After not qualifying for Nationals last year, Bowdoin College out of Brunswick, Maine, took home the second bid out of the New England region this year. Their season had them coming in as a favorite after taking down other top DIII competition at D-1337, but a loss to Bentley knocked them down to the 2nd seed heading in to Nationals. We don’t know yet if that will set them up for a harder path to winning the championship or not, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a dangerous team. Bowdoin Stoned Clown Captain Bill Page answers some questions about his team for Skyd heading into DIII Nationals in Appleton, Wisconsin.
(Photo by Woody Mawhinney)
Bill Page: We’re definitely a senior-heavy team, with 7 or so seniors who were big players on the team last year and have developed some solid chemistry over the time they’ve been playing together. Still, we have a roster of 20, and freshman and sophomores account for a good chunk those spots, so we’ll have some young guys out there as well.
Up and Coming players, guys on your team that are going to be making plays come the season?
Bill: We have some very athletic sophomores in Zach Morrison and Sam Fichtner who we’ll be looking to on big points. These guys are among our best cutters and did a great job for us in the fall.
Star Players, who would be your Callahan nominee? Who are the big playmakers and leaders?
Bill: Without a doubt, our primary handler Dylan Kane would be our nominee. He puts up excellent backhand hucks and has a good connection with our best deep cutters like Nick Riker and Taylor Tremble. Dylan’s offensive short game also really helps us out against tight zones, and he’s the one calling the shots in the huddle because he is the most strategically knowledgeable.
Bill page leaps over two players from Bentley University. (Photo by Woody Mawhinney)
Bill: We went to High Tide Session II and were 6-3 there. Our losses were against Bentley, Washington University and a universe loss to Wesleyan, and we scored big wins against Case Western, Edinboro, Rochester (twice), New Hampshire and Rhode Island. We won both D-1337 and Garden State Open II on universe, over Bentley and Stevens Tech, respectively. We’re excited for Conferences, Regionals and hopefully Nationals. We’ve been shorthanded at each of the three tournaments we’ve played at, and we’re excited to be at full strength for the end of the season.
Who are the big DIII teams and players to look out for, both in your region, and in the entire division?
Bill: Bentley is the team to watch out for in New England. They are very deep on both offense and defense, and in particular have a great crew of handlers who play a strong possession-oriented offense. Brandeis also has a few very talented players and is always a challenge. I don’t know about any players in particular. In the entire division, we’re not sure. We’ll figure that out if we get to Nationals.
Taylor Tremble bids for a disc in the air. (Photo by Woody Mawhinney.)
Bill: We went DIII last year and lost a couple tough early games at Regionals, which knocked us out of the running for Nationals. This year, as with last year, we’re really motivated knowing we’ll be competing against schools that are close to Bowdoin’s size, and we’re also really motivated by the idea of competing at Nationals. Especially in New England, we wouldn’t be able to play nearly as much competitive Ultimate if we went DI.
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