The University of Maine Black Bears traveled to Dartmouth University Saturday morning to face the Big Green, the University of Vermont and Colgate College.

On the women’s side, the Black Bears finished second in the meet with 46 points, narrowly beating rival UVM, who tallied 40 points. Colgate came in last with 13 points, while host school Dartmouth won with 84 points.

Second-year sprinter Grace MacLean took home first in the women’s 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.02 seconds, narrowly beating out Lauren Ready of Dartmouth, who ran 9.03. MacLean also won the long jump with a jump of 5.27 meters. Third-year jumper Jaclyn Masters also took first individually, winning the pole vault with a vault of 3.60 meters. Other winners for the Black Bears included second-year thrower Ashley Donohoe and third-year thrower Emily Boardman, winning the shot put and weight throw respectively.

For the men, Dartmouth also won the meet with 80 points, besting the 55 points scored by Maine, the 41 points from Vermont and the nine points scored by Colgate.

Standouts on the mens side for the Black Bears included second-year jumper Devin Burgess, who won the pole vault with a vault of 4.65 meters, and fourth-year thrower Wilson Adams winning the weight throw with 18.07 meters. In the running events, second-year distance runner Levi Frye won the mile in 4:19.70, and in the 400 meter dash, fourth-year sprinter Joesph Viola won with a time of 49.76 seconds.

Maine also took home the men’s 4×400 meter relay in 3:23.21, which included third-year sprinter Michael Lucas, Viola, second-year sprinter Andrew Toothaker and fourth-year sprinter Scott Merrill.

The University of Maine Black Bears track team will be back in action on Jan. 23 in Boston, Mass. for the Donahue Classic.

Remember that dreary Tuesday morning a few months ago in Foxborough, when the dynasty was proclaimed dead? That seems like a distant memory, but in reality, it was only eight weeks ago. Following the their loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots have rattled off six straight wins en route to holding the best record in the AFC.

The major reason for this success is, of course, Tom Brady. He has vaulted himself into the top two for MVP considerations, along with Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, and he’s doing it with a cast of no-names and Rob Gronkowski. Brady has thrown for 24 touchdowns this season to just five interceptions. Nine of those 24 touchdowns have been to Gronk, which is a little less than a third of the time. Brady has perhaps the most dangerous weapon in the National Football League in Gronk, which is a big reason why many are penciling the Pats in as Super Bowl favorites.

Aside from Gronk, however, the Patriots don’t have much for Brady to throw to. A supporting cast that includes Brandon Lafell, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Kenbrell Thompkins. While this isn’t the worst receiving core in football, it doesn’t match up to what number 18 has got in mile high; Emmanuel Sanders, Julius and Demaryius Thomas, and Brady’s old running mate Wes Welker. This could be a major problem come January if the Pats were to see the Broncos in the playoffs.

This remains the chink in the armor for the Patriots: Gronkowski. While he is perhaps the most important offensive weapon in football, he is also one of the most injury-prone. Patriots fans cringe every time he gets hit in the knees or takes a shot in the elbow, where he has been injured before. If he was to get injured before the playoffs, it would be difficult for Brady to find receivers to throw to and severely hinder the offense.

The running game has also seemed to emerge for New England, by the name of Jonas Gray. After bursting on to the scene last week in Indianapolis with 37 carries, 201 yards and four touchdowns, the Pats hope they have found the next big thing. On top of that, they still have Shane Vereen who is an experienced back, and they just picked up Legarrette Blount, who scored four touchdowns against the Colts in the playoffs last year for the Pats. If Jonas Grey is to emerge as a legitimate bell cow running back, the running game could be a force to be reckoned with.

But let’s pump the brakes for a minute. Jonas Gray was an undrafted free agent who scored his first four touchdowns of his career last Sunday night. Shane Vereen, while experienced, is a back-up, and Blount was just released from Pittsburgh for quitting on his team. While this running back core could be lethal when the snow starts to come down in January, they could also just as easily fold in the bright lights of the payoffs.

The one thing that separates the Patriots from the rest of the AFC however, is the defense. Darelle Revis has been the biggest offseason acquisition in the NFL, shutting down the likes of Sammy Watkins, Brandon Marshall and Julius Thomas. With him patrolling the secondary, along with Brandon Browner, Vince Wilfork and Chandler Jones up front, the Patriots can seemingly stop anyone in coverage.

The Pats look to be a team that can compete and potentially defeat any team that they come across. But, they will need Gronk to stay healthy and their running game to gain some consistency before we crown them Super Bowl champs.

Kobe Bean Bryant is arguably one of, if not the, greatest basketball player to ever live. Bryant racked up countless awards during his illustrious career, but the Lakers have done nothing to help him pursue that coveted sixth ring at the end of his career. They have shown nothing but disrespect for an NBA legend.

Kobe Bryant has won five NBA championships throughout his career, seven trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Finals MVP awards. That alone has generated millions upon millions of dollars for the Los Angeles Lakers, not to mention the spotlight that has been on them for the past 16 years, in large part because of Bryant, that has allowed their franchise to flourish. Year-in and year-out, the Lakers are one of the flagship franchises, which means their cash flow is through the roof.

Kobe Bryant was the NBA MVP in 2008, the NBA scoring champion in 2006 and 2007 and was an All-NBA selection 15 times. Bryant is tied for the most All-Star Game MVP awards with four, was selected to the All-NBA Defensive team 12 times has the second highest scoring game in NBA history with 81 points, and is a 16-time NBA All-Star. This resume has Kobe a virtual lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer as soon as he becomes eligible.

The Los Angeles Lakers have done a good job of putting a talented roster on the court night in and night out. There was Shaq and Kobe, there was Kobe and Pau, and then there was the Kobe, Dwight and Nash experiment. However, there have been two notable low points during Kobe’s career: the 2004-2005 season, and the current state of the Lakers. Bryant has proven time and again that he is 100 percent loyal to the Lakers organization, choosing to resign with the Lakers after missing the playoffs during the 2004-05 season, when most thought he would bolt for the best place to win more championships, like his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

However, Kobe stayed because he had faith the Lakers would surround him with better talent, the talent needed to win more titles. And they did. During the 2007-08 season, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol, which turned out to be one of the most important trades the Lakers have ever made. Bryant, along with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, a young and upcoming Andrew Bynum, and the zen master Phil Jackson, the Lakers were once again championship contenders. They would go on to lose to the Boston Celtics that season in the Finals, but the future was bright. The Lakers went on to win the next two NBA Championships, cementing Kobe’s legacy as an NBA legend. The Lakers once again made a big splash when they signed Steve Nash and Dwight Howard before the 2012-13 season, preparing to make another run at the title. That season ended in disaster, however, getting swept out of the first round, and losing Kobe to an achilles tear. Since then, the Lakers have seen Kobe re-injured, Howard leave for the Houston Rockets, Nash hurt his back lifting his luggage, and worst of all, the rival, city-sharing Clippers ascend into the NBA’s elite.

The Lakers did show Kobe a sign of respect, signing Bryant to a $48.5 million deal for two years, presumably the last two years of his career. But that’s the only respect they’ve showed him. They have left one of the most competitive athletes ever to step on a basketball court with almost no talent around him. The Lakers are expected to finish as one of the bottom three teams in the Western Conference this season, and next year shows no promise of change. The Lakers have let down Kobe Bryant, and are using him to sell tickets and make money.

This is not the swan song Kobe Bryant ever imagined, nor the one he deserves. Kobe Bryant has earned better than this.