Few athletes have so thoroughly dominated their sport as Lissa
McGrath Millett of the Class of 1983. Her prowess in pools across
the country brought national recognition to Bowdoin's swim program
and established records that remain unbroken to this day.
While today's swimmers often compete in a handful of events at
most, Millett's skills were comprehensive. She was an All-American
19 times in 9 different events. Lissa, the daughter of Bob McGrath
'52 (Bowdoin's second All-American swimmer), captured an incredible
11 New England titles, 3 national titles, and held 20 Bowdoin
records upon graduation. Twenty years later, she still holds
Bowdoin records in the 100 Freestyle, 100 IM, 200 IM, and 400 IM.
Her career marks, however, pale in comparison with her senior
season of 1982-83.
That year, Millett was quite simply unbeatable. She won every race
she entered, accumulating 29 straight victories including five New
England titles. She was especially dominant in the individual
medley races as all three of her national crowns were won in the
IM. At the New England Championships in 1983, she was awarded the
Kay Fromer Award for the most career points scored in the
Championships. Millett also contributed significantly to the
establishment of the women's program at Bowdoin as the squad's 8-1
record in 1983 was the best to that point in the team's history.
Her final year at Bowdoin, Millett was awarded the Lucien Howe
Prize for the senior demonstrating the "highest qualities of
conduct and character."
In the estimation of current and former coaches and athletic
directors at Bowdoin, there has been no more complete, balanced,
versatile, or talented swimmer in the history of Bowdoin's
programs.
Millett was a Dean's List student who graduated with a degree in
government. Along with her father, her brother Peter (Class of
1979) is a Bowdoin alumnus. Lissa is a native of and currently
resides in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with her husband, C.J., and
their four children.
