Bowdoin College Athletics

Bowdoin College is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational residential, undergraduate liberal arts institution founded in 1794. It is located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of 21,000 on the Maine coast. Study at Bowdoin leads to a bachelor of arts degree in one of over 40 departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Bowdoin enrolls approximately 1,710 students from across the country and around the world.

At some point in their Bowdoin careers, virtually all students participate in community projects, student research, performance and exhibitions or studies in foreign countries. Bowdoin offers over 40 service learning courses; since the fall of 2000, over 700 students have participated in service learning activities. Bowdoin also offers undergraduate fellowships to engage students in serious research. Each student research fellow participates in a research project under the direction of a faculty/staff member. Bowdoin also offers off-campus study; annually about 230 students participate in off-campus study at other institutions, abroad and in the U.S.

The polar bear was selected as Bowdoin's mascot in 1913 in recognition of the exploration of the polar region by Bowdoin alumni Thomas H. Hubbard of the Class of 1857, Robert E. Peary of the Class of 1877, and Donald B. MacMillan of the Class of 1898.

The athletic teams at Bowdoin College compete in the NCAA Division III and the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Recent Highlights:

• The Bowdoin College field hockey team claimed the 2007 NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The team finished the season with an astonishing 76-6 goal differential and a school-record 20 victories against no losses. They are the first unbeaten NCAA Champions since Salisbury in 2004. The Polar Bears earned two back-to-back NESCAC Championship titles in 2005 and 2006 and reached the Division III Final Four in 2005.
• The Bowdoin College men's cross-country team claimed the 2001 and 2002 NESCAC Championships, placing among the top-15 at the NCAA Championship both seasons. In 2006, the Polar Bears wond the Maine State Championship and qualified for the NCAA Championship, where they placed 17th overall.
• The men’s tennis team is coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent history, posting a 16-5 record and reaching the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" in 2007. As recently as 2002, the Polar Bears reached the NCAA Championship "Elite Eight", and have qualified for the Tournament in each of the past eight seasons.
• The men’s ice hockey team had another successful season in 2006-07, posting a 16-7-3 record. The Polar Bears reached the NESCAC Championship Game for the third straight year and hosted the Championship for the first time in school history. The Polar Bears have reached the NESCAC Championship game every year from 2005-2007 and have made two NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2002.

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