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Bowdoin Chaos Theory are Division III National Champions – and deservedly so, after capping off a 30-0 season with a 15-5 beatdown of Williams College in the finals. Bowdoin ran an extremely tight rotation all tournament, with Pheobe Aron, Hannah Young, and Julie Bender playing most (if not all) the points in games, but they never seemed to tire. This is probably from their efficiency on offense, with Aron’s pinpoint hucks often making the receiver’s job easy. No team scored more than 6 points on Chaos Theory all weekend, which makes some consider just how Bowdoin may even fare at DI Nationals.
Bowdoin started off Sunday with a 15-3 thrashing of Truman State Tsunami in quarterfinals. In the other quarters, Claremont took care of a surprising Philadelphia team, and #1 seeded Valparaiso ended Swarthmore’s championship hopes. But the best quarterfinal game (and really the only competitive one) was the one between Williams and Carleton College Eclipse. The story of the game was Williams’ patience against Carleton’s zone, led by handlers and captains Rachel Kessler and Haley Eagon. With the game tied at 9’s, Williams broke twice in a row and never looked back, taking the game 15-12 and eliminating an extremely dangerous Carleton team.
In the semis Bowdoin easily handled a good Claremont team. Although Claremont managed to score the most points on Chaos Theory all weekend, Aron, Bender, and Young were just too much. Bowdoin waltzed into finals with 15-6 victory.
The other semi between Valparaiso and Williams looked as if it would be a classic early. Valparaiso took a 5-2 lead early, but Williams came roaring back to tie it at fives. This Skyd Reporter was squirming in his seat with anticipation for what would surely remain a competitive game for the duration. Sadly, it would not be so. Williams’ breaks didn’t stop at 5-5, taking half 8-5 on a six point run. The second half was more of the same. Led by 6’3” Senior Claire Baecher, Williams finished off the upset 15-10.
The final, a matchup of two New England teams, was all Bowdoin once again. While both teams ran tight rotations, Chaos Theory was clearly just fresher than Williams. Rachel Kessler and Claire Baecher’s fatigue finally caught up to them, and Bowdoin jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead. Williams would throw a zone to try to take advantage of the gusty wind, but Pheobe Aron’s hammers quickly tore it apart. Bowdoin cruised to a 15-5 victory and a first place wooden disc. Hannah Young, with 6 goals scored, earned the Spin Ultimate MVP red jersey of the finals. Although it was an extra large and she is a little less than five feet tall (guessing), she seemed to be ecstatic anyway.
Congrats to all the teams this weekend, and especially to Bowdoin on earning their first DIII National Title!
Photo by Nick Lindeke – UltiPhotos.com (Full D3 Gallery)
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