Courtesy of the Athletic Department

Tomorrow, the Athletics Hall of Honor will induct six new members, all of whom uniquely represent Bowdoin athletics and excellence. Established in 2002, the Hall of Honor memorializes the coaches and athletes who represented the College in and out of their respective sports. Student-athletes are eligible for nomination ten years after graduation and coaches are eligible five years after departing Bowdoin.

Shelly Chessie Miller ’03

Shelly Chessie Miller ’03 was a dual-sport athlete for the Polar Bears, a member of the women’s ice hockey and soccer teams. Twenty years after her graduation, Miller is still the leading scorer in the ice hockey program with 179 career points.

“My proudest accomplishment over the course of my time at Bowdoin would be the lifelong teammates I made and the success of our hockey program when we were there,” Miller wrote in an email to the Orient. “I truly loved stepping on the ice and the soccer field with this group of women. I loved competition, and I still do.”

Miller was a two-time First Team All-American on the ice, leading the team to a NESCAC championship title during her junior year. She also helped the team earn a pair of NCAA Division III Final Four appearances.

Off the ice, Miller was involved in many areas of campus life.

“I was in the Residential Life program, which I really enjoyed. It allowed me to meet so many people that I would not have met otherwise,” Miller wrote. “I worked many jobs during the years and lived on campus each summer. I worked as grounds crew, athletic camp counselor, alumni relations office, Farley Field House and Moulton Union monitor.”

When looking back on her four years, Miller has fond memories of “J Break,” when only winter athletes were on campus during three weeks of winter break.

“I miss Maine, and I really miss the month of hockey during the winter when only the athletes were on campus,” Miller wrote. “Training and hanging with teammates is once in a lifetime, and I loved every minute of it.”

Kristi Royer Ouellette ’03

A Mainer through and through, Kristi Royer Ouellette ’03 helped put the women’s basketball team on the map.  Ouellette led the team to win the program’s first three NESCAC championships, while earning All-NESCAC and All-New England honors three times as well. She also finished her four years on the court as the second highest scorer in program history.

“The memories of winning the NESCAC Championship multiple years in a row, the experiences of the team playing in the NCAA tournament and receiving national recognition still to this day, have me smiling with pride,” Ouellette wrote in an email to the Orient.

Ouellette also played for the softball team, earning First Team All-NESCAC recognition.

Outside of athletics, Ouellette was an active volunteer in the community.

“I enjoyed tutoring students and helping in classrooms at the local elementary school as part of the America Reads program,” Ouellette wrote. “I volunteered yearly for the College’s Common Good Day.”

Looking back on her time in Brunswick, Ouellette wants to remind students to create lasting bonds across campus.

“I would say appreciate the Bowdoin community, the friends and the lifelong connections you make, experience all the opportunities you are given, be a leader in whatever you may do and cherish every moment of your four years,” she wrote.

Bill Hale ’72

Bill Hale ’72 is the Polar Bears’ most accomplished wrestler in program history, which was cut in the mid 1980s during the era of Title IX changes. A three-time captain, Hale had an undefeated career record, going 40–0 in dual meet competitions. He had multiple podium placements in the New England Championships and in his senior year became the first and only Polar Bear wrestler to score at an NCAA championship. Hale also coached the team following his graduation.

Hale said his former teammates pushed him to be the best athlete he could be.

“The wrestlers I practiced with were some of the best I wrestled over my career at Bowdoin. I wouldn’t have been as good without them,” Hale wrote in an email to the Orient.

Hale acknowledged the community aspect of the Polar Bear athletic culture, noting that coaches and other faculty members would come to his competitions.

“One of the lasting memories I have from my four years wrestling at Bowdoin is seeing how many other coaches came to our meets to watch,” Hale wrote. “I can still hear Mort Lapointe and Mike Loinkovich yelling at us from across the gym.”

Stacey Jones Lee ’00

In the late 1990s, Stacey Jones Lee ’00 was a force on the track. In the winter and spring seasons, Lee won multiple NESCAC championships and All-American honors in indoor and outdoor track and field. But during the fall, Lee focused her attention on the hardcourt, where she was a captain and four-year starter on the volleyball team.

“Athletically, attaining NCAA All-American awards in multiple events stands out as special. Having been a three-season athlete at the college level is almost unheard of given the pressures of specialization in sport,” Lee wrote in an email to the Orient. “Yet when I think of my full time at Bowdoin, I am most proud of my intentional connections across departments, communities and interests.”

Lee was an active member in Russwurm House and with the Black community on campus.

“[Russwurm] was, and is, home,” Lee wrote. “My leadership of the organization as president during the phasing out of self-selecting organizations shaped my perspective on the critical nature of culture and belonging. I played in the orchestra, served in Residential Life and even wondered about the beauty of Maine with the Outing Club.”

Lee reminds students to lean into the Offer of the College.

“Each day, I am reminded how important it is that the exceptional gift of residential education be leveraged for the common good,” Lee wrote.

Julia King ’09

Julia King ’09 was a star midfielder on the field hockey team when the program won its first two national championships in 2007 and 2008, the first NCAA titles for any Polar Bear program. During her time in Brunswick, King and the Polar Bears won four straight NESCAC titles as well as back-to-back NCAA championships. Even fifteen seasons later, King still holds the program records in single season (21) and career assists (47). She and teammate Lindsay McNamara ’08 were both first team All-Americans in the team’s two championship seasons, along with multiple All-Region and All-NESCAC recognitions throughout her career.

Looking back on her time on the field, King is grateful for her coach, Nicky Pearson.

“[Pearson] taught me that the greatest joy and sense of accomplishment comes from working really hard at something—the double overtime win is always more satisfying than the easy win—which I’ve found to be true in life well beyond sports,” King wrote in an email to the Orient.

In the winter months, King was a key contributor on the women’s ice hockey team. In her senior year, she was the captain of both the field and ice hockey teams.

King made an effort to be involved in the local community beyond her athletic commitments.

“I spent some time volunteering at the Brunswick Teen Center and helping little kids learn how to skate through the Break the Ice program, the same program where I learned to skate growing up in Maine,” King wrote. “I think both these experiences, and, of course, [Pearson], influenced my decision to go into coaching after graduating from Bowdoin.”

King reflected on how her time with the field hockey team was profoundly shaped by the passing of one of her teammates, Taryn King ’07, during Julia King’s first year.

“While I am deeply honored to be inducted into the Hall of Honor, this recognition reflects my incredible teammates and coaches, who remain some of my closest friends today,” Julia King wrote. “It was an absolute privilege to play even a small part in the field hockey program, a program shaped by [Taryn King’s] legacy. I also want to thank Pearson, who had the impossible job of guiding us through the heartbreak of losing [Taryn King], and was really the glue that held us together with her care, support and belief in us.”

Tom McCabe

The only coach honored in this year’s class, Tom McCabe led the men’s lacrosse team for 22 years, from 1991 to 2012. In his time in Brunswick, McCabe racked up 229 victories, the most in program history and the 12th most all-time in Division III men’s lacrosse history.

“I could not be more proud to join those who have been honored in past years,” McCabe wrote in an email to the Orient. “I am truly humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as the Hall of Honor recipients before me. This tremendous honor is a reflection of their profound impact on my life.”

After McCabe helped the team reach the NESCAC championship game in 2012, he was awarded NESCAC and New England DIII Coach of the Year. Under McCabe’s leadership, the team won a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference championships and appeared in the NCAA Division III tournament twice as well.

“The one thing I am most proud of over my 22 years is the relationship I have with my former players. I treasure seeing them as successful businessmen, professionals, parents and partners.

I am so proud of the leaders and the men they have become,” McCabe wrote. “As the years have gone by, it has been heartwarming to see how close former teammates have remained and how truly loyal our players have been to the lacrosse program at Bowdoin and to each other.”

McCabe noted the College’s commitment to extending a helping hand to those who are less fortunate.

“Expand yourself beyond your ‘team’ bubble. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and involve yourself in projects that strive to make a difference,” McCabe wrote.   “The concept of volunteerism is powerful and goes hand in hand with Bowdoin’s core tenet of the common good. I would advocate to students to make a difference in the lives of others by branching out to become leaders in the community and world.”