The late Jim McKay had it right, of course. Sports are more than W’s and L’s in a box score.
Sports is the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” as McKay said in the famous intro to Wide World of Sports, made all the more thrilling and agonizing by transcendent, unforgettable moments — a buzzer-beater, clutch putt, or the slow unfolding drama of a track relay race.
On May 8, Bates Athletics debuted its new awards program, “the CATSBYS” (think ESPN’s “Espys,” with a smidge of F. Scott Fitzgerald), and put a few defining Bobcat moments from 2023–24 on center stage. The event took place in the Gray Athletic Building, and was organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Far from the staid awards programs you might recall from high school or college, the CATSBYS featured a red carpet entrance, video highlights of Bobcat performances, lots of music (the hosts entered to “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and DaBaby, and the Crosstones’ rousing a cappella rendition of Hozier’s “Someone New”) — plus many, many awards.
Among the various and familiar sports award categories (breakout athlete, rookie of the year) and the presenting of the esteemed Lindholm Scholar-Athlete Awards, were awards for “Moment of the Year” in men’s and women’s athletics.
Women’s moments of the year nominees
- To the screams of teammates, Nordic ski captain Olivia Cuneo ’24 of St. George, Vt., finishes second out of 92 competitors at the Dartmouth Carnival in the 1.3-kilometer freestyle, the best Bates finish since 2017.
- Maria Femia ’25 of Canton, Mass., scores the winning double overtime goal in field hockey’s victory over Bowdoin in an emotional and thrilling NESCAC quarterfinal game, on a night when the Bobcats honored their home city of Lewiston after a tragic week. [Winner.]
- Executing a play the team had just gone over for the first time that morning, Alexandra Long ’25 of Newtown, Pa., delivers a long, perfect pass to Elsa Daulerio ’26 of Harpswell, Maine, who made an open layup to beat Tufts, the Bobcats’ first win over the Jumbos since 2010.
Men’s moments of the year nominees:
- From a tough angle, Tife Agunloye ’25 of Monroe, Conn., scores with just two seconds remaining to send the Bobcat soccer faithful into a frenzy as Bates stuns the University of Maine at Farmington, 2-1, last fall.
- Just three weeks ago, Henry Ehrlich ’26 of Portland, Ore., taps in on the 18th hole at Brunswick Golf Club to earn co-medalist honors at the NESCAC Championship as Bates ties Trinity for third place out of 10 teams, the best finish in program history.
- Distance medley runners Ned Farrington ’24, Calvin Capelle ’25, Truman Williams ’25, and Ross Tejeda ’26 finish fourth at the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning All-America honors. [Winner.]
While much was new at the CATSBYS, the Milton L. Lindholm Scholar Athlete Awards offered something familiar and venerable.
The Lindholms have been given annually since 1976 to seniors on men’s and women’s teams with the highest grade-point averages. The awards honor the revered admission dean of the Class of 1935 who served Bates for 32 years, and were presented by Malcolm Hill, dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs.
This year’s four Lindholm winners each achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA:
- Matthew Danielson, a men’s tennis team captain and biology major from St. Petersburg, Fla.
- Grace Acton a women’s golfer and interdisciplinary studies major from Harvard, Mass.
- Nerea Barranco Aramburu, a women’s golfer and double major in mathematics and engineering from Zarautz, Spain.
- Rachel Liazos, a softball captain and politics major from Westborough, Mass.
