Spring break was no vacation for a handful of winter sports teams whose seasons continued into March. Headlining the group was women's basketball, Bowdoin's only entrant into an NCAA tournament.
The team made it to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year before being ousted by George Fox, the No. 3 team in the country and eventual runner-up to the title. With a final record of 21-8, the Polar Bears reached 19 victories for the 12th consecutive season.
In the opening round of the tournament, Kaitlin Donohoe '13 set the pace with 20 points and five assists, helping Bowdoin return from a 7-point deficit with 14:34 left to play, pulling off a 75-68 win over the University of Southern Maine.
Captain Jill Henrikson '12 led the way with 18 points in Bowdoin's 55-51 win over Ithaca in the second round of the tournament, while Donohoe scored 18 in the 71-55 loss to George Fox.
The team was set back by the absences of Nicole Coombes '12 and Anna Prohl '14, who were both out due to injuries.
"I think if we were healthy, we would have given George Fox a run," said Jim Caton, sports information director. "We played two very physical teams with just one real post player."
Henrikson concluded her Bowdoin career with a number of accolades, including First Team All-NESCAC and All-New England honors, as well as an Honorable Mention D-III All-American—the fifth in program history. In addition, Head Coach Adrienne Shibles was named Maine State Coach of the Year, and Sara Binkhorst '15 earned a spot on the Maine All-Rookie Team.
For the men's basketball team (17-8), captain Will Hanley '12 took honors including Maine State Player of the Year and First Team All-NESCAC. Captain Ryan O'Connell '12 was named Second Team All-State, and Bryan Hurley '15 was named to the State All-Rookie Team.
On the ice, both the men's and women's seasons finished with losses in the NESCAC semifinals on March 3. The men (16-6-3) gave up four goals in the second period en route to a 6-3 trouncing from Amherst, while the women (12-10-4) lost a 1-0 nailbiter against Middlebury.
Both hockey teams were well represented on the postseason awards lists. Kayte Holtz '13 was named First Team All-NESCAC for the second straight year for the women, and Jordan Lalor '12 (First Team), Colin Downey '14 (First Team) and John McGinnis '15 (Rookie of the Year) were recognized for outstanding achievement for the men.
Lalor, who led the conference in scoring by a defenseman, was also named a Second Team D-III All-American and a D-III New England All-Star.
To wrap up the indoor track season, the men's and women's teams sent athletes to both the ECAC and the NCAA D-III championships.
At ECACs, the men's distance medley relay beat Bates by just 0.68 seconds to take first, while the women's 4x400 meter relay finished second. Erin Silva '15 set yet another school record in the pole vault with a jump of 3.65 meters, while Brett Stein '12 (500-meter dash), James Boeding '14 (1000 meters), Chris Genco '15 (high jump) and Chantal Croteau '12 (1-mile run) all placed in the top six of their respective events and scored points for Bowdoin.
The distance medley team won the national championship on March 9, as Coby Horowitz '14, Matt Gamache '13, Colin Fong '12, and Matt Hillard '12 ran to a meet-record time of 9:59.67—the first ever indoor title for Bowdoin. The 4x400 women—Emily Clark '15, Emily Barr '12, Alee Wade '13, and Elsa Millett '12—also garnered All-American honors for their eighth-place finish.
"The men's DMR being seeded first and actually winning are two completely different things, so it was a pretty amazing achievement," said Caton.
"It was probably the strongest winter track season we've had in a long time," said Jeff Ward, the athletic director.
In the individual squash national championship, Torey Lee '15 represented the women's team and Barrett Takesian '12 competed for the men. Lee won two matches against rivals from Williams and Tufts before losing in the Sweet 16 of the Holleran Division, while Takesian lost in the first round of the Molloy Division to Colby's Harry Smith.
Most recently, a pair of swimmers competed in the NCAA D-III championship meet last weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. Nathan Mecray '12 earned All-American honors after finishing 16th in the men's 100-yard backstroke, while Allen Garner '12 swam her best performance in the women's 200 yard IM, finishing 26th.