Women's Basketball (17-7) Has Winningest Season in History
Despite playing the final two weeks of the season with just eight players,
coach Jim Murphy led the women's basketball team to its winningest season in
history. The team was captained by senior point guard Dianna Devlin (Eliot,
Maine), who leaves holding school records for assists in a game (15), season
(177) and career (389). Junior center Sarah Bonkovsky (Harvard, Mass.)
averaged a double-double (19.1 points, 10.7 rebounds) and was named first-team
All-Maine, All-NESCAC and All-New England by the New England Women's
Basketball Association (NEWBA). She was also named to the Academic All-
District Team, sporting a 3.7 GPA as a biology major. First-year forward Amy
"A.T." Taylor (Orono, Maine) was honored as Rookie of the Year by no less than
four groups; NEWBA, NESCAC, the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association
(MWBCA) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). First-year guard
Colleen McCrave (Walpole, Mass.), a second-team All-NESCAC selection,
recorded the first triple-double in Bates women's basketball history, getting
17 points, 12 steals and 10 assists in the Bobcats' Jan. 7 win over Colby-
Sawyer. She was second in the nation in steals with 6.8 thefts per game and
established a school record with 163 steals on the campaign. Other seasonal
highlights included becoming the first team to defeat the host team at the
Babson Invitational in a convincing 85-75 win, a 75-48 triumph over Savannah
College of Art and Design, the top defensive team in NCAA Division III, and a
59-55 overtime road victory over ECAC tournament semifinalist Trinity.
Men's Basketball (10-14) Starts Strong, Ends With a Bang at Colby
The men's hoops team got off to a promising 5-1 start this season, but could
not get together enough momentum to carry them to the post-season. The only
loss in the first six games came to '94-'95 Division III Sweet 16 participant
Plattsburgh State in that school's Cardinal Classic, where senior point guard
Adam Piandes (Winchester, Mass.) and junior forward Mike Marsh (Somewhere,
Conn.) were named to the all-tournament team. Included in that stretch was an
86-66 victory over NCAA Tournament qualifier Bowdoin, one of only five losses
the Polar Bears suffered all season. Piandes had 24 points in that game, while
Marsh and classmate Matt Garvey (Amherst, Mass.) each chipped in 16. Later
that week, Piandes became the 18th player in school history to score 1,000
points, doing so on a 3-point shot in a 93-89 win, Dec. 4 over the University
of New England. Garvey then became the 19th player to reach the 1,000-point
plateau Jan. 13 at Skidmore. Garvey and Piandes ended the season fourth and
fifth respectively on Bates' all-time scoring list, with Garvey in sight of
Dave Kennedy's all-time record of 1,600 points. Unfortunately, much of the
rest of the season held disappointment, until the finale. Heading into the
last game at Colby, the senior class had never beaten the White Mules, and no
Bates team had won in Waterville since 1987. Piandes saved his best for last,
though, scoring a season high 31 points and handing out nine assists.
Classmate Jay Lowe (Saco, Maine) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the
game as the Bobcats prevailed, 89-84. Piandes, who ended the season ranked
sixth in NCAA Division III in assists per game with 8.3, was named second team
All-NESCAC.
Skiing Finishes 5th at Easterns, 14th at NCAAs
Five Bates skiers, four of whom return for next season, qualified for the NCAA
Championships held in Bozeman, Mont. this year, as the Bobcats finished 14th.
The top performance at Nationals was turned in by the men's nordic team, who
finished 10th overall, led by the performances of sophomores David Chamberlain
(Wilton, Maine) and Justin Freeman (Franklin, N.H.) in the men's 10K
freestyle, who finished 16th and 17th respectively. Women's nordic skier
junior Katie Gould (Williamstown, Mass.) also went to Bozeman, where she
placed 17th in the 5K freestyle race. 1994-95 All-American junior Sean Clark
(Raymond, Maine) and junior Kina Pickett (South Woodstock, Vt.) also qualified
for nationals for the alpine team. At the Eastern championships held at
Middlebury College, Clark, Pickett and Sandy Perrins (Placerville, Colo.) led
the men's team to a season best third-place finish in the men's giant slalom,
while the previous week at Williams, Freeman and Chamberlain led the men's
nordic team to third place finishes in both the freestyle and pursuit
races.
Men's Squash (15-13) Ends Season Ranked 16th , Highest Ever; Wigton
Inducted to NISRA Hall of Fame
The men's squash team gave coach George Wigton a great send-off. Wigton, who
is retiring at the end of the year after over thirty years at Bates saw his
squash team put together an outstanding season. In one of the biggest wins in
team history, the Bobcats knocked off Cornell, 6-3. It was the first time
Bates had beaten a team ranked in the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets
Association (NISRA) Top 15. In addition, the Bobcats finished the season
coming in third place in the NISRA Team Championships, Summers Trophy
division, knocking off Fordham and Army along the way. At the team
championships, coach Wigton was inducted into the NISRA Hall of Fame.
Presented by co-captains Gardner "Case" Newberry (Shelburne, Vt.) and Marc
Zuccaro (Wilton, Conn.), the plaque read "...Bates teams are known for their
fairness, professionalism and sportsmanship:qualities which George represents.
A man of impeccable integrity and perspective, the NISRA salutes one of its
most respected coaches." Individual highlights were earned by junior Pat
Cosquer (Westfield, N.J.), who took home NISRA Player of the Week honors for
the week of Feb. 4, when he defeated his opponent from Colby, giving the
Bobcats a 5-4 win. First-year student Eric Sanders (Belmont, Mass.) brings
hope for the future, going 13-1 in the number nine slot.
Women's Squash (9-16) Loses Momentum After Quick Start
The women's squash team got off to a fast start, winning four of their first
five matches, including a sweep over Smith. Despite winning just five of their
remaining matches, there were several good signs for next season. The Bobcats
lose just two seniors, co-captains Sarah Merriam (Fayetteville, N.Y.) and
Autumn Shurin (Kansas City, Mo.), who played at the Nos. 1 and 3 positions for
much of the year. They do return junior Katie McQuilken (Wayland, Mass.), who
is already Bates' career leader in wins with 36, and who led the team with 12
wins on the season. Junior Helena Baldwin (Marion, Mass.), who had 16 wins a
year ago also returns for next season.
Women's Swimming and Diving (8-2) Gains Top Ten at New Englands; Sander
Returns to Nationals
Behind the strength of six team records at the NCAA New England Championships,
the women's swimming and diving team finished eighth overall out of 32 teams.
Senior Melissa Sander (Richmond, Calif.) led the way, finishing second and
earning All-New England honors in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.9
seconds. Sander also finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:14.18.
Both times qualified Sander for the NCAA National Championships, where she
finished 15th and 13th respectively. In addition to qualifying for nationals
in the butterfly events, Sander set school records in the 50 freestyle (25.14)
and 200 freestyle (1:58.29). Sophomore Denby Johnson (Chanhassen, Minn.) also
set a Bates record, knocking a full second off the old record in the 100
freestyle (54.36). The 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, and the 200 medley
relay teams also set school records at New Englands, where 11 different
swimmers scored points for the team. During the season, the Bobcats topped
such highly-ranked teams as Tufts (6th at New Englands) and Clark
(11th).
Men's Swimming and Diving (4-6) Finishes Among Top Half at New Englands;
Burke Rewrites Diving Record Book
Despite their sub-.500 record, the men's swimming and diving team had an
excellent season, with exciting growth for the future. Leading the way was
first-year diver David Burke (Andover, Mass.), who set nearly every diving
record at Bates. The Bobcats' leading individual scorer, Burke had eight
record-setting performances during the season and his fourth- and sixth-place
finishes at New Englands were the top Bates' performances at that meet.
Another first-year swimmer who had a large impact was Damon Bowe (Houma, La.),
who finished seventh at New Englands in the 200 butterfly (1:58.74). Bowe was
the team's overall leading scorer this season. During the season, the team's
biggest win was during a tri-meet with Trinity and Connecticut College, when
the Bobcats topped both opponents handily and set two pool records; Burke in
the one-meter diving (six dives) and Bowe, fellow first-years Chris Orpilla
(Seaside, Cal.) and Todd McCoy (Mystic, Conn.) and senior David Gair (Golden,
Colo.) in the 400 medley relay.
Men's Indoor Track and Field Sends Three Weight Throwers to Nationals,
Ends Season 16th in the Country
Behind the superb efforts put forth by the weight throwers, the Bates men's
indoor track and field team finished the Quad Cup season with a 10-5 record,
fifth best in New England. Senior Jon Eden (Glenwood, Ill.) and juniors
Spencer Potter (Waitsfield, Vt.) and Sammy Martin (Acton, Mass.) all took home
All-ECAC honors, while Eden and Martin were named All-New England at the
Division III New England Championship, and all three went to the National
Championships, held at Smith College. For overall team effort, the Bobcats
were ranked 16th in NCAA Division III, as determined by a power rating which
took into account every team's top two performers in every event contested at
the NCAAs. Other key members who contributed to that rating were junior Walter
Jackson (Hartford, Conn.), who earned All-New England in the shot put and
senior Darin Edler (Danvers, Mass.), who competed in the high jump, long jump,
pole vault, 55m dash and the 55m hurdles.
Women's Indoor Track and Field Has a Pair of All-New England First-Years;
Myrick Head to Nationals
The women's indoor track and field season saw the emergence of several first-
year competitors step to the forefront. Adelia Myrick (Kodiak, Alaska)
continued where she left off from the cross country season, reaching the NCAA
National Championships in the 1500m run and earning All-New England and All-
ECAC in that event. Classmate Lindsey Hescock (Pawcatuck, Conn.) showed her
versatility at New Englands, finishing fourth in the pentathlon. The Bobcats'
top sprinter on the season was also a first-year student, Meghan Lockwood
(Rye, N.H), who qualified for Mew Englands in both the 55m and the 200m dash.
Other top distance runners were seniors Kirsten Achenbach (Okinawa, Japan) and
Megan Lane (Portland, Maine)
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