BRUNSWICK — If Bowdoin College is going to make it to the Division III women’s basketball Final Four, the Polar Bears will certainly have to earn it.

Bowdoin will play in a four-team sectional that includes three nationally ranked teams, two of them undefeated.

The Polar Bears (21-7) will play No. 4 George Fox University (29-0) of Newberg, Ore., in the Round of 16 at 5 p.m. Friday, at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.

No. 7 Mary Washington (29-0) will play No. 17 Lebanon Valley (26-3) after the Bowdoin-George Fox game. The winners play at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Saturday’s winner goes to the Final Four the following weekend at Hope College in Holland, Mich.

Bowdoin took Monday off from practice, a chance to come down from their weekend high after beating Southern Maine and Ithaca in the first two rounds.

“It lasts for a couple of days but then we’ll be back in gear preparing for the next game,” senior Jill Henrikson said. “We’re trying to treat this like the regular season, even though it’s the biggest game of the season.”

George Fox will be favored. The Bruins feature a potent lineup, led by 6-foot-5 junior post player Hannah Munger. She averages 13.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.9 blocks a game. The challenge of covering Monger will likely fall to Bowdoin’s tallest starter, 5-foot-11 Alexa Barry.

UMAINE MEN’S HOCKEY enters the Hockey East tournament as the No. 4 seed.

The Black Bears (20-11-3) are on the verge of reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007. Maine is tied for ninth in the national Pairwise Rankings, the rating system similar to the formula used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.

A series win over Merrimack in the best-of-three quarterfinals this weekend would likely secure an NCAA berth.

The Hockey East quarterfinals may feature some competitive series. No. 1 seed Boston College lost two of three games this season to No. 8 UMass.

No. 2 UMass-Lowell just finished a sweep last weekend of No. 7 Providence, but the River Hawks have also lost to the Friars.

No. 3 Boston University swept No. 6 New Hampshire, but the Terriers have not played UNH since Dec. 8, and the Wildcats are much improved.

Then there is Maine, which has not defeated No. 5 Merrimack this season, going 0-2-1 against the Warriors.

MARIA LEWIS of the UMaine women’s hockey team was named the Hockey East co-coach of the year after leading the Black Bears (17-10-6) to their first winning record in six seasons. The 17 wins tied a school record.

JESSE LABRECK, a UMaine senior from Oakland (and Messalonskee High), won the ECAC Division I pentathlon in Boston last weekend, breaking her own school record with 3,979 points.

AT THE ECAC Division III indoor track and field championships last weekend in New York City, Southern Maine freshman Hannah Wiley of Arundel took third in both the 400 meters (57.09) and long jump (17 feet, 9 inches), finished fourth in the triple jump (37-7¼) and anchored the sixth-place 4×200 relay team that broke the school record in 1:45.67. Bethany Dumas of Augusta, Emily Panciera of Monson and Christina Massey of Winslow were also on the relay team.

USM sophomore Julian Gazzelloni of Windham took second in the mile (4:13.97) and was part of the school-record distance medley relay (10:01.41), along with Jake Moore of Bridgton, Tim Even of Stoneham and Ben Manning of Jericho, Vt.

Bowdoin’s distance medley team of Coby Horowitz, Matthew Gamache, Colin Fong and Matthew Hillard won the event in 9:54.66. The Polar Bears have the top-ranked time heading into the NCAA Division III championships this weekend in Grinnell, Iowa.

USM’s Gazzelloni (mile) and Manning (800) also qualified for the men’s meet, as did Wiley (400 and triple jump) and Molly Carl (mile) for the women.

Bowdoin’s entries in the women’s nationals include the 4×400 relay, Elsa Millett (400), Chantal Croteau (mile), Erin Silva (pole vault) and Annie Huyler (pentathlon).

NATHAN MECRAY of Cumberland was one of two Bowdoin swimmers to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships March 21-24 in Indianapolis.

Mecray, a freshman, is seeded 14th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 56.91. He will also swim the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Allen Garner, a senior from Philadelphia, qualified for the women’s meet and is seeded 18th in the 200 individual medley (2:06.58). She will also swim the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH

 

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