '15 and Barrett Takesian '12, tied the match.
"Everything was about as close as you could possibly have scripted it," Takesian said. "It's so much pressure, but what makes this sport crazy is when it comes down to these close finishes."
In the end, No. 1 player Andrew Hilboldt '13 lost to Bates' Bobby Burns, kicking Bowdoin to the consolation bracket. The Polar Bears then suffered another close 5-4 loss to Wesleyan before defeating Connecticut College by only one match on Sunday. Bowdoin finished seventh in the conference.
"Playing at number one is fun, but it's hard work," Takesian said. "We're putting Andrew out there against some of the best players in the country, and he's definitely holding his own."
Unlike other NCAA sports, collegiate squash organizes its teams into six divisions of eight teams. Bowdoin is in the third division, along with familiar opponent George Washington, who Bowdoin defeated last year to take the national title.
The men travel to Princeton next Friday for the national tournament.
"We've shown that we can put up a good fight," Takesian said. "Hopefully we'll have the edge on them at nationals."
-Compiled by Christine Rheem.