The Fall 2015 Campaign

What a season! With eight new additions to the roster and veteran talent headed back to Bates in September, the Bobcats were primed for their most successful season since 2005. It was not without dedication, commitment, hard work, and heart that the Bobcats went 7-9, 3-7 in NESCAC play, returned to conference tournament play, and upset nationally ranked opponent Babson. The playoff berth was the first since 2010. Along with team accomplishments came recognition of sophomore Caroline O’Reilly, who was named to the All-Region Second Team for the second consecutive year. Multiple Bobcats were named to the NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team, showing our dedication not only on the field, but also in the classroom. To be honored an individual must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.35. Sophomores Alyssa Alexander, Sydney Beres, Delaney Nalen, Sam Reiss and Allie Solms received honors along with seniors Hannah Beinecke, and Cristina Vega.

 

Doing Good in the Neighborhood

Off the field, the team continues to participate in events that benefit the Bates community. The team held a “Hockey for Hunger” game on Oct. 3 against Trinity College, where — thanks to the generous contributions of all involved — we raised $553 and collected 140 pounds of food. These donations contributed to the distribution of 2,212 meals in an ongoing effort to help fight hunger in Maine. On Oct. 17, the Bobcats and Jumbos of Tufts University joined forces to “Play 4 the Cure” in support of Breast Cancer awareness month. The event brought in more than $300 that went directly to cancer research. As some of you may remember from previous newsletters, Nora was matched with our team in 2014 through Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing chronic illness with a team. This year Nora came to a team dinner, watched lots of games, and even helped us decorate cookies! We love working with our favorite little Bobcat.

Senior Theses

The words of Dr. Seuss — “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” — ring true for the seniors on the team, who have been working diligently on an impressive array of theses. This incredible group of women never ceases to surprise us with what they are working on.

Dani Pierce ’16 wrote on an empirical cognitive psychology thesis and is working on having her results published. Be on the lookout for informative data on “High and Low Load Scenario Effects on Indirect Viewings of Advertisement.”

The first of Hannah Beinecke’s ’16 two theses was on the exploitation of minerals in the Congo (just 65 pages written in French — no big deal), and her second will be on the links between environmental policy and obtaining sustainable development goals.

Shannon Beaton dove into the world of Division III athletics, completing her thesis on Gender Inequalities in Collegiate Athletics with a focus of Title IX at the Division III level.

Alex Eliopoulous ’16 is writing a full-year honors thesis that will cover her two majors, art and visual culture and anthropology. Her thesis will focus on Etruscan burial tombs and what the material culture can tell the public about the Etruscan notions of afterlife.

Katie Knox ’16 wrapped up her thesis last semester after working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. She focused on how improving the students’ self-esteem with these disorders would possibly affect their academic initiative.

Cristina Vega ’16 will conclude her thesis this spring. She is looking at ego-depletion, the moderating role of autonomy support, and its effect on alcohol consumption.

This group will certainly be missed, but we cannot wait to see what they do on their next adventure!

Senior Spotlight

Recently, Senior Hannah Beinecke had the opportunity to attend and work at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Here is a brief summary of her experience while attending the conference.

“Last year while studying abroad in Paris, I interned for the Delegation of Palau to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Palau is a small island developing country in the West Pacific, which is named a UNESCO world heritage site for its beautiful and diverse nature. While working there, I managed day-to-day tasks of representing Palau in meetings, votes, and conferences, and I helped organize the president of Palau’s visit to Paris in June 2015. This past November my boss from the delegation invited me to return to Paris for the U.N. Climate Change Conference for continuity so that Tommy Remengesau, the president of Palau, would know who he was working with while visiting Paris. I finished my school work and left the term three weeks early in order to attend the conference and go to work with the president and his delegation in representing Palau in the face of climate change. I was able to attend the conference and speaking events including the French President Francois Hollande, the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, the former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, the politician Ségolène Royal, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and, of course, President Remengesau. It was an incredible event to witness and be a part of, especially representing a country disproportionately affected by climate change. After returning from the conference, I am now working on my thesis, which will be focused on the links between environmental policies, poverty alleviation and sustainable development.”

 

A Note of Gratitude

Thank you for a memorable 2015 season. The parent and alumni support was exceptional. Whether you volunteered hours, gave financial contributions, or were part of our always encouraging traveling fan base — my sincerest appreciation. Bates field hockey would not be where it is without you, and the 2015 season established a strong foundation for the future. The coaching staff and I are excited for the 2016 season, and we hope you join us as we continue to build a strong and successful program.

— Danielle Ryder, Head Coach