Happy February, sports fans! I’m feeling quite frazzled because the Bates Sports website just isn’t working on my computer? What will I do, I am literally the sports editor? But I’m trying to prevail during this difficult time. Here’s what’s poppin’ in Bates Athletics this week:

EXCITING NEWS:

Bates’ Lead Her Forward Panel: The panel will be taking place TONIGHT, Feb. 2, at 7:00 p.m. We’ll have coverage of it posted next week, but you should also attend the panel. In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, five Bates alumnae will sit down and discuss their experiences and insights.

Shoutout Elise Lambert: This women’s track and field senior set a personal record in the 800 meters while racing in the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University on Friday. She took 12th place overall out of 74 runners in the 800 race, though the only people that ran faster than her were from Division I schools, so she basically came in first and should be treated as such. Her time was 2:13.64.

Cordelia Dotson Also Deserves Special Attention: The junior was named the NESCAC Women’s Squash Player of the Week after winning 3-1 in the No. 7 spot for Bates against Colby. Then, because of team injuries, Dotson moved up to No. 6 on the team, her highest ever, and came out on top against a St. Lawrence player. That is very impressive.

Basketball Teams Make NESCACs: But so does everyone else (still exciting, though). Due to game rescheduling issues caused by COVID-19 protocols, all NESCAC basketball teams will be included in this year’s championship fields. The season is set to end on Feb. 13 and according to the organization, seeds will be determined by conference winning percentage.

PAST GAMES:

Squash: Both the men’s and women’s squash teams beat Colby last Wednesday. The men beat the No. 24 nationally ranked Mules 6-3, while the women managed an impressive 8-1 win. On Sunday, both teams had home matches against St. Lawrence; the men barely lost (5-4) and the women pulled away on top (6-3). The men are 3-9, while the women are 4-8.

Men’s Basketball: The team played an away game on Friday night against Colby, ultimately coming up short, dropping the game 63-79. On Sunday, the team traveled to Brunswick to face off against Bowdoin, winning their first NESCAC game this year! Woohoo! They won 83-77 and are currently 7-8. While the team expected to face Thomas College yesterday, the game was unfortunately canceled.

UPCOMING GAMES: 

Squash: The men’s team will be competing in the NESCAC Championships this weekend! Send them good vibes. The women are the weekend after — I promise I didn’t forget about them. 

Indoor Track and Field: The women will travel to Waterville to compete in the Maine State Meet on Friday. The men will be there the next day for their turn to compete in the meet. Both teams are aiming to capture the second leg of the State Meet Triple Crown, comprising the Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, and Outdoor Track and Field state titles.

Men’s Basketball: Fresh off their first NESCAC win, the men will have a home game this Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against the Connecticut College Camels, so pack Alumni Gymnasium! Then, the next day, the team will have another home game at 3:00 p.m. against Trinity. So, if you were too busy on Friday night studying or talking to your parents on FaceTime, you should head down to Alumni on Saturday afternoon to cheer them on. On Monday, the team is traveling to face off against the University of Maine Farmington.

Women’s Basketball: The team will start the first of two away games on Friday night, traveling to New London to play Connecticut College. The next day, they travel to Hartford to battle the Trinity College Bantams; in case anyone was wondering, a bantam is a small, angry chicken. On Tuesday, the team will play Colby in Alumni Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m., so show up and be loud. And then, literally the next day, at the same time, in the same place, the women are playing Bowdoin. I don’t care about capacity rules; every single Bates student must attend the games to show that we are the superior Maine NESCAC.

Swimming and Diving: I think they’re off this week, but if you see anyone on the team, wish them good luck in their next meet, which is NESCACs.