Editor’s Note November 12, 2022: A previous version of this article implied that the men’s squash team competed in Division III of the NCAA. This is incorrect. The squash teams are members of the Collegiate Squash Association, which does not have divisions.

MEN’S HOCKEY 

2021-2022 record: 8–10–4 (8–7–3 NESCAC)

The men’s hockey team enters its season under the new leadership of Head Coach Ben Guite and Assistant Coach Sean Walsh following a first-round NESCAC tournament exit last year. The team has a strong class of 11 seniors, including Chris Brown ’23, who led the Polar Bears with 11 goals last season.

“As far as leadership goes, we couldn’t ask for anything better. [The captains] got the guys in line and everybody’s buy-in has been great. The seniors in general have been great,” Guite said.

Brown believes the new coaching staff has had an equally positive impact on the players.

“The difference is fully in the mentality and guidance of the coaching staff. We’re here to do whatever it takes to win, not to avoid losing. This shift has brought a new work ethic and buzz that can be felt both on and off the ice,” Brown wrote in an email to the Orient.

Last season, Bowdoin scored 47 goals, went 12–74 on the power play and had a .476 face off winning percentage. Goaltender Alex Kozic ’24 had a .920 save percentage.

“The guys have had three weeks of training camp now … It’ll be nice to get a new opponent,” Guite said. “We’re really looking forward to seeing what we have. It’s easy to love what you’re doing when you haven’t proven yourself against somebody else. I think everyone is looking forward to next week when we get to play against Williams and Middlebury and see what we got against a good, quality opponent.”

The Polar Bears will also have an intrasquad scrimmage open to the public tonight at Sidney J. Watson Arena.

“I’m excited to see this place in action during game nights,” Guite said. “I’m looking forward to seeing a full Watson arena.”

First game: November 18 at Williams College

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

2021-2022 record: 10–11–1 (6–9–1 NESCAC)

The women’s hockey team begins its season coming off of a NESCAC quarterfinals loss to Amherst College last year. After its two top goal-scorers graduated, the team will look to forward Gia Massari ’25, who scored six goals last season, and defenders Jane McCarter ’25 and Peyton Mulhern ’23, each of whom had four goals. The Polar Bears have also added eight first-year players to their roster.

“We are focusing on working together well as a team,” captain Dani Marquez ’22 wrote in an email to the Orient. “Having a cohesive unit is very important in the game of hockey, and right from the start, we want to establish ourselves as a tight knit unit.”

Last season, the Polar Bears dominated in faceoffs, winning 53 percent. The team went 8–70 on the power play, compared to its opponents who went 21–106. Bowdoin scored 50 goals off of 631 total shots.

Marquez is confident that the team is prepared for the start of the season.

“Last season, we hadn’t had as much time on the ice as a unit before the season began, so this year we are only coming off the normal summer break and jumped right in when we returned to campus,” Marquez said. “You can feel it in the air when we are on the ice that this is our year.”

First game: November 18 at Williams College

MEN’S BASKETBALL

2021-2022 record: 12–14 (2–8 NESCAC)

The 2022–23 season will mark the second season with Bowdoin for men’s basketball head coach Alex Lloyd. Coming off a quarterfinal loss to Middlebury College in the NESCAC tournament last season, Lloyd and the Polar Bears are confident that their offseason work will pay off.

“I feel like our guys had a good offseason,” Lloyd said. “We are going to come out and we play a great schedule. I am excited about that challenge for our group.”

Throughout last season, the team’s emphasis was on constant improvement, something Lloyd called an “in the dark” philosophy. This year, the emphasis is the same, and Lloyd hopes their record will begin to reflect that.

“I think we constantly got better,” Lloyd said. “Our record in the NESCAC didn’t always show that, but I felt the arc of our team continued to get better all year.”

From last season, Bowdoin has lost three seniors, two graduating in the spring and one December. However, the team will be adding seven first-years as well as two walk-ons.

Notable returners include leading scorer (14.2) Michael Simonds ’24, as well as James McGowan ’25 and Xander Werkman ’23.

First game: November 12 at Swarthmore College

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

2021-2022 record: 16–9 (5–5 NESCAC)

The women’s basketball team ended last season with a first round NESCAC tournament loss to Colby College. It is the first year for Megan Phelps ’15 as head coach at her alma mater, and the Polar Bears look to bounce back from an uncharacteristic down year riddled with injuries.

With five seniors and six incoming first-years, Phelps is confident in her team’s ability to adapt to a new coaching staff.

“We feel like a young team even though we have so many returners because it’s a new system for everybody,” Phelps said. “With a new head coach, there is always a little bit more of a learning curve.”

For Bowdoin, guard Sela Kay ’22 and point guard Megan Tan ’23 headline the returners while sophomores Sydney Jones ’25 and Charlotte Sweet ’25 will likely see increased roles after impressive first-year campaigns.

Every coach values winning, but Phelps is just as impressed with the energy her team has brought to preseason basketball.

“There is always good energy and excitement,” Phelps said. “It is so fun going to practice everyday because the women are so focused on improving. I never doubt there will be so much energy and excitement in the gym.”

First game: November 12 at St. Lawrence University

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

2021-2022 record: 2–2

The men’s swimming and diving team finished in sixth place at the 2022 NESCAC Championship last season, where Alex Grand’Pierre ’25 was a part of a school-record-breaking relay that earned a second place finish. The same relay team placed 16th in the NCAA DIII Championship. Ethan O’Connor ’23 also swam in a school-record setting 400 meter medley relay during the regular season. The Polar Bears saw seven swimmers and divers graduate last season, several of whom were key participants in their championship results.

“No doubt we lost some great people, but we have a very solid group of returners, and we think the newcomers will add a great deal,” Head Coach Brad Burnham wrote in an email to the Orient.

Burnham equated the team’s season to a marathon rather than a sprint.

“The team is focused on learning as much as it can for the minutes it has in the pool. November is a great month to get a little worse, so we can be a lot better in February,” Burnham wrote.

Burnham added that the team is maintaining a positive attitude and working hard to support one another ahead of its first meet.

First meet: November 19 versus Massachusetts Institute of Technology

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

2021-2022 record: 3–1

The women’s swimming and diving team starts the year following a fifth place finish at last season’s NESCAC Championship. The team also competed at the NCAA Championships, where Ella Riccio ’25 placed seventh place in the 50 free. A 200 meter medley relay that featured Riccio, Emilie Grand’Pierre ’23 and Tatum Zupnik ’24 finished seventh. Anna Roberts ’23 set a school record in the 100 meter breaststroke at the championships.

“We are focusing on building an inclusive atmosphere and getting to know one another more so that we can support one another better in our sport and beyond,” captain Ayana Opong-Nyantekyi ’23 wrote in an email to the Orient. “Individually, we are working on what will help us improve over the next few months in our events.”

The Polar Bears had seven seniors graduate last year and added ten first-year swimmers and divers on their roster this season.

First meet: November 19 versus Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MEN’S SQUASH

2021-2022 record: 8–7 (3–2 NESCAC)

Last year, the men’s squash team placed second in its best-ever showing at the NESCAC Championship. Deven Kanwal ’23 and Jack Winston ’25 earned First Team All-Conference selections and Head Coach Theo Woodward was named NESCAC Coach of the Year.

After three seniors graduated last season, the team currently has five seniors and three first year players.

“We’ve got a lot of experience and some young guys holding down the top few spots on the team, too,” Assistant Coach Brendan McClintick said. “I think the team has a really good balance in terms of where we are with our experienced players and our younger players.”

McClintick added that the preseason has been a great opportunity for the team to get to know each other in a positive environment.

“We’re working on getting to know each other a little bit and getting the first years ingrained in the culture of the team,” McClintick said.

The team is aiming to compete in the Collegiate Squash Association’s B division at nationals this year.

“It’s going to require winning some big matches and some hard work, but it’s been a lot of fun so far,” McClinktick said.

First match: November 19 at Trinity College

WOMEN’S SQUASH

2021-2022 record: 11–10 (3–4 NESCAC)

Coming off a winning season in 2021–22, the women’s squash team is ready to ride the waves of a successful preseason into the regular season.

“The preseason has been fantastic, and it’s been a really positive environment,” Assistant Coach Brendan McClintick said.

For the women’s squash team, the senior class, especially, has seen improvement in all four of their years at Bowdoin, and they are hoping that continues into the 2022-23 season.

“We are very hopeful for our season,” captain Clio Bersani ’22 said. “We have a group of seniors that have seen a real transformation on the team. Beginning with our first year when we won most improved team in the nation, we have been finishing in national rankings progressively higher each year. We believe that trend will continue this year.”

Women’s squash has four returning seniors this year including Bersani, Caroline Glaser ’23, Sophie Barber ’23 and Ursula Sze ’23. First-years Mira Karande ’26 and Darcy Weber ’26 will look to make an impact as well.

First match: November 19 at Trinity College

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

2022-2023 NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT: Fourth place out of 25

Last year, men’s indoor track and field finished fourth at the New England Indoor Track & Field Championships in its first season under Head Coach LJ Que. Que is excited for the coaching staff’s development in its second year together and for the team to continue to come together.

“[This season], an opportunity for improvement for us is just to continue that cohesion, to continue that collaboration among us as a coaching staff and really continuing to build the relationships among event groups,” Que said.

Que is already excited by the team atmosphere even before the season has begun.

“What I feel everyday so far is a sense of gratitude and a sense of joy being around each other,” Que said. “We hold four values on our team, which are trust, accountability, passion and empathy, which we call ‘TAPE.’ We really lean on those values and hold each other accountable for those four values.”

This year, Que hopes the team will be able to improve upon its finish from last year and finish in the top three in New England.

“I always say to my athletes, ‘shoot high, because why not?’” Que said.

First meet: The Peter Slovenski Invitational on January 14

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

2022-2023 NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT: Fourth place out of 26

Last year, women’s indoor track and field finished fourth at the New England Indoor Track and Field Championships. Throws captain Emma Hargreaves ’23 is excited for the team to start competing because of the success the team experienced during the outdoor track and field season last spring.

“We haven’t graduated a single member, and we’ve gained two members of that pro squad,” Hargreaves said. “As a larger team, the dedication we’ve seen in fall training has outpaced anything I’ve experienced at Bowdoin. So I think people are gonna see big rewards.”

Head Coach LJ Que agrees that the groundwork laid last spring will pay dividends for the team this winter.

“We’re looking to continue building on the work that we did last season in outdoor [track] to this year,” Que said. “We’re looking to hopefully accomplish something similar this upcoming indoor season.”

Outside of finding success in competition, Hargreaves noted that she is particularly excited about how the coaching staff has come together to create a cohesive community this year.

“[We have] this incredible unit of young coaches dedicated to building a team culture that they wish they had had when they were athletes,” Hargreaves said.

First meet: The Peter Slovenski Invitational on January 14

NORDIC SKIING

Team spirit is high for Nordic skiing heading into the season. With a large group of upperclassmen leaders, Head Coach Nathan Alsobrook is excited about the team’s energy.

“Even though we don’t have a lot of actual seniors, there’s a good chunk of older skiers who really have been around for a while and know how to get through the season. They’re doing a really great job of supporting our younger athletes,” Alsobrook said. “The enthusiasm is off the charts. The energy is great.”

One of the team’s upperclassmen leaders, Aggie Macy ’24, echoed Alsobrook’s sentiments.

“Our team dynamic has really clicked during fall training…. We often joke that the team is like one big family, but it’s true,” Macy wrote in an email to the Orient.

Macy noted that the upcoming race season will be different from past years, as with a new rule ensuring equal distances for men’s and women’s Nordic skiing events, the team will be competing in multiple 20 kilometer races.

“Our fall training has been geared towards building a strong endurance base for races that long. We’ve got our sights set on throwing down some hard efforts this season,” Macy wrote.

First race: January 13 and 14 at Black Mountain in Rumford