MEN’S BASKETBALL

2023–2024 record: 9–15 (3–7 NESCAC)

At the end of last year’s season, the men’s basketball team bounced back from a losing streak to win three of its last four NESCAC games. Adding five first-year players and led by Head Coach Alex Lloyd, the team will start playing games on November 15 and have its first home game on November 20.

“We had a string of injuries throughout the season, and that impacted our ability to achieve some of our goals. However, our group is really resilient and continued to improve,” Lloyd wrote in an email to the Orient.

The team is focusing on mixing up its defensive schemes this season.

“Our team did a great job coming into the season in terrific shape, and that fitness level should let us defend and run,” Lloyd wrote.

Lloyd is excited to see where the team’s training and energy will take them this season.

“Our group has had great energy and done an incredible job of investing in each other. We’re excited for the fans to come and see us. I think they’ll see a really connected group that plays with joy and grit,” Lloyd wrote.

FIRST GAME: November 15 vs. Curry College at Regis College

MEN’S HOCKEY

2023–2024 RECORD: 14–7–4 (10–4–4 NESCAC)

The men’s hockey team finished last season as the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC playoffs, where it fell to Middlebury College in the quarterfinals. This year, the Polar Bears are looking to get back to the playoffs, which they won in 2023, and make a deep run.

“I think last year we had a pretty good year, but obviously we lost in the first round of the playoffs, which isn’t what you hoped for. I think we have a pretty young, talented team, and we’re hoping to make it far,” captain Luke Wheeler ’25 said.

Last year, Bowdoin outscored its opponents 68–54 and had a .537 face off winning percentage. The team’s top three goal scorers—Bryce Bollman ’27, Wheeler and Richard Davis ’27—are returning this season. Defensively, the Polar Bears allowed an average of 2.16 goals against them per game, the second lowest in the NESCAC.

“We lost eight seniors last year, and they all played big roles for us. So, there’s always opportunities for guys to step up,” Head Coach Ben Guite said. “The leadership has been awesome. The guys are really putting in the work and making sure they’re doing everything we can to be successful.”

Heading into this season, the team is embracing a tough, gritty style of play.

“We’re playing a similar, tough, hard style of play—compete with each other, earn what you get,” Wheeler said.

Head Coach Ben Guite said the coaching staff has been impressed with how hard the team has been working this preseason.

“The guys went into last summer with something to prove,” Guite said. “We execute a lot better than we have in the past couple of years. I think our work ethic is through the roof, as always.”

FIRST GAME: November 15 at Middlebury College

WOMEN’S HOCKEY:

2023–2024 RECORD: 8–14–3 (3–10–3 NESCAC)

After falling to top-seeded Amherst College in the NESCAC quarterfinals last season, the women’s hockey team is eager to get back on the ice at Watson Arena and put together a competitive season.

“I don’t think anyone is content with how our season ended last year, but we are really looking to build off of it,” captain Jane McCarter ’25 said. “Our [defensive] core is pretty good. We just have a problem getting the puck in the back of the net, so we’ve been digging in on that this preseason.”

Last season, the Polar Bears scored 1.7 goals per game on average and had an .065 average shot percentage. Bowdoin’s top two offensive contributors were Elena DiMagno ’26 and Anyi Sun ’26, who each scored five goals.

Captain Gia Massari ’25 said that she is always proud of the team’s work ethic.

“This year, it’s about focusing on getting better and building off the good things,” Massari said. “We’re a hard working team, and we never quit. That’s something that we’ve always done in all my four years here, so I feel like we’re taking a lot of that into this year.”

McCarter echoed Massari’s statement and added that the team’s close-knit team dynamic has also helped on the ice.

“We’re a really gritty team,” McCarter said. “We also have good on-ice chemistry. We’re a really close team, and I think you can see that with how well we play with each other.”

FIRST GAME: November 15 versus Wesleyan University

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

2023–2024 RECORD: 28–3 (9–1 NESCAC)

The women’s basketball team is coming off of a dream season, having won the NESCAC championship and advanced all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight. But the fifth-ranked Polar Bears are hungry for more.

“Last year was just a confidence booster for us. We can make it to the Elite Eight. We can win a NESCAC championship,” captain Sydney Jones ’25, First Team Preseason All-American and 2024 NESCAC Player of the Year, said. “It’s also proof that we’re doing the right things. We can trust our instincts, what we do in practice everyday, our culture, what we do on the court.”

Head Coach Megan Phelps ’15 added that managing internal expectations is nothing new for the team.

“We’re not really sneaking up on anybody, as much as you can say Bowdoin Women’s Basketball sneaks up on anyone. I think there’s always expectations in a program like this. So, I think the biggest shift is mentally managing that perception of outside pressure and expectations,” Head Coach Megan Phelps said.

The Polar Bears will continue to focus on strong defense.

“Defense and rebounding was a big part of our identity last year that I’d like to see us bring back into this season,” Phelps said.

The team is also eager to develop a unique identity this season.

“I think it’s gonna be a different skill set, and the style of play will probably look different this year…I think we’re heading towards what we’re all really good at,” captain Callie Godfrey ’25 said.

FIRST GAME: November 16 versus Skidmore College

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

The men’s swimming and diving team completed the season with six members competing at DIII NCAA Championships and an impressive show at NESCAC Championships where the team broke 11 program records over the course of four days, ultimately earning sixth in the conference. However, both captains Brim Peabody ’25 and Rhys Edwards ’25 hope to strive for more.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the best year, with the results, that we ever had, but the energy and the team camaraderie was better than I’ve seen before,” Peabody said.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to focus on accountability and hard work during practices and meets to motivate the team forward.

“It can be really easy to just come in and get in [the water] and grind out laps, but the hard part is actually being mindful and being mentally in your body and thinking about what you’re doing during practice, not zoning out,” Peabody said.

For their first meet, the team swims against Tufts University, one of the top teams in DIII.

“When we race someone really fast at the beginning of the season, it gets people to realize, ‘Oh, I really want to work for this,’” Peabody said.

FIRST MEET: November 16 versus Tufts University

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

Last season, the women’s swim and dive team ended its season with a seventh place finish at NESCAC championships and sent three swimmers—Sydney Lillis ’27, Tatum Zupnik ’24 and Elizabeth Walsh ’26—to the DIII NCAA Championships.

The team looks forward to jumping into the season this year, especially with a hefty first-year class of eight swimmers and two divers.

On top of the new additions to the team consistently showing up throughout preseason to bond with the team and get in shape before kicking off the season, the first years have shown a promising amount of dedication according to Olivia Smith ’25, a captain of the women’s team.

“They’re definitely going to contribute to how well the team does. They’re fast and they’re hard workers,” Olivia Smith said. “And I think, at least the ones I’ve seen this so far, they’ve been super positive,  cheering everyone on and leading the lanes.”

Sadie Smith ’25, the other captain and one of the few divers on the team, has previously competed and practiced on her own but sees this season being different.

“We have a coach for dive this year, which is super exciting, he was the old Colby coach … and also we have two first year divers, so it’s the first time that it’s really felt like a community over in the dive well,” Sadie Smith said.

Looking forward to the first meet against Tufts University, currently ranked 9th in DIII, both captains emphasize the importance of adhering to the team’s core values of togetherness, compassion, communication and commitment.

“I am not necessarily looking for people to put up their best times, that’s not what the expectation for this meet is. The expectation is to get your bearings and be there for your teammates,” Sadie Smith said.

FIRST MEET: November 16 versus Tufts University

MEN’S SQUASH

2023-2024 RECORD: 6–10 (3–6 NESCAC)

While the men’s squash team did not end the season with the record or rankings it hoped for, with the new head coach Brendan McClintick at the helm, Nick Wilkinson ’25, a captain on the team, hopes to push farther this season.

“While a lot of the team had some good treatment last year, I think we can definitely push to finish higher this year,” Wilkinson said.

With a successful preseason behind the team, practices have become very deliberate and tailored to different skill sets the team hopes to develop under McClintick’s leadership.

“But I think as a whole, the coaching this year is going to be a bit different, we will focus on a lot of things that we could have done better last season,” Wilkinson said. “I think it’s more like focusing this season on doing a few smaller things really, really well, rather than trying to cover all the bases.”

In Wilkinson’s opinion, McClintick has done a good job of implementing what the team needs into practices and pushing them farther.

“I think he’s really good at drills to work on practice, but he’s also pushing us to be the best versions of ourselves on the court,” Wilkinson said.

The team will have ample practice time before its first match in late November, allowing everyone to improve and set goals going into the winter.

“I think we definitely have the potential to be our top 20 team,” Wilkinson said. “It’s a goal for us. It’s a challenge. It’s not going to be easy. But we can do it and be even higher.”

FIRST MATCH: November 24 versus the United States Naval Academy

WOMEN’S SQUASH

2023-2024 RECORD: 8–9 (4–4 NESCAC)

Last winter, the women’s squash team finished its season 18th in the DIII rankings and is now heading into the 24-25 season with the same preseason ranking. But while the ranking has remained stagnant in the off-season, leadership in the program has changed with Brendan McClintick stepping into the role of head coach.

“[McClintick] is very efficient with our time, and it’s very organized, he has a game plan and an overall goal of like, for this week, we want to focus on this skill or this technique, and incorporating more fitness into everything,” Emma Watts-Roy ’25 said.

While the team finished at a high national ranking last year, Mira Karande ’25, co-captain with Watts-Roy, hopes to keep pushing upwards to make it higher in the final rankings.

“I think [18th] was a pretty decent result for the end of our season, but the year before we finished 16th in the country. So we did move down a bit, but we’re optimistic about this year,” Karande said.

Some of that optimism comes from the four new first years, who are adding a new strength to the program.

“I think our team now has this new strong class, and they’re going to make our ladder strong again. So the top middle to bottom middle of the ladder is going to be really strong,” Karande said.

Since maintaining a solid ladder is important to the team, many members are stepping up into leadership roles to help fill the void of having no assistant coach in the program.

“We’re still hoping to get an assistant coach, that’s not completely off the table, but in the meantime, we’re all stepping up to focus on being positive to each other and see what we can do to help each other,” Watts-Roy said.

FIRST MATCH: December 6 versus Brown University

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

2023–2024 Men’s New England Championship result: Sixth out of 42 teams

2023–2024 Women’s New England Championship result: Fourth out of 42 teams

The track and field teams had a historic season last year, headlined by Maine State Championship wins and top-ten finishes at the New England Championship on both the men’s and women’s sides. Kianne Benjamin ’24, Will Goddard ’25 and Kane Demers ’26 also qualified for and competed at the Indoor NCAA Championships in Virginia Beach, Va.

“This year, it’s a continuation of building the momentum of last year. We accomplished a lot as a program, and there is still more that we can do. It’s continuing to have a process-oriented mindset in our training, giving ourselves grace and patience in the process and challenging ourselves more and putting ourselves out there in competition,” Head Coach LJ Que wrote in an email to the Orient.

Bowdoin will host the Maine State Championships this year.

“It’s the biggest team competition in indoor,… and both the men’s and women’s scoring teams last year won it. So that’s a big moment for us to get that success, and we’re hoping to replicate that at home,” captain Emma Gibbens ’25.

Captain Adepoju Arogundade ’25 is excited to welcome first years to the team and hopes to share the team’s values with them.

“I am excited to integrate the first years into competition season and watch everyone grow throughout the indoor season,” Arogundade said. “Staying process-oriented and embodying our team values … are ideas that our team has done well and I believe will continue to do.”

FIRST RACE: U Bears Alumni Invitational on December 7

NORDIC SKIING

The Nordic ski team wrapped up last year’s season with a fifth-place finish out of 11 teams at the Middlebury Carnival and sent five skiers to the NCAA championship in Steamboat Springs, Colo. This year, the team is adding five new first years and looking to capitalize on its previous success.

“We actually had one of our best seasons ever,” Head Coach Nathan Alsobrook said. “Several individuals had really outstanding results.… We qualified five skiers for the NCAA championship, which ties up as a team record for us.”

Alsobrook said that this year’s training will look similar to previous years.

“The fundamentals of the sport haven’t changed, and we’re focused on the same things we always have. And mostly it’s just about developing each individual’s strengths and trying to  overcome some of the weaknesses and challenges they might face,” Alsobrook said.

This year’s NCAA championship will be hosted at Dartmouth College. After flying to Colorado for last year’s championships, the team is excited to compete on a familiar course closer to home.

“The build up is tremendous and long and challenging, and just off the charts enthusiasm for when we actually get to get on snow, to do actual skiing and to get into the races,” Alsobrook said.“The energy is really high on the team this year.”

FIRST CARNIVAL: TBD