Two of the greatest athletes to grace the Pickard fields,
sisters Jennifer and Sarah Russell were central figures in the
establishment of the College as one of the premier destinations for
female student-athletes. Singularly excellent and outstanding as a
duo, the pair left a lasting impression that still resonates in
some of Bowdoin’s most successful sports programs.
The pair were never better than in the fall of 1987, as Jennifer, a
junior, and Sarah, a first-year, led the Bowdoin women’s
soccer program to a Northeast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Championship. The team won 4-0 over Amherst in the semifinals and
4-1 over Williams in the title game, giving head coach John Cullen
his first NIAC crown. In the two games, Jennifer had five assists
and Sarah scored two goals to lift the Polar Bears to their fifth
NIAC Championship in a seven-year stretch.
Following the completion of their senior seasons, Jennifer and
Sarah were both awarded the school’s top honor for a female
athletes when they were named the Lucy L. Shulman award winners in
1989 and 1991, respectively.
Jennifer Russell Mahoney
Jennifer came to Bowdoin in the fall of 1985, fresh off an
outstanding two-sport career at Concord Academy. She scored a goal
and added five assists as a first-year for John Cullen’s
first women’s soccer team, as the squad posted a 11-3-1 mark.
As a sophomore in 1986, Jennifer flourished with seven goals and
four assists, but the squad fell in the Northeast Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (NIAC) finals for the second-straight
season.
In 1987, the Polar Bears took the final step to the crown, thanks
to a new single-season assist mark from Jennifer, who tallied 11
helpers on the campaign. As a co-captain of the ’88 squad,
she led Bowdoin to their first-ever ECAC Tournament appearance with
a four-goal season, giving her 59 career points to stand fifth
all-time in school history and twice earning All-Maine
recognition.
Jennifer also made an immediate impact in lacrosse, as she saw
significant time as a firstyear on Sally LaPointe’s 1986 NIAC
Championship squad that finished 15-0 and ended the season ranked
second nationally. As a sophomore, she earned First-Team Regional
All-American honors with a 47-goal campaign.
After missing the 1988 season studying abroad in Florence, Italy,
Jennifer returned to score 49 goals as a senior and net First-Team
Regional All-American honors. At the time of her graduation, she
was just the third Bowdoin player to score more than 100 career
goals (101) and ranked third all-time with 137 career points.
Jennifer was born in Boston, graduated from Concord Academy, and
was a history major at Bowdoin. She currently lives in Falmouth,
Maine, with her husband, Sean Mahoney ’86, and their three
children.
Sarah H.
Russell
Sarah Russell played an unforgiving position in a low-scoring
sport, and as a result her soccer career did not include the
statistical impact of her sister’s. But her prowess at
midfield under John Cullen did not go unappreciated, as she
collected numerous honors on a regional and national level.
A stalwart for four seasons, Sarah gained recognition as a junior,
earning First-Team All-New England and Second-Team Regional
All-American for the Polar Bears, who went 10-5-1 and reached the
ECAC Championship game. As a senior, she co-captained a 10-6-1 team
that again reached the ECAC Title game. Sarah single-handedly put
the Polar Bears in contention with a stellar semifinal game against
Brandeis. She tied the game on a goal with just 16 minutes
remaining and scored the go-ahead tally just moments later to lead
Bowdoin to victory. Her outstanding play on both ends of the field
earned her the highest of honors from the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America. She finished her career with 14 goals and
seven assists and is one of just three women’s soccer players
in school history to collect First-Team All-American
recognition.
Sarah saw action in three years on the women’s ice hockey
team and also played a year of lacrosse at Bowdoin.
Before coming to Bowdoin Sarah graduated from Concord Academy,
where she was a captain of both the soccer and hockey teams. She
was born in Boston, graduated from Bowdoin as a Spanish and history
major, and now lives in Cumberland, Maine, with her husband, Joe
Reynolds, and their three children.
