NATIONAL TREASURE
Following its performance in the Kurtz Cup Division of College Squash Association Nationals, the women’s squash team ended the year ranked 16th in the nation. Going into the matches last weekend, the Polar Bears boasted an impressive record of 11-7.
ATHLETICS FOR EVERYONE
In a joint statement with the presidents of Colby and Bates, President Clayton Rose announced his strong opposition to two anti-transgender athlete bills currently working their way through the Maine Legislature. If passed, the bills would bar transgender women from playing in elementary, secondary and collegiate sports.
SHARPEN YOUR PENCILS
At the third Bowdoin-Colby-Bates track and field meet this past weekend, two school records fell as the men’s and women’s teams closed out their non-scoring season. On the men’s side, Ajay Olson ’23 earned a new school record in the 100 meter dash (10.69 seconds), and he just barely missed the school’s 45-year-old 200 meter dash record (21.42 seconds) by 0.2 seconds.
SWEPT OFF
After the Polar Bears split their games last weekend, they were swept by Trinity this past weekend, losing 9-8 in the first game and 9-6 in the second game. Despite the losses, they did see some standout performances.
SPLITTER
Softball played a double header against Tufts on Saturday and another double header against Colby on Sunday. The Polar Bears went 2-2, splitting both double headers. After winning in eight innings against Tufts by a score of 11-8, the team dropped the second Saturday game, losing 12-2.
RESCHEDULED
Rescheduling games that had been cancelled due to COVID-19, the athletic department announced that the softball team will play a double-header at Tufts on Saturday and a double-header against Colby at home on Sunday. These games were originally scheduled to be back-to-back home and away double-headers for the weekends of April 10 and 11 against Tufts and April 3 and 4 against Colby.
ASSIST. AD KEVIN LONEY
Earlier this week, the Athletic Department announced that Kevin Loney, an assistant coach for the football team since 2015, will be promoted to assistant director of athletics for facilities and event management in the fall of 2021.
THE YEAR OF RETIREMENT
A flurry of retirements have been announced in the past month, with three long-term members of the department announcing that they plan to step down from their roles at the end of this academic year.
BADMINTON
Intramural Badminton starts up for the spring semester this week. A grand total of 23 teams have signed up to play. While there isn’t any time left to create teams, people interested in participating can be added to an existing team.
FALL SPORTS?
In an email to the Bowdoin community Thursday afternoon, President Clayton Rose announced that, as long as the NESCAC approves intercollegiate competition, “there will in all likelihood be a full athletic schedule in the fall.” However, he is not as confident about the probability of attendance at sporting events by local residents or family members.
NCAA MIGHT WAIVE ROSTER MINIMUMS
In an announcement on Wednesday, the Division III (DIII) Membership Committee recommended waiving the sports sponsorship requirement for spring sports. If approved by the DIII Administrative Committee, there will be no minimum number of rostered players required for teams to be sponsored.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Bowdoin’s athletic facilities will open on Monday as the campus entered “yellow” status this past Wednesday. However, the hours are scaled back, and the athletic department has implemented an array of safety precautions.
NESCAC CoSAoC
Late last month, the NESCAC formed a Coalition of Student-Athletes of Color (CoSAoC) with representatives from all 11 member schools. The announcement describes their mission statement as trying to “encourage dialogue and solidarity around issues of race.” The coalition aims to work with all member schools’ athletic departments in their pursuit to support student-athletes of color, and they will encourage the diversification of athletic departments across the conference.
SMART COOKIES
This fall, 78 members of the Bowdoin athletic community have been recognized as Academic All-NESCAC. Even though there was no formal athletic competition this fall, the conference acknowledged athletes’ academic achievements as they do every year.
FOR THE COMMON GOOD
Women’s soccer has taken advantage of their virtual season this fall to raise over $40,000 for different organizations around New England. Beginning with a virtual 5K for Maine Inside Out, an organization that reaches out to those who have been incarcerated and experienced structural racism, the team raised almost $3,000 in partnership with the volleyball team.
AN EXTRA YEAR
Yesterday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Presidents announced that all Division III athletes can compete in athletic competitions and practices this academic year without losing a season of eligibility. This is a one-time waiver, and the Presidents hope that it will allow student athletes to have more flexibility in deciding their academic plans for the spring 2021 semester.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION WEBSITE
With the rollout of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan, the Athletic Department has also created a new webpage that has a list of resources for students in minority groups on campus.
BIG BRAINS
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams were awarded College Team Academic Awards by the United Soccer Coaches Colleges Services Program this past week for their academic achievements during the 2019-2020 academic year. Every rostered member of both teams maintained a GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for the entirety of the academic year.
TIME FOR A BREAK
Fall break is almost here, and the athletic department has worked hard to make sure that students on campus can sweat out all their anxieties in the athletics facilities over the weekend.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Bowdoin’s athletic facilities opened this week after the College maintained a “yellow” campus level for over a week-and-a-half. However, the facilities’ hours are scaled back, and the athletic department has implemented many safety precautions.
INTRAMURALS
With zero active COVID-19 cases at Bowdoin and the College in “yellow” status, the intramural season is going to kick off this weekend! New intramurals like cornhole, croquet, frisbee golf and power walk rugby are open to all students on campus.
Kickoff
The National Football League (NFL) started its season this week with a game last night between the reigning champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Houston Texans. With an approach more similar to Major League Baseball (MLB) than the National Basketball Association (NBA), the NFL will likely navigate the same uncertainties that the MLB has dealt with: coronavirus outbreaks, players breaking rules and possibly rescheduling games.
NESCAC RULES CHANGE
On July 10, the NESCAC revised its rules to allow for coaches to train athletes year-round, or until the COVID-19 pandemic no longer affects conference play. The move had to be unanimously approved by the presidents of NESCAC member schools.