BRUNSWICK, Maine – Bowdoin College women's basketball assistant coach Kate McCann has been recognized among the nation's rising stars in the coaching profession, earning a spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 team for the 2025-26 season.
 
The WBCA Thirty Under 30 program, presented by Morgan Stanley Global Sports and Entertainment, honors 30 up-and-coming coaches aged 30 and under from across all levels of basketball. The distinction celebrates not only on-court excellence, but also a coach's commitment to mentorship, community service, and their overall impact on student-athletes.
 
In her first year with the Polar Bears, McCann helped lead the Polar Bears to a 25-3 overall record and 10-0 mark in NESCAC play, becoming the first team to post consecutive perfect regular seasons in the league in a decade. Bowdoin finished as the NESCAC runners-up and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship, finishing the year ranked 11^th in the final WBCA poll. A 2023 graduate of Mount Saint Mary College, McCann earned her Master's Degree in Athletic Leadership from Springfield College in 2025, where she also served as a graduate assistant coach the last two years.
 
"Congratulations to these coaches who have distinguished themselves so early in their careers," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "We celebrate their effort on the basketball court as teachers and equally applaud the extensive role they play in impacting the lives of their student-athletes."
 
McCann is one of 30 coaches nationwide—and one of a select few from Division III institutions—to receive the honor this year. She represents Bowdoin alongside peers from programs spanning Division I, II, III, high school, and junior college levels and becomes the third Bowdoin recipient of the honor, joining current head coach Megan Phelps (2019) and former assistant coach Abby Kelly (2024).