The fall of 2009 will mark the 14th season for Nicky Pearson as the
head coach of the Bowdoin College field hockey program. In the
years since she has taken over the team, the Polar Bears have
qualified for the postseason each season -- including trips to the
NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1999, 2000 and have included Final Four
appearances in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Six times she has been
honored as the NESCAC Coach of the Year (2000 2002, 2003, 2005,
2006, 2007) and she is the only coach to have won the honor more
than twice.
In both 2007 and 2008 Pearson earned her profession's highest
honor when she was recognized as the Division III Coach of the Year
following Bowdoin's back-to-back NCAA Division III Championships.
In '07, she directed the Polar Bears to a perfect 20-0 campaign and
NCAA Championship - the first by any team in school history. She is
the only Bowdoin coach to have led their squad to four 'Final
Fours' and has won the NESCAC Tournament Championship five times -
more than any other coach in conference history.
Pearson has established a reputation for developing players to
their full potential. In 1997, forward Katherine Bruce '98 became
the first-ever First Team All-American in school history. Goalie
Dana Krueger '99 followed in 1998 by being named a First Team
All-American and was also invited to the Team USA Olympic
training camp for a tryout. In 2000, Heather Hawes '00 became the
third straight First Team All-American after she led the conference
in scoring and was named the NESCAC Player of the Year. More
recently, Marissa O'Neil '05 was named NESCAC Player of the Year in
2003, Taryn King '07 earned the honor in 2005 and Lindsay McNamara
collected Player of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008. In all,
Pearson has coached over 20 NFHCA All-Americans in her time at
Bowdoin.
A native of Hereford (England), Pearson attended St. Mary's
College of London, receiving her Bachelor of Education in Physical
Education and Biology. While in England, Pearson was a member of
the National Field Hockey Club Champions and competed at the
European Club Field Hockey Championships in Frankfurt, Germany in
1990. Her accolades include All-England Women's Field Hockey
Association Coaches Award and the British Weight Training Coaches
Award.
Maureen Curran joined the Bowdoin coaching staff in 2006 and has
aided Nicky Pearson's squad to three NESCAC titles and consecutive
NCAA Championships in 2007 and '08. A 1994 graduate of Dartmouth
College, Curran served as a tri-captain of the softball team and
successfully led efforts to institute softball as a fully-funded
Division I program at the school. After earning a master's in Sport
Management from the University of Richmond in 1998, Curran returned
to Maine where she coached field hockey for seven years, the last
five coming as head varsity coach at South Portland High School. A
history teacher at South Portland for 10 years, she presently
teaches history at Cheverus High School.
Chris enters his third year as assistant coach at Bowdoin
College. A native of Perth, Western Australia, Chris assists coach
Pearson with Bowdoin's goalkeeping unit, who are 39-2 with a GAA of
just 0.33 over the last two seasons. A three-sport athlete at
Trinity College (high school) in Perth, Chris earned letters in
tennis, cricket and field hockey. A very successful goalkeeper,
Chris kept goal for field hockey powerhouses Curtin/Trinity,
Wesley-South Perth and YM Coastal. These seasons included several
premierships, state championships and an exhibition international
against South Africa. Chris moved to the U.S. in 2005, and is
currently a junior at the University of Southern Maine where he is
a double-major in political science and economics. Chris and his
wife Tracey live in Portland.