Go U Bears Athletic Fund Challenge Knocks It Out of the Park…Again

This year’s effort focused on honoring the legacy of Bowdoin student-athletes while building the future for Polar Bears to come. The tremendous support—a record-breaking 3,013 donors—demonstrates the impact Bowdoin athletics and club sports have on students’ experiences during their time at the College, as well as the enduring strength of the community long after students leave Brunswick.

 A major challenge was issued this year: If 2,500 people donated to any area during the effort, a group of alumni would contribute $75,000 to the Polar Bear Athletic Fund (PBAF). The challenge was secured well before the effort ended, resulting in critical funding that ensures equity across all varsity sports. Nearly 200 supporters made additional gifts to the PBAF, resulting in more than $110,000 being added to the fund by the end of the challenge.

Additionally, generous alumni, families, coaches, and friends offered nearly fifty different sport-specific challenges that motivated hundreds of sports fans to make gifts to their favorite varsity and club sports.

“We are amazed by how this challenge continues to grow each year,” said Ashmead White Executive Director of Athletics Tim Ryan ’98. “Our student-athletes and coaches are so grateful for the support we receive all year long, and especially during the challenge. These funds make a tremendous difference in the experience our athletes enjoy and in what we will be able to accomplish in the years ahead.”  

The effort saw a 30 percent increase in the number of Advocates (those who spread the word by signing up on the Go U Bears challenge website), led by the PBAF Committee, a group of forty-four alumni across class years and sports who rally support for the day, as well as members of the Parents Executive Committee. For the fourth year in a row, Matt Egan ’12, PBAF committee member, Alumni Fund director, and class agent, was the lead Advocate, securing more than a hundred donors for the men’s lacrosse team. Advocates collectively inspired more than 1,100 gifts through outreach in partnership with the Office of Annual Giving.

On campus, as classes concluded and reading period began, student-athletes rallied support for their teams by posting content on social media, working with coaches to reach out to fans, and making their own gifts. The charge was led by three student interns in the Office of Annual Giving—Caroline Clinton ’27, Jake Conrad ’28, and Matty Marchese ’28—who planned an awareness event in Smith Union, spread the word at the annual Pete Schuh Memorial Softball Tournament, and partnered with Bowdoin Athletics on the Polar Awards pre-event, offering a photo booth with the mascot. More than 300 students made gifts during the challenge, a 102 percent increase over the previous year. Sixteen of those students are in the Class of 2026 and have supported the effort for four consecutive years, a first for the College.

“I continue to be humbled by the way students care for one another and for our community,” said Executive Director of Annual Giving Christi Lumiere. “Their understanding of the long tradition of giving back to Bowdoin is the strongest I’ve seen during my time here—I still can’t believe the first-years topped the donor leaderboard for all alumni and student classes, followed very closely by their peers!”

View the results of the day here.

Special thanks to all our Go U Bears Challengers, including the 2026 PBAF Challengers: Jenna Goldman ’03, Gerard Haviland ’61, Gordon F. Linke ’80, P’15, Trey Linke ’15, Kevin Mullins ’07 and Emily Mullins ’09, Matt Patterson ’93, Patt Ryan ’96, and four anonymous alumni.