When it comes to NESCAC women's basketball, Bowdoin has traditionally stood head and shoulders above the rest.
The Polar Bears have boasted the most successful women's basketball program in the conference, and last year was no exception. With a new coach at the helm, Bowdoin went 24-5 overall, captured the NESCAC title and came within one point of advancing to the Div. III NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
But Amherst is staking its own claim to the NESCAC throne. The Lord Jeffs lost to Bowdoin twice last season, they but ultimately made it to the Div. III Final Four, losing to The College of New Jersey in the third-place game after compiling a 29-4 record during the regular season.
Now, with Amherst and Bowdoin ranked No. 2 and No. 7, respectively, in the D3hoops.com preseason top-10 poll, both NESCAC powerhouses are looking to continue the dominance that has carried them to national prominence.
"I think that due to the strong tradition of our program, people are always gunning for us," said Adrienne Shibles, who is in her second year as the coach of the Polar Bears. "Certainly, the preseason ranking will only intensify that, but honestly I don't focus on those rankings at all. I don't think they are important. What is important is what you put forth on the court. We really don't focus on the rankings at all, and frankly to some extent, they are kind of just opinions."
But despite the imperfect nature of rankings, it is undeniable that both teams possess the capability to continue the dominance that led them to the top of the NESCAC standings in 2008. Amherst, for instance, is returning all five starters, including All-American junior Jaci Daigneault.
"It is always pretty rare to return all of your starters," Amherst coach G.P. Gromacki said. "Each of them provides exactly what we need at that position. We spread the ball pretty well across the entire team. Jaci is a good scorer. She's a solid inside player but can also hit shots and spread the floor."
Amherst's solid all-around approach helped it to the 8-1 record in conference play and a conference-best 20-point average margin of victory last season. Additionally, the Lord Jeffs ranked first in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense, rebounding margin and steals, a direct result of their team philosophy.
"We just play hard," Gromacki said. "We work hard in the defensive end. We like to push the ball as much as we can. We spread stuff out a lot. We try to run a lot of different things on offense and play solid man D on the other end."
Bowdoin, on the other hand, returns three starters to defend its NESCAC title and will be able to draw upon a strong crop of underclassmen. While the Polar Bears ranked third in scoring offense, their top scorer — then-sophomore Katie Bergeron — was ranked 19th in the league, a testament to the team's balance and depth.
"There is huge value to having three starters returning," Shibles said. "They have a lot of past experience, and they know what it takes to be successful, and that allows them to help some of the younger players along the way. Our sophomore class is very strong; I think they were really strong when they were freshmen. A lot of them saw time last year, and I see all of them stepping up and taking significant roles this season."
Ultimately, Bowdoin's calling card last season was a strong defense. The Polar Bears allowed an average of 53 points per game, second-best in the league, and were fourth in field goal defense.
"We take a lot of pride in our defense," Shibles said. "We work on it every day in practice quite a bit. I felt like last year there were some games where we weren't necessarily hitting all of our shots and our offense was a little bit off, but we were able to win it on the defensive end. We like to extend the defense full court a lot. We like to really get in the passing lanes and take teams out of their comfort zone offensively."
Despite the history, both squads will be facing stiff competition in the NESCAC. Tufts finished the 2008-09 season at 22-5 before it was bested in the conference semifinals by Amherst 49-46. Williams underachieved last season but is likely to rebound this year under the leadership of junior Chessie Jackson — who was ninth in the NESCAC with an average of 12.6 points per game — as should an improving Colby team that has undergone a significant transformation from the squad that was last in the conference in the 2006-07 season.
"I just think that the NESCAC is one of the stronger conferences top to bottom," Shibles said. "I really believe that any team in the NESCAC can beat any other team this season. The coaching is exceptional. I think that all of the players are student-athletes and therefore are really smart players. I think that there is not one team that you can overlook."
Two of the four losses Amherst suffered last season came at the hands of the Polar Bears, but the Lord Jeffs will have to wait until Jan. 29 to get their revenge. The marquee matchup, taking place in Brunswick, Maine, could very well determine NESCAC superiority. But for now, both squads insist they will be focusing on the upcoming games rather than looking ahead in their schedules.
"Amherst is a rival … but that game is so far in the future," Shibles said.
