A trailblazing athlete at a place where women’s athletics
are now considered among the finest in collegiate sports, Susan
Leonard Toll overcame extraordinary hurdles to become a three-sport
star. The first female athlete at Bowdoin to captain three teams,
Toll earned varsity letters for the field hockey, women’s
lacrosse, and women’s ice hockey teams at the College.
Toll set a high standard in the infancy of all three programs,
becoming a regional All-American and a State of Maine All-Star in
field hockey. In women’s lacrosse, she still stands among the
best in program history, ranking second in career save percentage
(.633), single-season goals-against-average (4.53, 1986), and
career goals-against-average (4.67). But Toll’s lasting
legacy at Bowdoin most likely came on the ice of Dayton Arena and
in the hallways ofMorrell Gymnasium, where she was a driving force
behind the push to gain varsity sport status for women’s ice
hockey. Finally achieving the goal her senior season, she
co-captained the team in the 1984–1985 season, posting three
shutouts as the team went 8-6 in their inaugural campaign.
What is extraordinary about Toll’s achievements, however, is
that they came so close to not occurring at all. Prior to arriving
at Bowdoin, during her final weeks at Northfield Mount Hermon, Toll
was diagnosed with a brain tumor, resulting in surgery and a
prohibitive amount of rehabilitation. After playing for the field
hockey and ice hockey teams as an underclassmen, she also joined
the lacrosse team as a junior and performed for all three squads in
her final two years.
In addition to her athletic successes, Toll was exceptional in the
classroom, completing a double major in psychology and government
with summa cum laude status, and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In
1985, she was awarded the Andrew A. Haldane Cup, honoring the
senior who demonstrates outstanding qualities of leadership and
character.
After Bowdoin, Toll coached field hockey and lacrosse at Suffield
Academy and ice hockey and lacrosse at the Groton School. She now
lives in Harvard, Massachusetts, with her husband, Ned Toll of the
Class of 1983, and their three children.
