Pless is the new NCAA Division III indoor champion in the shot put. Waldman placed sixth at the national meet in that event. Murtagh was sixth in the 35-pound weight throw.

Solloway notes that “their story could end” with their athletic achievement, but the three throwers “have a back story that begins in sorrow.” That involves the late Joe Woodhead, the legendary Bates throwing coach who died in October from a heart attack at age 76.

“He cared about the athlete,” said Pless. “If you respected him, you got the respect back. I could feel him [at the national meet in Columbus, Ohio]. When I stood in the circle, he was the wind beneath my feet.” View story from The Portland Press Herald, March 25, 2011.

Senior Ben Stein ’09, seen here, and partner Amrit Rupasinghe ’10 defeated Bowdoin for the 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Bates junior Rich McNeil (Lawrence, Mass.) won three throwing events last weekend at the Colby Invitational, helping the Bobcats claim first place out of four teams, including their first regular-season win over MIT in 14 years.

McNeil, a five-time All-NESCAC performer, one-time All-American and the 2007 NESCAC Most Outstanding Rookie Performer placed first in the hammer throw, the discus throw and the shot put (45-04.25). His tosses in the discus (145-02) and the hammer (174-10) were both season bests.

McNeil was named the NESCAC Field Performer of the Week, the New England Small College Athletic Conference announced on Monday.

Bobcat fans have come to expect great things from two-time All-American thrower Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan (Topsham, Maine), but her performance at Saturday’s Snowflake Classic at Tufts still stands out.

In the first outdoor meet of the year, Duncan threw the hammer in competition for the first time since last May, and took first place among collegiate competitors at the meet with a personal-best mark of 173-08, meeting the automatic qualifying mark for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.

Duncan was also fourth in the discus throw (112-04) and third in the shot put (39-07.75), and was a big factor in the Bobcats placing third out of 16 teams at the meet. Her performance led to her being named NESCAC Women’s Field Performer of the Week.

The Portland Press Herald chronicled the high drama surrounding senior diver Kelsey Lamdin’s final performance at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the University of Minnesota in March. During a warmup dive, she struck the board. Head and hands bleeding, she departed for a hospital, where she got stitched up (without anesthesia) and returned to compete. She finished 10th, securing All-America honors. “”I couldn’t imagine a more amazing sequence of events,” said Bates head coach Peter Casares. “It was a phenomenal display of courage.” [Original story]

Welcoming the best collegiate skiers in the nation, Bates College plays host to the 2009 NCAA Skiing Championships March 11-14 at its two home venues: Sunday River in Bethel, Maine (alpine) and Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine (Nordic). [More...]

Here are guides to the alpine and Nordic events at Sunday River and Black Mountain, respectively:

• How to watch the Alpine events at Sunday River.
• How to watch the Nordic events at Black Mountain.