Volume CXXXIII, Number 17 February 22, 2002 f

Women's squash #16
EILEEN SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER

A brisk wind swirled across the Dudley Coe quad, but an agile Lindy Stanley kept her footing on the ice rink that was once a walkway. Determined to make her meeting with Dr. Benson in Dudley Coe, Stanley held the fate of the women's squash season on her shoulders. No, literally, on her shoulders. Stanley has played in the number three position for the Polar Bears this winter, but has not been cleared to play a match since January 13th because of the potential for head injury. Her presence at the National Championships would bolster Bowdoin's inexperienced line-up and wreak some havoc with the teams ranked above us.

Stanley asked Dr. Jeff for clearance to play if she wore a helmet. The general shadiness of having a player with a helmet did not faze head squash coach Tomas Fortson, who said that "Oh, that one right there, its got everything you want in a peanut; salty, crunchy, flavorful."

In a careful decision, Dr. Benson denied Stanley's request. His position upholds Bowdoin's fine tradition of staff members who are not swayed from professional and ethical paths by the bright lights and glitz of intercollegiate women's squash.

With Stanley out of the line-up, The Bears turned to good old fashioned hard work and butt-whoopin' to finish the weekend ranked 16th in the nation.

Leading off against Bates in Friday's first round, the girls in black faced a challenge as Bates took 7-2 and 8-1 decisions in previous contests. Friday's match marked the first time Bowdoin and Bates had met this season with Bowdoin sporting white shirts instead of the preferred black.

#4 Sara "are you going to eat your pickle?" Kaufman '02 remarked "the whole 'bad-ass in black' thing really goes out the window when we don't actually wear black. It's been a personal goal this season to summon that intensity while wearing other colors". Before her #8 match, Freshman Elizabeth "Diplomatic Immunity" Davidson was heard to say "Just give me a burlap sack and a racquet, I'm here to hit the ball, no frills." Unfortunately, her pure style was not enough as Davidson fell in three.

The final 8-1 decision for Bates did not indicate the match play. At the number-one slot Bowdoin captain Cristin "Cookies" O'Brien '02 pushed her opponent, top 20 individual player Aisha Shah, to a tiebreaker in their first game and took seven points in the second. Number 3 Whitney "cough cough" Hodgkins closed out her Bates opponent, avenging a four game defeat the week before. O'Brien and Hodgkins set a standard for intense and determined play that was evident over the weekend.

More determination and sass were needed in the Polar Bear's Saturday match against #13 Middlebury, where many bears played their strongest of the season. A tough Kara Oppenheim '04 at #9 commented, "Let's be honest, we were rockin' out there. I truly feel that the essence of Women's International Professional Squash Association #83 Dana Betts'01 has been reincarnated in my person."

Meanwhile, Hodgkins again took an easy three-game win at the third position. Playing in the number five position, sophomore Eileen "shut up, I write the articles and I will glorify my win if I want to" Schneider won her best outing of the season in five not-so-nail-biting games, as the team match was already decided. The gifted Schneider won only after saving three match points and winning a tiebreaker in the fifth game.

At the second position, Katie "respect my… Fettuccini" Irving '04 battled well, taking the second game to a tiebreaker, but could not convert. Irving's match displayed her best pacing, shot making, and technique of the season. If you see her around campus today, congratulate her, and thank her for letting me borrow her blue shirt for the banquet.

At the number one match, Captain Cristin O'Brien delivered a five-game decision that actually did prompt some nail biting. A sequel to her 4-game win in January, O'Brien took Midd's Sarah Herrup out back and showed her what grace under pressure looked like.

Coming from a 5-8 deficit to take the fifth game 10-9 in a tiebreaker, O'Brien's 100-minute epic wowed a packed crowd at Yale's spiffy three glass-wall exhibition court.

Sara Kaufman '02 took the court at #4 while the number-one match still waged on. After falling by 1-9 decisions in the first two games, Kaufman told her opponent to "call me B.D. "cause I'm the bus driver, and I'm taking you to school" as she sprinted to a 9-3 third game and saved the match. Kaufman's method for the weekend was constant depth and excellent movement, but Middlebury proved too tough in the fourth and took the match.

Saturday evening brought a weekend highlight for some, and a lifetime highlight for this reporter. The WISA banquet gets every squash girl from every school in every division together for a dinner full of black pants, sweater sets, loafers, and awards. This year Bowdoin did have a sincere moment, as O'Brien was one of only three players in all divisions of women's squash to be nominated for the Ann Wetzel Trophy.

The Wetzel Trophy is given to the senior who began her squash career in college and has improved to a nationally-competitive level while exemplifying the characteristics of leadership and sportsmanship. The Wetzel Trophy last came to Brunswick when it was awarded to Tara Dugan '97.

Sunday morning's competition brought heated contests for divisional championships as well as third and fifth place playoffs. But first, Bowdoin woke up the courts at 8:30 a.m. to take on Wellesley in the 15th-place playoff.

The Wellesley match started with Hodgkins taking her third victory of the weekend, leaving her undefeated in tournament play. Melissa "I like sunsets, long walks, and weekends in Paris and New Haven" Miness '04 fell in the #6 slot after a solid performance. At number seven, first year Sarah "please get away from me, I'm trying to hydrate" Moran also fell 3-0 in her final battle of the season.

Hoping to bring the Bears back into the match, Schneider built a 2-0 lead in games and a 4-point lead in the third, and Irving split the first two games 1-1 at the second slot. In a valuable lesson on sportsmanship, Schneider lost her focus and blew the entire match after complaining to the referee on a call. Don't do it kids, it's just not cool.

Bowdoin's number one and four matches went on court with the only two seniors in the lineup. Playing well in their last team matches, Kaufman and O'Brien made smart shots and displayed the fitness they had been working for this season. The Polar Bears were not victorious and the final score was 8-1 Wellesley. Overall, a good weekend with some good times, good squash, and good eats.

The men's squash team faces Amherst in the first round of team nationals on Friday morning at Harvard. Next weekend, O'Brien and Irving will represent the women in individual championships at Princeton.