Across campus, Polar Bears are gearing up for the start of the winter sports season, and if last year is any indication, Bowdoin has a lot to look forward to.
Women's basketball, in particular, had an impressive record of 24-6 that brought it to the NESCAC championship game and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
"They have a very, very strong senior class, so they're excited for this year," said Director of Athletics Jeff Ward.
This year, the team begins the season ranked No. 11 in D-III and with a new assistant coach, KJ Krasco. But the Polar Bears will undoubtedly still face a challenge from Amherst, one of the toughest teams in the conference. Last season, the team lost both of its games against the Lady Jeffs.
Amherst, along with Middlebury, also poses a threat to the women's ice hockey team despite the Polar Bears' successful season last year.
The team ended last season with a record of 15-9-2 and made it to the semifinals in the NESCAC tournament, led by the NESCAC's leading scorer Kayte Holtz '13.
Indoor track, squash, and swimming and diving will all be starting their winter seasons as well. The three teams ended last year with mixed records.
Led by returning school record holders Elsa Millet '12 (400m), Laura Peterson '12 (long jump, triple jump), Michele Kaufman '13 (55m hurdles), and Emily Barr '12 (55m dash, 200m) the indoor track team won four of its seven meets.
Squash ended its season with a record of 6-17.
Swimming and diving had a record of 3-3, and though the team came in 10th place out of 11 teams in the NESCAC championship, it set multiple school records along the way.
Finally, Nordic skiing is expected to continue its steady improvement of the past few seasons, helped in part by new assistant coach Zach Stegeman and last season's first year phenom Kaitlynn Miller '14.
"I think overall it's shaping up to be a very good winter," said Ward.