Unity and pride has been the theme for the 乐播传媒 women’s rowing program under long-time head coach Peter Steenstra.

In the ultimate team sport, the Bobcats have displayed their unity and pride on the biggest stage, winning five national titles since 2015 at the NCAA Championship. Going into last month’s national regatta, 乐播传媒’ second varsity eight boat had won eight straight gold medals.

“This program is unique in our mindset, and in who we are,” says Ollie Young ’23 of Burlington, Vt., the second varsity eight three seat. “Being proud of who we are is something our class had to learn, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the last four years.”

The unity the program displays is more than just maintaining a consistent stroke rate. All year, the rowers wore patches on their uniforms displaying the Progress Pride Flag, which celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and calls for a more inclusive society, a meaningful expression of support within the team, including for Young, who is a trans male athlete.

Supporting one’s teammate is engrained in the program. Young’s fellow senior in the 2V boat, coxswain Isabella Sobolewski of Washington, D.C., was feeling down after the boat’s disappointing first race at nationals, putting their gold medal streak in jeopardy. So he stepped up.

“I had a little bit of a moment where I was really disappointed and really crushed,” Sobolewski said. “He looked at me and said, ‘Listen, you have got this, we have got this, it’s you and me, it’s been four years, it’s going to be okay.'”

It was more than okay, as the second varsity eight rallied to maintain their gold-medal streak, and the Bobcats finished fourth as a team on the biggest stage of women’s rowing. And they did it, like they always have, with pride.

After a year where everything was so uncertain, everything came together in late May as the 乐播传媒 College women’s rowing team won its .

It’s the 30th national championship won by 乐播传媒 individuals or teams. 

“Until I was sitting at the start line at that first heat, it was unreal that we were here,” team captain Saylor Strugar ’21 of Boulder, Colo., said. “And I honestly still can鈥檛 really believe it. But I鈥檓 just so happy to be here with my teammates.”

We traveled to Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla., to capture the joy of yet another national title, and the rewards of sticking together.

This year’s NCAAs were “nostalgic bookends,” said team captain Hannah Beams ’21 of Mattapoisett, Mass., recalling her first year when 乐播传媒 also captured an NCAA championship 鈥� in the same location.

“I was just thinking today that this is my fourth race down this course and I just couldn鈥檛 be happier to be back here,” said Beams.

The 乐播传媒 women’s rowers didn’t get a chance to compete at the 2020 NCAA Championships because there were no 2020 championships. In fact, there was no 2020 season whatsoever for women’s rowing. But a strong senior class, 10 of whom traveled to NCAAs, kept the Bobcats afloat.

“We just all held each other through it even in this past year,” Beams said. “It had a lot of moments where we weren鈥檛 sure if we were going to race again, let alone row or practice together.

“Just knowing that we were doing it alongside each other, together, was really just the biggest part of it all.”

This year’s senior class won a national championship every year they got a chance to, joining the Class of 2020 as the only classes to do so.

From 2009 to 2013, the Bobcat women finished second to Williams at NCAAs each year before 乐播传媒 broke through with the program’s first national championship in 2015. The Bobcats have now won five of the last six NCAA titles, finishing second in 2016 to Wellesley. 

The 2016鈥�17 school year was perhaps the greatest in recent history for 乐播传媒 athletics. One can measure the success via numbers, such as a听.

Or one can measure the success in the moments we will remember for years to come. With that in mind, we鈥檝e compiled the top seven sports moments of the 2016鈥�17 乐播传媒 school year. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.

7.听

 
For the fifth time in the last six years, the Bobcats defeated the Ephs on the gridiron. But this year was extra special thanks to 鈥�18.

The slotback from Brookline, Mass. caught nine passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, all career-highs, to lead 乐播传媒 to a 29鈥�17 victory on Back to 乐播传媒 weekend. His explosive performance included touchdown catches of 63 and 73 yards.

鈥淚鈥檝e never had a game like that receiving-wise in my life,鈥� Williams said after it was all over. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 cover me for some reason and I just caught the ball and ran.鈥�

A crowd of 3,211 fans cheered the Bobcats to victory.

鈥淲e鈥檙e used to good crowds, but I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever seen it like that before,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭here was a lot of people there, it was great.鈥�

Williams earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors and flirted with 乐播传媒’ single-game receiving yards record of 257 set by Chris Plante ’94 against Trinity in 1991.

Williams finished the 2016 season with 834 all-purpose yards, the most since Shawn Doherty 鈥�14 put up 1,254 in 2013.

had the game covered from all angles following the win, at the 16:10 mark.

6.

 
Skiing competitively on her home course of Black Mountain for the final time,听听’17 of Avon, Maine, made the most of her opportunity.

On a balmy February day, Sadie James 鈥�17 of Avon, Maine, skis her way to the 5K classical win at the 乐播传媒 Carnival, becoming the first 乐播传媒 woman in 14 years to win an EISA carnival Nordic race. (Steve Fuller 鈥�82/Flying Point Road)

She became the first 乐播传媒 women’s Nordic skier since 2003 to win an Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association carnival race, and the Bobcat Nordic ski teams combined to take home the coveted Chummy Broomhall Cup at the 乐播传媒 Carnival. The award goes to Maine’s top collegiate Nordic team, based on the combined men’s and women’s scores in the classical technique races.

The 5-kilometer classical technique race was an individual start, so James didn’t know she’d won until after everyone finished.

“I had coaches, teammates, and spectators telling me I was having a great race, but I didn’t know what that meant,” James said. “I was hoping that meant a top five! I got my first split at about 4.5 kilometers, climbing High School Hill. At the finish, I heard them say I broke into the lead and I’m pretty sure I said something along the lines of, ‘Wait, what?'”

The victory qualified James for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year.

She talked more about her carnival win at the 11:16 mark on the .

5.

 
听’17 of Marblehead, Mass., has been a near-revolutionary force for the women’s swimming program from the moment she arrived on campus. She entered the 2016鈥�17 school year as the most decorated athlete in 乐播传媒 athletics history, thanks to a remarkable 17 All-America awards.

“The biggest impact she has made is the effect she’s had on all her teammates,” head coach Peter Casares said. “She is fantastic at leading lanes, at doing things right, and inspiring others.”

At the 2017 NCAA Championships, Daher earned six more All-America awards to finish her career with 23.

“One of the things I’ve learned since my first year here is that you swim best when you’re having fun,” Daher said. “Having my teammates enjoy the atmosphere and the moment is very important.”

Her leadership style is clearly working. In 2017, the 乐播传媒 women’s team finished the four-day NCAA Championships in 13th place out of 51 scoring teams, their fourth straight top-17 national finish.

4. and basketball players rewrite record books

 
The basketball seasons proved to be very entertaining this school year thanks to some spectacular seniors.

听’17 of Wilmington, Del., became 乐播传媒’ on Dec. 10, 2016, in a non-conference game against Colby College. He earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and finished his career with 178 blocked shots.

“I definitely wanted to get that record at home,” Malcolm Delpeche said. “It is very exciting to be part of 乐播传媒 history.”

Not to be outdone, twin brother听听was a first team All-NESCAC selection and led the Bobcats to a huge 84-72 victory over then-No. 4 nationally ranked Tufts on Jan. 28, 2017.

Marcus Delpeche finished his career with听1,025 points, scoring point No. 1,000 .

“These milestones are something I’ve anticipated over the course of their four years here, and it’s really cool to see it happen,” head coach Jon Furbush ’05 said. “It was great to see Marcus get his 1,000th point in our gym in front of our crowd and obviously what Malcolm’s done in his career on defense has been incredible.”

Malcolm and Marcus Delpeche’s accomplishments were not limited to the court. Off the court, they proved to be听leaders in efforts to keep the 乐播传媒 community a safe place for all.

In women’s hoops,听听’17 of听Tarrytown, N.Y., became on Jan. 31, 2017, in a 71-42 victory over Maine-Farmington. Coppola completed her career with 977 points and 942 rebounds.

But perhaps her best performance of the season came earlier in January, in a 64-57 win over Colby to begin NESCAC play. Coppola tallied at that point a career-high 24 points while adding 16 rebounds. She took the game over down the stretch.

“I wasn’t really thinking at all in the fourth quarter,” Coppola said. “We were just so focused on winning that game since we’d lost to Colby earlier in the season.

“I think some of those shots that went in were helped by ‘Alumni Magic,'” she added, referring to the Bobcats’ home court of Alumni Gym.

Coppola finished her senior season as a second team All-NESCAC selection and was one of 38 乐播传媒 graduates to receive the Senior Scholar Award from the Department of Athletics.

3.

 
When 听’17听of Brunswick, Maine, hit a hurdle and failed to qualify for the 60-meter hurdle finals at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, it could have spelled disaster.

Instead, it turned into the comeback story of the year.听

In her 60-meter hurdle preliminary race at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 10, Allison Hill ’17 clears the second hurdle before finding trouble at the third. (Photograph by d3photography.com)

The Bobcats finished the two-day event with 15 points and a tie for 11th place out of 70 scoring teams and 112 participating schools. Their four All-American finishes surpass the three they earned at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships, when the team finished third overall. The team’s 11th-place finish is their best since 2006.

Hill became the first 乐播传媒 women’s track & field athlete to win All-American honors in the 200-meter dash. She broke her own flat-track 乐播传媒 record with a time of 25.22 seconds, good for a fifth-place finish and her first indoor All-American award.

“I realized it was my last indoor race ever so I tried to put everything I had into it,” Hill said. “I am really proud of everyone’s performances this weekend, it was amazing.”

The 乐播传媒 Bobcast captured the upbeat vibe of the track teams’ trek to the American heartland:

2.

 
After barely missing out on the NCAA tournament in 2016, the 乐播传媒 men’s lacrosse team left no doubt in 2017. The Bobcats won their first 14 games and surged as high as No. 1 in the national rankings.

First team All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year听听’17 of Falmouth, Maine, exploded for a team-record 79 goals, finishing his career with 167, second most in Bobcat history.

Fay is laid back off the field, but as intense as they come on the field.

“I hate to lose, so I am going to do everything I can not to lose,” Fay said, reflecting on his hyper-competitive nature. “I don’t like that feeling of losing and I don’t want it ever again.”

All-America Honorable Mentions 听’17 of Medfield, Mass., and 听’20 of Westfield, Mass., joined Fay on attack to form the “two-and-a-half men,” a sly reference to Chlastawa’s listed height of 5-foot-6. The two-and-a-half men propelled听the Bobcats to perhaps their signature win of the year, a 19鈥�18 victory at then鈥揘o. 3 nationally ranked Tufts on April 18.

乐播传媒 advanced to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals before falling to Wesleyan by just one goal. The Bobcats finished听the year with a program-best record of 16-2. Following the season, Fay was selected in the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Boston Cannons.

1.

 
Once upon a time, the 乐播传媒 women’s rowing team routinely finished second to Williams at the NCAA regatta 鈥� five straight times, in fact.

Those days seem to be well in the past.

In 2017, 乐播传媒 won its second NCAA听championship in three years thanks in part to a fourth consecutive gold medal for the second varsity eight, a scrappy bunch led the past three years by coxswain听’17 of听Bethlehem, N.Y.

Like the rest of her teammates, Bierman could only watch as the first varsity eight raced down Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The first varsity eight finished second to Williams, but because Williams finished third in the second varsity eight race, the points title and the national championship trophy went to 乐播传媒, with the Ephs finishing national runner-up.

“We’re watching, we’re watching, Wellesley puts up this fight in the last 500 that almost gets them, they [乐播传媒] put up an even bigger fight,” Bierman听said. “My bow seat听听turns around and is like, ‘I can’t watch any more!’ They finish and we whip our heads around to the coaching staff, and ask, ‘Did we?’ and they nod听鈥� we did!”

“This is so much more than a victory for those of us who got to be on the water today,” ’17 of Ithaca, N.Y., said. “This is for everyone. I was happiest to see my first coxswain at 乐播传媒 [Molly Huffaker听’14] who was here. This is the second [team] national championship for the school and we own both of them. So that’s awesome.”

Rowing trophies and recognition “are cool,” says Molly Pritz ’17 of Ithaca, N.Y., but 乐播传媒 rowing is bigger than bling.

Rowing is “wrapped up in those people who have come before,” says Pritz, who will serve as a team captain in 2016-17.

It’s about “people I鈥檝e shared those memories with that have graduated, and the people who came before them who I didn鈥檛 know and who laid the path for that to happen.”

At the 2016 NCAA Rowing Championships last month in Gold River, Calif., Pritz, her teammates, and their coach, Peter Steenstra, talked about the 乐播传媒 rowing program’s undeniable decade of excellence.

For the second straight year, 乐播传媒 received a silver-medal performance by the first varsity eight boat, while the 2V8 boat also finished higher than any other second varsity eight in the field save for Williams.

乐播传媒 2 competed in the Petite Final, 15 minutes before the Grand Final at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, and finished in fourth place out of six boats in a time of 7:06.02, just 2.48 seconds behind Washington College 1 for third place and ahead of the 2V8’s from Ithaca (7:10.06) and Trinity (7:13.41).

In the Grand Final, the 乐播传媒 1V8 stood in second place at every 500-meter interval of the 2,000-meter course at Lake Natoma. 乐播传媒 couldn’t make up enough ground on Williams’ 1V8 in a final sprint, but like Friday’s elimination heat, the boat was able to maintain a slight lead over Williams’ 2V8 and held that boat off to keep the Ephs from sweeping the top two spots in the race. Williams 1 won in 6:43.81, followed by 乐播传媒 at 6:48.66, Williams 2 at 6:49.02, Trinity 1 (6:52.94), Ithaca 1 (6:55.87) and Puget Sound 1 (7:04.43).

乐播传媒 is headed by captains Danica Doroski ’10 (Wayne, Pa.), Alison Frye ’10 (Duxbury, Mass.) and Ellen Patterson ’11 (St. Louis Park, Minn.). Other team members expected to make the trip include sophomore Haley Sive (Glenville, N.Y.), junior and two-time Pocock All-American Rebecca Waldo (Dracut, Mass.), sophomore Elizabeth Sonshine (Short Hills, N.J.), sophomore Amy Jacks (Baltimore, Md.), junior Phoebe Reed (Brooklyn, N.Y.), senior Lindsay Thomson (West Hartford, Conn.), sophomore Allison DiSalvo (Lowell, Mass.), junior Davina Dukuly (Lowell, Mass.), first-year Amanda Goss (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), sophomore Kelsey Dion (Truckee, Calif.), junior Emma White (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), junior Hannah Richardson (Concord, Mass.), first-year Catherine Tuttle (Pittsford, N.Y.). sophomore Caroline Webb (Tiburon, Calif.), junior Nora Collins (Kensington, Md.), first-year Elizabeth Bowling (Greenwood Village, Colo.), first-year Carrie Dillaway (Woodbridge, Conn.) and first-year Victoria Zapack (Charlotte, N.C.).

Doroski, Frye and Thomson plan to walk at Commencement back on campus in Lewiston Sunday morning at 10 a.m.

Friday Recap

乐播传媒 women’s rowing team’s first varsity eight fought off runner-up Williams’ 2V8 as well as rival Trinity’s 1V8 in the third and final elimination heat on Friday morning, as the NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championships got under way at Lake Natoma.

乐播传媒’ 2V8 finished off the day by taking first place in the Petite Qualifier.

乐播传媒 1V8 led Williams 2V8 by a slim margin at each 500-meter juncture of the 2,000-meter race, and both boats overtook Trinity in the second 500 meters. 乐播传媒 timed in at 6:41.10, with Williams 2V8 at 6:42.02, Trinity 1V8 at 6:47.98, Wellesley 2V8 at 7:04.53, Mary Washington 1V8 at 7:12.88 and Puget Sound 2V8 sixth at 7:21.47. Three of the top four times in the preliminary heats were registered in the third heat.

Entering the championship, 乐播传媒’ 1V8 ranked fourth in Division III by the College Rowing Coaches Association/US Rowing, with Trinity at No. 3.

As the heat winner, 乐播传媒 advanced automatically to the Grand Final, joining the other two heat winners, Williams 1V8 and Ithaca 1V8.

乐播传媒’ 2V8 also fared well, taking fourth place out of five boats in Elimination Heat 2 in a time of 7:05.47, trailing only three high-quality 1V8’s in Ithaca (6:48.63), St. Lawrence (6:55.19) and Wellesley (6:55.34) and well ahead of St. Lawrence 2V8 (7:13.67). 乐播传媒 2V8 moved on to the Petite Qualifier at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. 乐播传媒 was in control throughout the race: neck-and-neck with Ithaca’s 2V8 after 500 meters, the 2V8 pulled slightly ahead at the halfway mark and extended the lead over the final 1,000 meters, finishing in 7:11.06. Ithaca 2 was second in 7:14.72, followed by Trinity 2 (7:16.64), which edged Wesleyan 2 (7:18.31) for the third and final automatic berth in Saturday’s Petite Final.

COOPER RIVER, N.J. — 乐播传媒 College had its best showing ever in the NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championships, claiming second place in both the team standings and in the Grand Final in convincing fashion on Saturday. Both of 乐播传媒’ two boats fared the best they ever had in this, the Bobcats’ third (and third straight) appearance at NCAAs. It is also the best showing by a team ever at an NCAA championship.

The Bobcats’ first varsity boat placed second in the Grand Final to rival Williams, which claimed its fourth straight NCAA title, 6:28.04 to 6:30.77. Although Williams was in first place at each of the 500-meter splits, 乐播传媒 had the lead down the stretch before the Ephs made a final push across the finish line. Over the second half of the race, 乐播传媒 I surged past rival Trinity I, ultimately defeating the third-place Bantams (6:36.03) by more than five seconds. Rounding out the field were Ithaca I (6:39.16), Williams II (6:42.00) and Puget Sound I (6:47.47). 乐播传媒’ previous best finish in the Grand Final was third place in 2007.

Just before the Bobcats’ performance in the Grand Final, the 乐播传媒 II boat went a long way to ensuring a place ahead of all teams but Williams, outrowing Trinity II in the final 500 meters to claim an impressive third-place finish in the Petite Final. 乐播传媒 II finished the course in 6:53.73, impressively close behind the No. 1 boats of Smith (6:47.12) and St. Lawrence (6:51.75), and more than three seconds and half a boat length ahead of rival Trinity II (6:57.17). The 乐播传媒 second boat’s performance far outdid last year’s entry, when it placed second in the Third Final.

Four 乐播传媒 seniors plan to walk at Commencement back on campus in Lewiston tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.: captain and three-time All-American Nicole Ritchie (East Dummerston, Vt.), captain Caitlin Murphy (Duxbury, Mass.), Emily Chandler (North Yarmouth, Maine) and Laura Hubbell (Yarmouth, Maine).

Friday Recap

乐播传媒 I guaranteed itself a spot in the Grand Final on Friday morning听in the opening heats of the NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championship, as the Bobcats’ first varsity eight easily won the second of three preliminary heats.

乐播传媒 I finished the 2,000-meter course in 7:06.90, more than 13 seconds ahead of the second-place boat, Puget Sound I. 乐播传媒 II, by chance, was in the same race and finished fourth in 7:20.44, just a hair behind Trinity II (7:20.23) for a spot in the Grand Qualifier.

乐播传媒 II听was one of seven boats competing in the Petite Qualifier at 2:30 p.m., where the top three finishers advance to the Petite Final. 乐播传媒’ second boat won that race, rowing the course in 6:53.27, more than three seconds faster than runner-up Ithaca II (6:56.47). The win put 乐播传媒 II in the petite qualifier Saturday at 11:15 a.m.

乐播传媒 I was one of three boats guaranteed a spot in the Grand Final. Familiar rivals Williams I and Trinity I were the other boats that qualified for the Grand Final with preliminary heat race wins.

See the 乐播传媒 at NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships preview story.

The Bobcats are led by senior three-time All-American and captain Nicole Ritchie (East Dummerston, Vt.), sophomore All-American Rebecca Waldo (Dracut, Mass.) and senior captain Caitlin Murphy (Duxbury, Mass.). Also on the first varsity eight boat are senior stroke Emily Chandler (North Yarmouth, Maine), first-year Haley Sive (Glenville, N.Y.), sophomore Rebecca Waldo (Dracut, Mass.), sophomore Emma White (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), senior Laura Hubbell (Yarmouth, Maine), junior Danica Doroski (Wayne, Pa.) in the bow and sophomore Nora Collins (Kensington, Md.) at coxswain.

The 乐播传媒 second varsity eight at New Englands consisted of sophomore stroke Kirsten Laaspere (Londonderry, N.H.), sophomore Ellen Patterson (St. Louis Park, Minn.), junior Josie Cutts (Kittery Point, Maine), first-year Elizabeth Sonshine (Short Hills, N.J.), first-year Allison Di Salvo (Lowell, Mass.), sophomore Phoebe Reed (Brooklyn, N.Y.), junior Alison Frye (Duxbury, Mass.), sophomore Davina Dukuly (Lowell, Mass.) in the bow and sophomore Tracy Glazier (Weston, Mass.) at coxswain.