Bowman smashes Jasper records

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It was late last week and Elena Bowman and the Manhattan College softball team had just put the finishing touches on a doubleheader sweep of Iona College at Gaelic Park and the Jaspers senior catcher was in no rush to leave the field.

The twin 8-0 victories over the Gaels made for a nice backdrop to the final home games of Bowman’s stellar career and she was savoring the feeling on her home field for as long as possible.

“It’s really emotional,” said Bowman, Manhattan’s all-time leader in home runs with 52, one of just two players in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference [MAAC] history to surpass the 50-homer plateau in their careers.  “One of my favorite parts about Manhattan softball is the pregame before our home games. We get the music going and we all have our coffees and we just relax and get into it. It’s so nice. So when I took my last swing it kind of hit me a little bit that this was my last game.”

That last swing in Bowman’s final home game would come in what set up to be one final big-stage moment for perhaps the greatest softball player in Manhattan history. The Jaspers were already sitting on a comfortable lead late in the second game when Bowman came to bat with the bases loaded. Perhaps a home run for Manhattan’s all-time leader in her final at bat would be forthcoming? Maybe a bases-clearing double in what would be Bowman’s 200th career base hit?

Unfortunately for Bowman, her final at bat saw her absolutely crush a pitch from Iona’s Carly Argyle that was hit right at shortstop Katie Newton. It was not the ending Bowman hoped for but she laughed it off after the game.

“That could have been cool, but what are you going to do?” Bowman said.

For much of her career, opponents have been singing that same refrain, “What are you going to do?” as it pertained to Bowman. During her four years at Manhattan, the senior from San Mateo, Calif., has been named the MAAC Player of the Week seven times, was the 2015 MAAC Player of the Year, was just the fifth Manhattan player in history – and the first in 21 years - to be named to the Capital One Academic All-American Division I Softball team, has made two All-MAAC First Teams and one Second Team (this year’s teams have yet to be chosen) and this year helped Manhattan to its first 30-win season since 1993 and set a school mark with 14 conference wins.

Oh, but wait, there’s more.

This season Bowman also leads the MAAC in walks (48), on-base percentage (.536) and is tied for the league lead with 11 homers. Her 52 RBI this season give her 154 for her career, leaving her just nine short of the Manhattan record. So yes, she has done more than her share of damage during her four-year hitch in Riverdale.

“It’s gone by too fast,” Bowman said. “But I think I’ve given it all I have. I’ve really enjoyed my time here so as fast as it’s gone by it’s been a great ride. I don’t feel cheated in any way. It’s special. I loved playing here. It’s been a great experience.”

‘Program-changer’

It’s been a great experience for Manhattan coach Tom Pardalis as well, who has had a front-row seat for all of Bowman’s exploits.

“I don’t want to slight any of the players I’ve had in the past, but she is a program changer,” said Pardalis, whose team posted a 30-19 overall record and a 14-6 MAAC mark this season. “She helped bring more talent to our program and she brought an integrity and a skill-level that this league hasn’t seen.”

It’s been a career filled with big moments for Bowman, but if she had to pick her favorite it would be what happened on a Jaspers road trip to her native California last season.

“It’s one I’ll never forget. Last year we were playing back home in California and my family hadn’t gotten the chance to see me play yet for Manhattan,” Bowman said. “So we were playing at St. Mary’s [College] and in our first game out there I hit the home run that broke the school record. I’m not a big crier but I was crying going around the bases and as I rounded third I looked at my teammates and they were going crazy. Then I looked behind them in the stands and there was my whole family. I saw my dad and mom and my grandma. I’ll never forget that. That was a really cool moment.”

That home run broke the previous record of 30 held by Kiera Fox set in 2006. Bowman now has 52 round trippers heading into this week’s MAAC Tournament where the Jaspers will be the No. 2 seed.

But Bowman doesn’t save all her exploits for the field. One of her greatest college achievements was being involved with the “Love Your Melon” campaign which benefits kids battling cancer. For those efforts, as well as her on-field excellence and her strong work in the classroom, Bowman is one of just 10 finalists nationwide for the prestigious 2016 Senior CLASS Award, an honor given to NCAA student-athletes based on achievement in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition. Bowman is the first player in MAAC history to be a finalist for the award.

“It’s really special and I think the coolest part is the amount of people who stop me during the day and say, ‘Hey I voted for you,’” Bowman said. “Others have sent me a text or reached out to me to let me know how proud they were of me and I think it’s cool to know that I’ve had an impact on some people just as they have had on me. But just to be nominated among those other candidates who are amazing people, I mean you just read their bios, they’re amazing. Just to have my name next to them is really something that I take a lot of pride in.”

‘One last go’

There is only a finite amount of games remaining in Bowman’s illustrious career beginning with Thursday’s MAAC Tournament opener vs. either Canisius or Quinnipiac. But the Jaspers just may be playing their best ball of the season going into the tournament after having won their final nine conference games. A tournament crown and an NCAA Tournament appearance would be a fitting end to Bowman’s career.

“Right now I feel like we’re really starting to peak,” Bowman said. “The awesome part is that we’re playing like a team and it’s hard to beat a team. It’s easy to beat individuals but not a team. I think we can still play better but this is the best ball we’ve played up to this point.”

At some point it will all come to an end for Bowman, who will graduate along with eight of her teammates on May 22.  And when that final out comes in her final game, will it be hard to take off the No. 55 for the last time?

“Absolutely. It’s kind of funny, there are a lot of lasts coming up,” Bowman said. “The last time I hit on this field, the last time I play at home and last time my parents will get to see me play. But I think I’m at peace with it because I know I’ve given this sport everything that I’ve had and I’ve given this team everything I’ve had. I think it would be a different story if I thought I still had a little bit left in me but I think this is the year my body said, ‘All right, one last go.’

“So I’m holding on with everything I have and it’s been a great ride,” she continued. “It will be a little bittersweet but I think I’m at peace with it. I’m grateful to have chosen this school and that this school chose me and that I’ve had the teammates I’ve had and that I’ve had the opportunity that I’ve had here to succeed. This team has been really special. Beyond the softball field we’re all best friends so it’s going to be sad to say good-bye. I’ll miss the jersey, too. I love the pinstripes. They’re pretty sharp. I’m going to miss it all. I really will.”

Elena Bowman, Manhattan College, Sean Brennan

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