Carolyn Gorajek '13

Athlete of the Week: Kyle Lockwood ’14

Forward/Defender ~ Men's Ice Hockey

Kyle Lockwood ’14 is often one of the biggest players on the ice. With line mates Rob MacGregor ’13 and Rob Toczylowski ’13, the Bowdoin second shift specializes in physical mismatches. The size of the line—the three player’s average height is 6-feet-2-inches and 202 pounds—gives Bowdoin a depth that other teams cannot boast. It also allows the team to wear its opponents down, just as it did against Hamilton last Saturday, scoring three goals in the final eight minutes to spark a dramatic comeback.
Lockwood had his stick in four goals in that game, scoring three on his own and assisting Toczylowski on the game-winner. He also scored both goals in the home playoff-clinching win over Connecticut College a week earlier.
Still, despite his presence on the ice, Lockwood has developed a reputation as one of the quietest team members off of it. The steady, modest forward shrugs off his own success without thinking.

Athlete of the Week: Chris Williamson '12

Goalkeeper ~ Men's Lacrosse

In a sport where goals scored tend to outpace saves, lacrosse goalkeeper Chris Williamson ’12 came up with a season-high 18 saves in a 7-6 victory against Middlebury last Saturday and 14 saves in a quadruple-overtime battle the next day against Williams. He saved over 70 percent of shots he faced on the weekend, including a critical stop as time expired at the end of regulation against Middlebury.
The Polar Bears have grown to rely on Williamson’s steadiness in net, but his lacrosse career started on a whim and his goalie career on even less. The Winnetka, Ill., native did not grow up in a region of the country known for its lacrosse pedigree. In fact, Williamson played hockey until the sixth grade, when he decided he needed a change.
“I got hit in the head a few too many times and I had to quit,” he said. “It was a happy accident.”According to Williamson, his career as a goalie began similarly.

Athlete of the Week

Attacker ~ Women's Lacrosse

Alex Vasile

Staff Writer

March 29, 2013

The women’s lacrosse team started its season with a lot of question marks after returning only three starters from last year’s squad. The only returning attacker, Carolyn Gorajek ’13, helped answer most of those questions on the offensive side of the ball, averaging just under four goals a game so far this season. She has 23 total points in five games, 13 more than the next highest scoring player on Bowdoin’s roster.

This early success is hardly a surprise to any women’s lacrosse fans; Gorajek averaged 3.0 goals per game last season while picking up 66 total points—enough to lead the 2012 team by 20. Should she sustain her current goal production, she’ll net 56 by the season’s end.
Gorajek is just 13 points, four goals and 18 assists from owning Bowdoin’s career records in all three statistical categories. She will likely pass the goal mark this weekend.

Gorajek’s path to NESCAC dominance started with her parents, former lacrosse players themselves. She eventually left the town league they started to play at the Peddie School. After falling in love with lacrosse, the “community feel” of Bowdoin and the chemistry that the team displayed during her overnight visit eased the difficult decision of choosing between the competitive NESCAC schools.

“Lacrosse is a quick sport—anything can happen in 10 seconds—but it’s also a team sport,” she said. “It’s about how the team unites more than it is about you personally.”

Gorajek played defense on the soccer team since her sophomore year, which provided her extra conditioning, though it was sometimes difficult to work on stick skills during the soccer season.

Gorajek is deservingly one of the team’s captains, and fellow captain Hannah Wright ’13, a defender, said they strike the perfect balance.

“She takes charge and leads from the front,” Wright said. “I’m usually in the back pushing people forward. It’s really fun because it allows me to reflect on my own leadership style.”

Wright also noted that Gorajek’s play has helped her whole team excel, especially with Bowdoin learning an entirely new list of offensive and defensive sets this year.

“It’s rewarding to get a defensive stop and see it turn into a goal at the other end,” Wright said. “It gives you the energy to keep up the momentum for the entire game.”

Gorajek sees her role as an opportunity to give the underclassmen the confidence they need to make an impact on and off the field. Both she and Wright believe having the chance to involve other members of the team is the best part of having a young team and new plays.

“Everyone has to start from square one,” Wright said. “It’s easier to find a role because more people are playing. [Carolyn’s early success] shows her ability to learn quickly and improve year to year, which is hard to do in the NESCAC.”

The sports editor of the Orient chooses the Athlete of the Week based on exemplary performance.

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