After graduating some of its strongest individual performers last year,  the women’s track and field team will rely on the developing strength of a younger team this season. 
There is a lot of promise though— with 57 members, this year’s team is the largest in women’s indoor track history at Bowdoin. 
Throws, jumps, and sprints will be the strong points in Bowdoin’s line up, while middle distance and distance events will be most affected by graduation losses. 
Last year, the Polar Bears graduated one of the best classes of women’s track and field athletes in Bowdoin history, according to Head Coach Peter Slovenski. 
“We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us to match the kind of team places we got last year,” he said.  
Last year’s team took third at the New England Championships behind Williams and MIT—one of the Polar Bears’ strongest showings ever. 
Slovenski is realistic about his team’s losses but optimistic about many key returners, such as captains Michele Kaufman ’13, Morgan Browning ’13, and Olivia Mackenzie ’13. According to Slovenski, Bowdoin’s tri-captains have shown impressive leadership.
 “They have been making the team work hard and get mentally tough,” he said. 
In addition to leading, Slovenski expects the tri-captains to be important scorers for the Polar Bears. Kaufman is the school record holder in the 55 and 60m hurdles. Browning will also lead in the sprints, while Mackenzie is a key distance runner. 
Seniors Liza Lepage and Danni McAvoy will also be important contributors in the 800m and throws respectively. 
The Polar Bears also return Erin Silva ’15, who placed 12th at the NCAA nationals last season in the high jump. 
Slovenski looks forward to this Saturday’s meet, especially to see how the potential of a strong first year class is realized.