The club water polo team placed second in the nation last weekend at the D-III Club Championship at Hamilton College, ending its season with a 12-2 record, the best in its history.
After losing the divisional championship to Amherst, Bowdoin was awarded the national championship bid because the Lord Jeffs relinquished their spot.
On day one of the two-day competition, top scorer Noah Perwin '12 led the team to a 7-4 victory against Middlebury.
A few hours later, the squad handily defeated Grinnell College with a score of 11-6.
Bowdoin's win carried the team into the championship game, which took place the following day against Washington University in St. Louis.
While Wash. U. led 8-6 at halftime, Bowdoin responded with three solid goals by juniors Spencer Vespole and EJ Googins to tie the game up 9-9 going into the final quarter.
In the last few minutes, Bowdoin's exclusions for fouls took a toll on the score as Wash. U. seized the opportunity to put in four more goals, winning the match 13-10.
While Bowdoin just missed the national title, many of its players earned individual honors.
Captains and student coaches Vespole and Perwin were awarded All-Tournament First Team, as was goalkeeper Alex Edison '13, who made 10 saves in the final game.
Leading defender Basyl Stuyvesant '13 sees this successful season as just the beginning for the team.
"This year is the hardest we've ever worked and it's also the furthest we've ever made it," he said. "This year was the start of a change in Bowdoin water polo."
-Compiled by Maeve O'Leary.