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 乐播传媒 women’s rowing team won a fourth straight NCAA championship with a terrific performance Memorial Day weekend at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.

On Friday, both boats won their respective heats and on Saturday the Bobcats completed the sweep with two more victories, good for the program’s fifth national championship in the last six seasons.

NCAA champions for the fourth straight season, the 乐播传媒 women’s rowing team celebrates on the podium in Sarasota, Fla. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The first varsity eight boat celebrates a third consecutive gold medal at NCAAs. Top row from left to right: Hannah Beams ’21, Sally Porter ’21, Carla Guichard ’22, Grace Bake ’21. Bottom row from left to right: Saylor Strugar ’21, Catharine Berry-Toon ’21, Elizabeth Folsom ’21, Lily Kinder ’22 and Elizabeth Fischer ’21. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The second varsity eight competes in its grand final Saturday morning at the NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Coxswain Elise Grossfeld ’21 of Bethesda, Md. and stroke seat Casey Winter ’23 of Malvern, Pa. lead the second varsity eight to victory in its grand final at the NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Team captain Emma York ’21 of Santa Barbara, Calif. leans back in celebration as the second varsity eight clinches its seventh straight gold medal at the NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The first varsity eight races down the course at Nathan Benderson Park, home of the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Stroke seat Grace Bake ’21 of London, England paces the first varsity eight down the course at the NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Bow seat and team captain Saylor Strugar ’21 of Boulder, Colo. (far right) and the first varsity eight race to the finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The first varsity eight pulls away from Ithaca College down the stretch of the grand final at the 2021 NCAA Championships. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Sally Porter ’21 of Washington, D.C. (middle) and the first varsity eight celebrate another victory for the Bobcats at NCAAs. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The celebration begins on the docks at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Coxswain Elizabeth Folsom ’21 of San Mateo, Calif. led the first varsity eight to a third straight gold medal at NCAAs. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Team captain Emma York ’21 of Santa Barbara, Calif. and the Bobcats showed why they are the best Division III rowing program in the country. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Lily Kinder ’22 of Pike, N.H. (second from right) was a novice rower when she came to 乐播传媒. Now she is a two-time NCAA champion. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Folsom ’21 of San Mateo, Calif. and Casey Winter ’23 of Malvern, Pa. celebrate on the docks. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The first varsity eight takes their boat back to the staging area after completing an undefeated season. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Heavily favored to capture its fourth straight NCAA rowing title, the 乐播传媒 1V overcame overcome a stubborn Ithaca team to complete a perfect weekend and season.

鈥�

“About three strokes in I knew we were in for it,” said  鈥�21 of San Mateo, Calif., coxswain of 乐播传媒’ first varsity eight boat. “We were all expecting a really good race. We executed our plan like we wanted to and it worked out. It was a little scary at points but it turned out fine!” 

More than fine: Fantastic!

As a team, 乐播传媒 scored the maximum 42 points with both the first varsity eight and second varsity eight winning their respective grand finals. 

The second varsity eight got Saturday started on the right foot, winning a remarkable seventh straight gold medal at NCAAs, defeating Hamilton, followed by Wesleyan. The first varsity eight came from behind to defeat Ithaca in an exciting grand final, winning its third consecutive gold medal at NCAAs.

On the podium at the championships, the women’s rowing team (four straight national titles in case you didn’t know) had a little fun!

Wait for it…

鈥� 乐播传媒Sports (@乐播传媒Sports)

The 2021 NCAA championship for 乐播传媒 women’s rowing comes after the 2020 NCAAs were canceled due to the pandemic. The Bobcats initially weren’t expecting to have a season this year.

“Honestly until we were sitting at the starting line for the first heat, it all seemed unreal to me,” senior captain  (Boulder, Colo.) said. “This team has made it so easy to train even with all the uncertainty because I know the person next to me is trying their hardest.”  

乐播传媒 won the 2017, 2018 and 2019 NCAA championships, with the first varsity eight making history in Sarasota in 2018, earning its first gold medal on the national stage. The 1V has now added two more to its collection. From 2009-2013, 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. 

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.

“I’m honored to be a part of it,” senior captain  (Mattapoisett, Mass.) said. “It means that I’ve gotten the chance to be with these amazing women for the last four years. I remember hearing all the stories when I first got to 乐播传媒 and I still can’t believe I am part of this program.”

This marks the 30th national championship won by 乐播传媒 College individuals or teams in the school’s history. 

It was a year to remember for the 乐播传媒 rowing program.

The women won the NCAA championship for the third time in the last four years and the men qualified for the IRA National Championship for the first time in school history.

The Bobcats traveled to Mercer Lake, N.J., to take on the likes of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Washington, and CAL, the true giants of collegiate rowing.

“I shook hands with one guy and I swear his hand was bigger than my head,” said senior bow Joshua Bilchik of聽Brookline, Mass.

But after sizing up the competition, it was time to race.

With the greatest season in program history wrapped up, the nine men’s rowing seniors reflected on their time at 乐播传媒.

“Some of my teammates I’ve known for a year, some of them I’ve known for four,” said senior Roddy Pratt ’18 of Arlington, Mass. “And along with being great teammates, they’ve been incredible friends.”

“I’ve learned a lot from them in many different ways and I hope I’ve taught them something too. But yeah, I’ll miss them all.”

When Rosemary Kyne ’18 came to 乐播传媒 from Nashville, Tenn., she didn’t know much about rowing, or about herself. That changed.

“I feel like a big part of me has been able to grow in the rowing world and in the greater 乐播传媒 world,” she says. “Rowing is a place that I have been able to find myself and become always a better version of myself.”

Now a senior and an All-American, Kyne will be aboard 乐播传媒’ first varsity boat as the Bobcats compete of the NCAA Championships in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, May 27.

Two races comprise the Division III grand finals, . The second varsity eight’s grand final starts at 11:12 a.m. EDT. The first varsity eight’s grand final follows shortly after at 11:36 a.m ED.

In the fall, senior rower Quinn Hayward of Weston, Conn., helped the men’s first varsity eight achieve a program-record third-place finish at the famed Head of the Charles Regatta.

He was looking forward to the spring, but an injury is preventing him from rowing this season.

Hayward could be on campus relaxing, but that’s not who he is.

“Being injured, senior spring, I really didn’t want to take the opportunity to go sit on a couch and do nothing for the rest of the year,” Hayward said. “So I tried to look for ways that I could give back to the program and continue to help the guys the way they’ve all helped me.”

His dedication does not go unnoticed.

“He wakes up at 5 a.m. every day and comes to practice every morning,” said senior Quinn Gardner ’18 of聽Tucson, Ariz. “He doesn’t have to do that. He brings down oars, helps rig our boats, and just helps with the guys, it’s great.”

Hayward’s passion for the sport is such that he plans to move to Philadelphia upon graduation and move into the world of club rowing. His injury is treatable, it just takes time.

For now he’s helping the Bobcats achieve their best times, even if he has to watch the races from shore.

For 乐播传媒 College, 2016鈥�17 was a year of never-befores and how-about-thats, with a few way-to-goes along the way.

Here are the highlights:

乐播传媒 Campaign launch energized by announcement of Bonneys’ $50 million gift

Believed to be the largest single monetary donation ever to a Maine college, the $50 million gift from Michael 鈥�80 and Alison Grott Bonney 鈥�80, announced on May 16 with the launch of the 乐播传媒 Campaign, will fund new and modernized science facilities at 乐播传媒.

“We have never been more optimistic about the future of 乐播传媒,” said Michael.

Kicked off with events in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, and on campus, The 乐播传媒 Campaign has a goal of $300 million, making it the largest fundraising effort in college history.

President Clayton Spencer reveals the $300 million goal of The 乐播传媒 Campaign during the Boston launch event on May 16. “We have gotten pretty far on high intention, good ideas, and great design. But I think we could get even farther if we combine those good ideas and great design with strong resources.” (Jared Charney Photography for 乐播传媒 College)

Women win second NCAA rowing championship

The team championship, 乐播传媒 rowing’s second in three years, came thanks to gutsy performances by both 乐播传媒 boats at the NCAA regatta, held May 26鈥�27 on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.

鈥淚t was really the epitome of what I love about this sport,鈥� said Julia Mason 鈥�17 of Niskayuna, N.Y.

乐播传媒 seniors Julia Mason of Niskayuna, N.Y., Molly Pritz of Ithaca, N.Y., Katherine Traquina of Wayland, Mass., Abigail Bierman of Bethlehem, N.Y., and Jessica Vocaturo of Columbus, N.J., celebrate the college’s second team national championship. (Aaron Morse/乐播传媒 College)

Record Fulbright awards to 乐播传媒 seniors and young alums

Through late June, the Fulbright U.S. Student program has offered grants to 22 seniors and young alumni for 2017鈥�18 鈥� the college’s highest number of offers ever.

鈥淭he Fulbright mission is about young scholars taking the initiative for intercultural exchange in our global society,鈥� says Robert Strong, who guides 乐播传媒 students in applying for Fulbrights.

鈥淭he 乐播传媒 experience, set in the international community of Lewiston, is an ideal incubator for such leaders.鈥�

One of 22 seniors and young alumni to receive Fulbright offers for 2017鈥�18, Deshun Peoples 鈥�17 of Chicago, a double major in studio art and rhetoric, received a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award for a project in China. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

乐播传媒 finished 20th in the 2016鈥�17 Learfield Directors’ Cup, an annual ranking of the country’s most successful varsity sports programs based on their team performances at NCAA championships.

乐播传媒 ranked 20th out of 325 institutions that scored points in 2016鈥�17. In all, there are 451 NCAA Division III member schools.

The following 乐播传媒 teams earned Directors’ Cup points: women’s rowing (NCAA champs), men’s lacrosse (5th-place tie), women’s outdoor track and field (11th), women’s indoor track and field (11th tie), women’s swimming (13th), alpine and Nordic skiing (17th), women’s cross country (19th), men’s swimming (24th), and men’s indoor track and field (42nd).

Head coach Peter Lasagna and the men鈥檚 lacrosse team celebrate after defeating Middlebury at Garcelon Field in April. 乐播传媒 (16-2) advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in 2017. (Brewster Burns for 乐播传媒 College)

Major U.S. higher education access initiative selects 乐播传媒 for membership

In December 2016, the American Talent Initiative selected 乐播传媒 on the basis of the college鈥檚 commitment to access, affordability, and post-graduation success.

鈥淲e are proud to join the American Talent Initiative and look forward to offering our energy, experience, and creativity to the campaign,鈥� said President Spencer.

“Education remains the great equalizer in our society.鈥�

Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the initiative seeks, over the next nine years, to expand by 50,000 the number of low- and moderate-income students attending 270 top U.S. schools.

鈥淎t a time when we鈥檙e too often reminded of issues that divide us, education remains the great equalizer in our society,鈥� said Spencer.

Members of the Class of 2020 get acquainted during an academic-planning session in August 2016 as part of Bobcat First!, the college’s program for first-generation-to-college students. The college’s record of supporting student success garnered an invitation to the American Talent Initiative. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Debaters advance to the globe’s upper echelons

In March, the team of Abby Westberry 鈥�19 of Readfield, Maine, and Tessa Holtzman 鈥�17 of Las Cruces, N.M., won the North American Women鈥檚 Debating Championship.

And in January, the team of Zo毛 Seaman-Grant 鈥�17 of Charleston, S.C., and Matt Davis 鈥�18 of Chicago made 乐播传媒’ first-ever final-four appearance at the World Universities Debating Championships, held in The Hague, Netherlands.

The performances have once again “solidified 乐播传媒 as an elite program,” said Director of Debate Jan Hovden.

Debate partners Zo毛 Seaman-Grant ’17 and Matt Davis ’18 made it to the finals of the 2017 World Universities Debating Championships in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photograph courtesy Brooks Quimby Debate Council)

Economist Michael Murray wins 2017 Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching

Murray received the college’s signature teaching award for, among other things, “making econometrics click for [students] in a way that other people don鈥檛,” said his colleague James Hughes.

Students don鈥檛 just rave about Murray鈥檚 ability to communicate econometrics. They say he even makes it fun. 鈥淗e made complex concepts enjoyable and interesting to learn,鈥� said Sarah Centanni 鈥�17 of Hingham, Mass.

Economics professor Michael Murray works with econometrics students during the final week of classes in April. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Ali Rabideau’s social-enterprise pitch wins top prize in $15,000 competition

The 乐播传媒 senior’s winning pitch in the student-run Bobcat Ventures competition on April 1, 2016, grew from her summer job helping a Lewiston nonprofit, the Center for Wisdom鈥檚 Women, make some money by growing and selling products made from medicinal herbs and flowers.

Rabideau said that being able to knit together two strong strands of the 乐播传媒 experience 鈥� entrepreneurism and social awareness 鈥� 鈥渨as my favorite part of the experience: Having the kind of work you value brought to life by an entrepreneurship competition.鈥�

Bobcat Ventures judge Chris Barbin ’93 presents first-place winner Ali Rabideau ’17 with a first-place check of $9,000 on April 1, 2017. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Campus weathers historic five-snowstorm week

February 2017 delivered a one-two-three-four-five punch of snowstorms totaling around 47 inches, which is more than double the height of your average bobcat.

Midway through the February blitz, with the temperature at about 13 degrees and the wind gusting to 25 mph, we caught up with Kinsey Moser 鈥�18 of Florida, at left, who was walking with Emma Foss 鈥�19 and Adam Poulin 鈥�19 of Maine and Jade Donaldson 鈥�18 of New Jersey.

乐播传媒 takes national lead in sustainability with switch to Renewable Fuel Oil

乐播传媒 is cutting emissions and saving money as the first U.S. college to heat with an innovative fuel oil made from wood scraps and other cellulosic biomass products.

乐播传媒 sustainability manager Tom Twist estimates that burning RFO will cut the steam plant鈥檚 annual emission of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) from about 3,080 metric tons to 532.

“It鈥檚 a huge drop, which is pretty cool,鈥� said Twist.

Tanks a lot: With a Cote crane poised for action, a rigger unfastens the Renewable Fuel Oil tank from its trailer on Dec. 9, 2016. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

Attempt to suppress 乐播传媒 student vote gets swift college response

Denounced with vigor by President Clayton Spencer, the dastardly attempt to discourage 乐播传媒 students from participating in the 2016 national election on Nov. 8 captured national attention.

Two days before the election, orange fliers posted in Commons and residences by an unknown person implied that voting in Maine meant that a student must get a Maine driver鈥檚 license and, if they owned a car, register it with the state. Neither are requirements for students to vote in Maine.

In her statement to the community, President Spencer denounced the fliers as 鈥渃learly a deliberate attempt at voter suppression.”

Orange fliers with false voting information posted on campus on Nov. 6 were a deliberate attempt to discourage students from voting, said President Spencer. (Photograph by Sarah Frankie Sigman ’18)

Marcy Plavin, a singular force for dance and dancers at 乐播传媒, dies at age 84

Plavin, who died Nov.聽 3, 2016, was the face and spirit of 乐播传媒 dance and, for her students, 鈥渁 spirited defender and nurturer of their aspirations and dreams,鈥� said President Spencer.

Dance critic and historian Suzanne Carbonneau 鈥�76 said that Plavin provided an聽别苍迟谤茅别 鈥渢o the world of artistic creation鈥� for her students. 鈥淲e learned that passionate engagement, an appreciation of the sublime, and the cultivation of compassion are forms of knowledge that none of us can afford to be without.鈥�

Rachel Segall ’91 and Michael Foley ’89 embrace Marcy Plavin on May 2, 2015, during rehearsals for the evening’s alumni dance concert to honor Plavin. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

$10 million gift from Elizabeth Kalperis Chu 鈥�80 and Michael Chu 鈥�80 names new residences

Dedicated on Oct. 2, 2016, in honor of the Chus’ gift, Kalperis Hall and Chu Hall, located at 65 and 55 Campus Ave. respectively, provide housing for 243 students. In addition, Kalperis Hall features street-level space for the relocated and reimagined 乐播传媒 College Store and Post & Print office.

The new buildings establish a new, dynamic area of college life on the south side of campus while offering a more defined and welcoming gateway to 乐播传媒.

Elizabeth Kalperis Chu 鈥�80 and Michael Chu 鈥�80 pose outside Kalperis Hall on Oct. 28, 2016. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)

The project is part of the college’s strategic efforts to improve residential offerings on a broad scale while maintaining campus enrollment at approximately 1,750 students.

乐播传媒 dedicates new rowing boathouse, 鈥榓 place to call home鈥�

The 乐播传媒 rowing program had a housewarming on Oct. 29, 2016, formally dedicating its new donor-funded boathouse on the Androscoggin River in Greene.

The new facility has what the old boathouse, a rustic unheated pole barn, did not have: locker rooms, workout space, and secure storage for boats.

Still, some things won’t change. 鈥淲e take pride in being the tough, gritty team from Maine,” said captain Abbey Bierman 鈥�17 of Bethlehem, N.Y. “And this boathouse will not change that.”

The college’s new donor-funded boathouse was designed by Peterson Architects, based in Cambridge, Mass. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Museum of Art鈥檚 鈥楶hantom Punch鈥� exhibition is among first in U.S. to present contemporary Saudi artists

You didn鈥檛 see it coming: A groundbreaking exhibition of contemporary Saudi Arabian art at the 乐播传媒 College Museum of Art last fall and winter.

鈥淲e want to show that there are creative, interesting, critical people who are exploring the political and cultural issues in their society,” said co-curator Loring Danforth, Dana Professor of Anthropology.

“Tagged and Documented” (2013) by Hudu Bedoun appears in Phantom Punch.

Journalist and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King speaks at 乐播传媒

Punctuating his remarks with penetrating detail, Shaun King, senior social justice writer for the New York Daily News and a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, spoke to a capacity audience in the Gomes Chapel on Oct. 11, 2016.

鈥淪ometimes human beings are amazing, and sometimes they鈥檙e really terrible,鈥� King said. 鈥淪ometimes the quality of humanity goes up, and sometimes it goes really far down.鈥�

Black Lives Matter activist and New York Daily News justice writer Shaun King delivers remarks in the Gomes Chapel on Oct. 11, 2016. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)

Chemist Tom Wenzel shares $900,000 grant for curriculum development

The grant will support work by Dana Professor of Chemistry Tom Wenzel and a collaborator to advance active learning, where students take a hands-on approach to solving problems that have their roots in real-world situations.

鈥淭his is a way to help faculty meaningfully change the way they teach,鈥� Wenzel said. 鈥淭o move away from lectures to doing in-class group work, and away from 鈥榬ecipe-driven鈥� laboratories to more open-ended experiments.鈥�

Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry Tom Wenzel. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Robert Flynn, a three-sport coach with 鈥榠conic Bobcat zen鈥� who elevated 乐播传媒 skiing to national prominence, dies at age 83

Bob Flynn鈥檚 warmth and loyalty to his athletes embodied 鈥渢he force, the spirit, and the iconic Bobcat zen鈥� of 乐播传媒 athletics.

At his induction into the 乐播传媒 Scholar-Athlete Society in 2015, Flynn was honored for his many years of 鈥渆ncouraging 乐播传媒 athletes to participate in all 乐播传媒 had to offer. Most of all, he has assisted 乐播传媒 students in challenging themselves.鈥�

Whatever the sport, 鈥渋t just didn鈥檛 matter to him who you were. He was nice 鈥� period,鈥� said Dave Irons, a longtime friend and Maine ski industry journalist.

Bob Flynn, photographed in September 2012 while coaching the 乐播传媒 golf team. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

The 乐播传媒 rowing program had a housewarming last Saturday, formally dedicating its new boathouse on the Androscoggin River in Greene.

While the weather outside was a bit frightful 鈥� chilly and rainy 鈥� it was delightful inside the warm and bright boathouse.

And that鈥檚 the point, captain Abbey Bierman 鈥�17 of Bethlehem, Pa., told the gathering of teammates, coaches, families, friends, and college leaders, including President Clayton Spencer and Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh.

鈥淲e take pride in being the tough, gritty team from Maine. And this boathouse will not change that,鈥� Bierman said.

But other things will change 鈥� and much, much for the better 鈥� now that the team has a boathouse with locker rooms, workout space, and secure storage for boats.

Evidence of rowing success lines the lobby of the new boathouse. (Andree Kehn for 乐播传媒 College)

Head coach Peter Steenstra offers a tour of the new boathouse. (Andree Kehn for 乐播传媒 College)

The donor-funded boathouse was dedicated on Oct. 29, nearly two years to the day after the project was announced on Oct. 30, 2014. (Andree Kehn for 乐播传媒 College)

Joined by her fellow rowing captains, Abbey Bierman '17 of Bethlehem, Pa., offers remarks during the dedication. (Andree Kehn for 乐播传媒 College)

Head coach Peter Steenstra completes the ribbon cutting. (Andree Kehn for 乐播传媒 College)

鈥淲hile we鈥檒l miss our old barn,鈥� she said, referring to the rustic, unheated, off-the-grid pole barn of the past, 鈥渨e are excited to see how much more we can grow and how much speed we can gain with a warm place to call home.鈥�

The boathouse, 100 percent funded by donors, was dedicated on Oct. 29, nearly two years to the day after the project was announced on Oct. 30, 2014. Groundbreaking took place in April and the team began using the boathouse in August.

鈥淭his team and their inspiring coaches have earned this fabulous new boathouse,” said Spencer. “They have shown again and again that ambition, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to excellence pay off in outstanding results.”

She added, “What we see here today reflects the growing tradition of support from alumni, parents, and friends who step forward, again and again, to help us deliver the best possible experience for all 乐播传媒 students.鈥�

The 乐播传媒 rowing program is one of the premiere small-college programs in the country. In 2015, the women won the college鈥檚 first-ever team NCAA championship, the men secured their first NESCAC championship, and head coach Peter Steenstra was named Division III coach of the year. The women have finished in the top three at the NCAA Rowing Championships nine times in the last 10 years.

鈥淚n everything we do, our goal is to get better 鈥� as individuals, as a team, as a program聽鈥� and this boathouse is a fundamental part of that equation,鈥� Steenstra said.

The program has produced 15 All-America rowers and two Olympians, Andrew Byrnes 鈥�05, who won gold for Canada men’s eight at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and silver in London in 2012, and Mike Ferry 鈥�97, a rower for the U.S. team in Sydney in 2000.

鈥淭his new boathouse provides us with a facility that is commensurate with the high caliber of the program,鈥� said Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh. 鈥淭he boathouse also announces to the rowing community and to the world of college athletics that 乐播传媒 has an extraordinary commitment to excellence.鈥�

The project architect was Peterson Architects, a Cambridge, Mass.-based firm specializing in boathouse design. Henry Gillert of 乐播传媒 Facility Services was the project manager, and general contractor was Consigli Construction, which also managed the building of Kalperis Hall and Chu Hall.

The demolition of 乐播传媒’ former boathouse is part of this week’s Campus Construction Update.

Campus Construction Update isn’t ready to surrender the hard hat and safety vest quite yet, but that day is coming soon. (The 8-foot ladder stays here!)

Workers install the door unit at the new rear entrance to Wentworth Adams Hall on Aug. 10, 2016. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

The four projects that we’ve been following since last spring (or, in the case of the Campus Life Project, since spring 2014) are all coming to fruition in the next few weeks 鈥� in time, naturally, for students’ arrival for the new academic year.

Two of the projects are athletic facilities. The new playing surface for the Campus Avenue Field, home of 乐播传媒 field hockey, should be in place by Aug. 19. And 乐播传媒’ new boathouse, in Greene, is scheduled for completion by Sept. 2.

And two projects, involving four buildings in all, are residential. In one project, Smith and Wentworth Adams halls have been upgraded during the summer. The fourth, of course, is the brand-new 乐播传媒 dorms at 55 and 65 Campus Ave., which we looked at last week. Students will begin moving into all four buildings on Aug. 19.

The former Room 118 in Wentworth Adams Hall will soon be the vestibule for the dorm’s new rear entrance, offering quick access to Lake Andrews. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

At Wentworth Adams, the excitement has focused on the lowest two stories. Being created on the ground floor are an entrance facilitating access to Lake Andrews; and a large study area supporting that floor’s new function as a first-year center. One flight up, a residence director’s apartment is taking the place of a student room.

Meanwhile, Aug. 9 was the date scheduled for substantial completion of the Smith work, which was building-wide. Substantial completion meant, among other things, that 乐播传媒 folks could move freely in the building, giving project manager Paul Farnsworth and others 10 days to square things away before student occupancy.

Smith’s basement has been extensively reworked, including a reconfigured floor plan and new heating infrastructure. Above ground, a makeover of student living space addresses both deferred maintenance issues and a so-called de-densification that’s halving the number of beds to 96. The other 96 are shifting to the new Campus Avenue residences.

During an Aug. 2 tour of Smith with Farnsworth, things were hopping. Every building trade seemed to be represented, especially in the basement 鈥� carpenters, wallboard hangers, plumbers, HVAC technicians, security system technicians, tile installers, and electricians.

The new boiler, clad in a white metal cover, was commissioned Aug. 4, a daylong test that included firing up the unit and circulating hot water through the radiators. (The renovation included the relocation of certain hot-water pipes upward an entire floor, from the ceiling of the basement to the ceiling of the first floor. Moving the pipes allows more natural light into the basement.)

A different pipe job was also finished: extending the fire sprinkler pipes out to the middle of the student room ceilings. Formerly positioned near the walls, the sprinklers can now fully cover a room in the unlikely event of a fire.

Heating technicians near the near Smith Hall boiler on Aug. 2, 2016. The heating system passed its operational test two days later. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

And another new system, the makeup air unit and heat exchanger that will serve Smith’s basement, introduced us to (yet another) building concept we’d never considered: makeup air. Makeup air? The possibilities were thought-provoking, but the story is really about energy efficiency.

Exhaust fans like bathroom ventilators and the new range hood in Smith’s basement kitchen reduce air pressure in a building. This “negative pressure” pulls unconditioned outside air inside 鈥� not a good thing in colder months.

So the makeup unit equalizes the pressure and, in cold weather, transfers heat from the exhaust air to the incoming air.

Upstairs, painting of the hallways was in progress, with a few bedroom walls still to be done. Bedroom flooring was in place and corridor carpeting was being laid even as we passed through. Farnsworth pointed out that the flooring subcontractor, Paul G. White Interior Solutions, worked six-day weeks and brought in installers from out of state to keep the project on track.

Finally in Smith, renovation of the 12 student bathrooms was nearly complete, incorporating new floor tiles and sinks; water-saving low-flow shower heads; and, for the first time in Smith, overhead lights in the toilet and shower stalls.

Next door at Wentworth Adams, progress was most apparent on the new entrance, with the wall opening covered in plywood while awaiting the door unit’s arrival on the 10th. But the canopy roof over the entryway was finished and the area around it landscaped, with an eye toward enabling a backyard social milieu.

In the vestibule, benches will encourage waiting for a friend, or enjoying the view even during inhospitable weather. A gas grill is on order, and Farnsworth is thinking about laying on a few Adirondack chairs.

Encouraging students to hang out together, he said, “is what this is all about.”

The exterior wall coverings were in place on the front of 乐播传媒’ new boathouse by late July 2016. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

A Boathouse Raised, Another Razed: Granted that this series is dedicated to construction and not the opposite, we were nevertheless transfixed by the destruction of 乐播传媒’ former boathouse on July 28.

With its replacement going into service Sept. 1, time was up for the barn-like 1988 structure situated near the new facility on the Androscoggin River in Greene.

The 乐播传媒 rowing fleet was stored at Underhill Arena while the college was between boathouses in July 2016. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

Operating an excavator for Wayne, Maine, construction firm C.H. Stevenson, Walter Davenport was an artist at the controls of the John Deere 160D that knocked down the old house 鈥� or at least its wooden frame, since the wall planks had been removed previously for re-use in the new boathouse.

Davenport caressed the frame at each end of the building with the Deere’s metal claw. Then he softened up one side. Finally he drove around wiggling corner posts until the structure collapsed with a polite thump.

Rowing coach Peter Steenstra witnessed the razing. “I’m proud of what we did with so little,” he said, referring to shortcomings in the old boathouse that had emerged as the rowing program grew. “And now it’s amazing how so little can somehow seem like so much.”

Davenport and his Deere also put an end to a problem that cropped up at the start of the boathouse construction project, back in April: the discovery of rocks, really big rocks, that were in the way at the construction site.

Removing them intact would have been prohibitively expensive, says 乐播传媒 project manager Henry Gillert. Incorporating them into the landscaping proved to be unworkable. But finally, Gillert says, a jackhammer mounted on an excavator’s boom 鈥� a so-called hoe ram 鈥� was used to break up the rocks, which Davenport loaded into dump trucks for disposal on the 28th.

Walter Davenport and his Deere excavator load the broken-up remains of large rocks that had posed something of a problem on the site of 乐播传媒’ new boathouse. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

“They were really hard rocks, and we weren’t sure we were going to be able to do it,” says Gillert, “but they did it in one day. It was a huge win to be able to get rid of those at a reasonable cost.”

At any rate, the new boathouse itself is right on schedule. Combining gray shingles, garnet clapboards, and white trim, much of the exterior wall covering is in place. The windows are finished. This week, plumbers and electricians have been doing terminal installations, e.g., faucets and light switches, and tiling experts are on task in locker rooms and bathrooms.

Those wall planks from the old boathouse, freshly planed and finished, will be fitted as corridor wainscoting and ceiling accents starting next week. A key feature, the slick telescoping Focus Rack Systems boat racks, will arrive the week of the 22nd.

The TenCate Ecocept layer on the Campus Avenue Field on Aug. 8, 2016. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

All Mixed Up: Finally on the athletics front, replacement of the Campus Avenue Field playing surface has resumed after a delay related in part to equipment troubles.

The new turf, a highly regarded Dutch product called GreenFields TX, has two layers: a carpet of high-tech faux grass on top, and a shock-absorbent base that’s known generically as the elastic layer or e-layer, and in GreenFields parlance as the Ecocept layer, made by the Dutch firm TenCate.

It consists of recycled rubber crumbs and chipped-up plastic bottles that are mixed with polyurethane glue right on site just prior to placement.

A crew for NET Sports of Saco, Maine, places the GreenFields TX Ecocept layer on 乐播传媒’ field hockey facility. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)

That Ecocept layer was supposed to go down the third week of July. But the mixing machine that project contractor NET Sports Group of Saco, Maine, brought up from Texas was not performing to the satisfaction of the GreenFields supervisor on the scene. So NET bought a new mixer from Germany.

Because irregularities in the Ecocept are transmitted to the playing surface, Gillert explains, the quality of that layer is critical to the playability of the field. Indeed, the NET Sports crew is so meticulous about laying the stuff that watching them work is like watching paint dry.

“Our main objective is to get it in right, because we’re going to live with that field for 20 years,” Gillert says.

Thanks to the new mixer, the Ecocept was successfully placed this week and the grassy GreenFields carpet is scheduled to arrive Aug. 12.

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update welcomes queries and comments about current, past, and future construction at 乐播传媒. Write to dhubley@bates.edu, putting 鈥淐ampus Construction鈥� or 鈥淢akeup air? Is that like makeup … never mind鈥� in the subject line. Or use the comments system below.