Jack Quinn will play golf at the University of Rhode Island after he graduates from Gardiner High. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Deciding where he will play his college golf snuck up on Jack Quinn a little, but the Gardiner junior is glad to have the decision made early. Quinn, the Varsity Maine Boys Golfer of the Year last fall, will play at the University of Rhode Island.

“If I was talking to you a year ago, I’d say there’s no way I’d make my decision by now,” Quinn said. “I have no stress next year. I can just go out and play,” said Quinn, who won the Class B title last season before winning the New England high school championship.

Quinn said he saw how close the URI golf team was on his overnight visit, and added he connected with coach Gregg Burke.

“Being that close as a team drives you to want to compete as a team, and I like that,” Quinn said. “I felt a good connection with (Burke). Whether I picked URI or not, he wanted to have a connection with me and would be there if I needed him.”

Quin said he will focus on playing in stronger tournaments, beginning this summer with the Maine Open, Maine Amateur, Maine Junior championship, and New England Amateur at the top of the list. Quinn tied for third in the 16-18 year old division at the Maine Junior championship last year.

“Definitely not as many tournaments, but I want to keep my competitive level up,” he said.

Back to conference play

After completing a tough nonconference schedule that included games against Indiana and Purdue of the Big Ten, the UMaine women’s basketball team jumped into America East play with a pair of lopsided wins over UMass Lowell and Bryant last week.

In Saturday’s 87-64 win over Bryant, Maine shot a net-scorching .62.5% (35 for 56) from the floor, including 9 for 15 from 3-point range. It was the Black Bears’ best shooting day since Nov. 22, 2015, when they shot 66.7 in a win over North Dakota State. Guard Paula Gallego led Maine with a season-high 23 points, shooting 9 for 12 from the floor and 5 for 7 from 3-point range.

Caroline Bornemann leads the UMaine women’s basketball team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Ben Jackson/Courtesy UMaine Athletics

With Adrianna Smith, the 2023 America East Player of the Year, lost for the season because of a knee injury, the Black Bears (7-8, 2-0 in America East) are relying on a number of players for offense. Seven players have led Maine in scoring at least once this season. Caroline Bornemann is the lone Black Bear averaging double figures in scoring, at 11.6 points per game. Asta Blauenfeldt, a junior who joined the team as a transfer from Seattle University this season, averages 9.5 points. Caroline Dotsey, a sophomore forward, averages 9.1 points.

The Black Bears face a test with their next two games on the road, at Binghamton (9-6, 1-1) on Thursday and at Albany (12-3, 2-0) on Saturday. Albany was ranked second in the conference’s preseason coaches poll, behind Maine. The Great Danes received three first-place votes in that poll. Binghamton was ranked fifth in the preseason poll, receiving one first-place vote.

Bowdoin women’s hoop rolling

After reaching the Division III Elite Eight last season, the Bowdoin women’s basketball team is off to a strong start this season and is once again among the top teams in the nation.

The Polar Bears (11-0) are ranked No. 5 in the latest D3hoops.com poll. So far, Bowdoin is doing it with defense. It’s allowing 50.2 points a game, good for 17th in the country. The Polar Bears’ scoring margin of 22.5 points per game is 12th in the nation.

Bowdoin opens New England Small College Athletic Conference play this weekend, hosting Tufts on Friday and Connecticut College on Saturday.

Competition on ice

The Bowdoin and Colby women’s hockey teams are ranked in the USCHO.com top 15. Bowdoin (10-0) is No. 11, while Colby (7-2) is No. 14.

Unfortunately, the fierce rivals won’t meet again this season unless it’s in the NESCAC tournament. They played a pair of games in late November, with the Polar Bears earning a sweep. Bowdoin took the first game in Brunswick, 2-0, and completed the sweep at Colby with a 3-2 overtime win the following night.

Colby might have the best 1-2 combination of goalies in the country. Senior Mandy Busky is 10th in the nation in goals-against average, 1.00, with a .932 save percentage. Junior Grace Caligiuri is 15th in goals against (1.15) and has a .941 save percentage. For Bowdoin, sophomore Sarah Peterson is ninth nationally in both goals-against average (0.992) and save percentage (.961).