Coast Guard Bears

Intercollegiate sports teams

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Athletic teams representing United States Coast Guard Academy

Coast Guard Bears

University| United States Coast Guard Academy
Conference| NEWMAC (primary)
NEISA
NCAA| Division III
Athletic director| Dan Rose, Ed.D.
Location| New London, Connecticut
Varsity teams| 26
Football stadium| Cadet Memorial Field
Basketball arena| Roland Hall
Baseball stadium| Nitchman Field
Soccer/Track stadium| Nitchman Field
Mascot| Objee
Nickname| Bears
Fight song| "Semper Paratus"
Colors| Blue and orange

Website| coastguardathletics.com

The United States Coast Guard Academy's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Bears. They compete in NCAA Division III as members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. Through the 2016 season, the Bears played football in the New England Football Conference, but after that season moved their football program into the NEWMAC, which started sponsoring the sport in 2017.

The school fields 26 varsity teams.

## Origin of the name

[edit]

The academy nickname is the Bears, after the USRC Bear, which made a dramatic rescue in Alaska in 1897, shortly after the opening of the academy.

In 1926, then-Cadet Stephen Evans (a future superintendent of the academy) brought a live bear to the academy and named it Objee for "Objectionable Presence." The tradition of keeping a live bear as the mascot was continued until the City of New London petitioned for its removal in 1984.

## Facilities

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The athletic facilities have been undergoing major upgrades since 2004, when the state-of-the-art FieldTurf synthetic surface was installed at Cadet Memorial Field (home of the football and lacrosse teams).

In 2019, a new field design and scoreboard were installed on Cadet Memorial Field.

## Rivalries

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The Bears play annually for the Secretaries Cup, a football rivalry game against the Mariners of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Since 2017, the game has been broadcast on ESPN streaming platforms in conjunction with the company's salute to service over Veteran's Day Weekend.

The Bears' longest-standing football rivalry is with the Norwich University Cadets, a private military college in Northfield, Vermont. Since 1930, the schools have played for "The Mug," with a brief break in the series having taken place between 2005 and 2017, when the schools were in different conferences and were not able to schedule annual out of conference matchups.

The Bears also have an unofficial rivalry with neighboring Connecticut College. The rivalry is most evident during the Coast Guard–Connecticut College biannual club hockey game which draws large numbers of spectators from both schools.

## Varsity teams

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Coast Guard Academy cheerleaders at the Homecoming Game, 2003 Men's sports  | Women's sports

|

Basketball  | Basketball
Soccer  | Soccer
Lacrosse  | Lacrosse
Cross Country  | Cross Country
Swimming & Diving  | Swimming & Diving
Track & Field  | Track & Field
Baseball  | Softball
Football | Volleyball
Rowing  | Rowing
Pistol  | Pistol
Sailing  | Sailing
Wrestling  |
Tennis  |

### Cross Country

[edit]

The Coast Guard Bears men's and women's cross country teams are coached by RIC alumni Coach Gregory Ahnrud, who replaced former XC head coach and current indoor and outdoor track and field Head Coach Ethan Brown. In 2024, the men's and women's teams finished in the top ten at the DIII New England cross country championships at Harkness Memorial Park for the first time in modern program history.[1][2]

The men's cross country team can often be found running through New London, CT, frequenting Colman Street, Connecticut Avenue, and Jefferson Street.[3] In 2024, Grant Kellenberger was named a member of the NEWMAC Fall Sportsmanship Team.[4]

### Football

[edit]

Main article: Coast Guard Bears football

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. talks with players of the Bears football team before a game on Saturday, September 11, 2010, at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut

The 1951 team under head coach Nels Nitchman was the first undefeated team at the Coast Guard Academy. They won six games and tied Northeastern University who also was undefeated. In 1963, the Coast Guard Academy's football team had a perfect season, making it eligible for that year's Tangerine Bowl.

Otto Graham, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, was head coach and then athletic director at Coast Guard from 1959 to 1985. His service was interrupted by his three seasons (1966–68) as Head Coach and General Manager of the Washington Redskins,[5] who then replaced him with Vince Lombardi.

### Sailing

[edit]

The academy boasts a strong sailing tradition and maintains a fleet of over 150 vessels to support the offshore and dinghy teams, in addition to the summer sail training programs.

In 2007, a USCGA cadet, then a freshman sailor from the class of 2011, Krysta Rohde, was featured in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the 27 December edition of Sports Illustrated. That year Rohde gained recognition by being the first academy cadet and second freshman ever to win the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship.

In 2016, the Bears would win the Sperry Women's National Championship, the school's first team championship in the sport.[6]

## Club sports

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An American Collegiate Hockey Association game between Harvard and Coast Guard in 2019

The Coast Guard Academy has many club sports such as men's and women's rugby, water polo, men's ice hockey and triathlon. The academy's boxing team was disbanded in 2018 due to safety concerns.[7]

### Rugby

[edit]

In 2006, the men's rugby club won the Division II National Championship at Stanford, California, after defeating the University of Northern Colorado.

### Men's Water Polo

[edit]

In 2008, the men's water polo team took fourth place at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Club Championships at Villanova University. Additionally, the squad captured the North Atlantic Crown to snag its inaugural postseason berth.

In 2012, the team made it into the field as the North Atlantic Division runner-up. In the same year, the Bears won sixth at Middlebury College in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Club Championships.

In 2017, the team finished seventh in the nation at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Club Championships after ending their season with an 11–1 record. In that season, the Bears held most of their practices in the Thames River due to a shortage of pool space at the academy.

In 2018, the team placed fifth in the nation at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Club Championships at Wesleyan University after winning the Colonial Division Championships with a 12–0 record.

In 2019, the team set multiple club records. First, the team finished third in the nation at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Club Championships at Villanova University, their best finish in club history. Additionally, the Bears won the Colonial Division Championships after a record-breaking 13–0 regular season record.

In 2021, the team placed first in the Colonial Division in a short 4-game season. They would finish undefeated at 4–0.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Greg Ahnrud – Head Cross Country Coach/Assistant Track & Field Coach – Men's Cross Country Coaches". United States Coast Guard Academy. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
2. ^ "Men's Cross Country". United States Coast Guard Academy. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
3. ^ "Log In". Strava. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
4. ^ "Six Bears Honored on NEWMAC Fall Sportsmanship Teams". United States Coast Guard Academy. 2024-11-26. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
5. ^ "Otto Graham". Coast Guard Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
6. ^ "ICSA | Inter-collegiate Sailing Association".
7. ^ "US Coast Guard Academy Boxing Team". Facebook. Retrieved 2019-08-27.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Coast Guard Academy athletics.

* Official website

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United States Coast Guard

Leadership|

* Secretary of Homeland Security
* Commandant of the Coast Guard
* Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard

Organization|

* Missions
* Auxiliary
* Investigative Service
* Legal Division
* Police
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* Sectors
* Stations
* Air Stations
* Radio stations

| Atlantic
Area|

* U.S. Coast Guard Northeast District
* U.S. Coast Guard East District
* U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District
* U.S. Coast Guard Heartland District
* U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes District

|

Pacific
Area|

* U.S. Coast Guard Southwest District
* U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District
* U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District
* U.S. Coast Guard Artic District

Deputy
Commandant
for Mission
Support|

* Coast Guard Academy
* Maritime Law Enforcement Academy
* Research & Development Center
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* Training Center Cape May
* Training Center Petaluma
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* Yard
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Deputy
Commandant
for Operations|

* Intelligence
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Personnel|

* Personnel
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* Ratings
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* Three-star admirals

Uniforms and equipment|

* Uniforms
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* list
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History and traditions|

* History
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* Bureau of Navigation
* "Semper Paratus"
* Flag
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* Fleet Week
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* United States Coast Guard Cutters
* Coast Guard Bears
* SPARS

Battles and operations|

* Quasi-War
* War of 1812
* West Indies anti-piracy operations
* Capture of the schooner Bravo
* Ingham Incident
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* Category

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New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

Current full members|

* Babson Beavers
* Clark Cougars
* Coast Guard Bears
* Emerson Lions
* MIT Engineers
* Mount Holyoke Lyons
* Salve Regina Seahawks
* Smith Pioneers
* Springfield Pride
* Wellesley Blue
* Wheaton Lyons
* WPI Engineers

Current affiliate members|

| Football|

* Merchant Marine Mariners
* Norwich Cadets
* SUNY Maritime Privateers

|

Women's rowing|

* Simmons Sharks

Former full member|

* Brandeis Judges

Former affiliate member|

* Catholic Cardinals
* Maine Maritime Mariners
* Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers

Tournaments|

* Basketball

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Liberty League

Current full members|

* Bard Raptors
* Clarkson Golden Knights
* Hobart and William Smith Statesmen and Herons
* Ithaca Bombers
* RPI Engineers
* RIT Tigers
* Rochester Yellowjackets
* St. Lawrence Saints
* Skidmore Thoroughbreds
* Union Garnet Chargers
* Vassar Brewers

Current associate members|

* Buffalo State Bengals1
* NYU Violets5
* St. John Fisher Cardinals4
* Wellesley Blue3

Former full member|

* Hamilton Continentals

Former associate members|

* Coast Guard Bears1
* Merchant Marine Mariners2
* Mount Holyoke Lyons3
* Springfield Pride1
* Susquehanna River Hawks1
* WPI Engineers1

* 1football
* 2football and men's golf
* 3women's golf
* 4men's and women's rowing
* 5men's and women's golf

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Sports teams based in Connecticut

Baseball|

Hartford Yard Goats
FCBL
New Britain Bees
Norwich Sea Unicorns
NECBL
Bristol Blues
Danbury Westerners
Mystic Schooners

Basketball|

WNBA
Connecticut Sun

Football|

WFA
Connecticut Hawks
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NEFL
Connecticut Reapers

Gaelic games|

USGAA: Northeast Division
Hartford

Ice hockey|

AHL
Bridgeport Islanders
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Danbury Hat Tricks
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Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks

Soccer|

USLC
Hartford Athletic
MLSNP
Connecticut United FC (2026)
USL2
AC Connecticut
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Hartford City FC
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Newtown Pride FC

Roller derby|

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Rugby union|

NERFU
Fairfield Yankees RFC
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Softball|

ASA
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College athletics|

| NCAA
Division I|

Bridgeport Purple Knights (women's gymnastics)
Central Connecticut Blue Devils
Fairfield Stags
New Haven Chargers
Post Eagles (women's bowling and women's ice hockey)
Quinnipiac Bobcats
Sacred Heart Pioneers
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UConn Huskies
Yale Bulldogs

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NCAA
Division II|

Bridgeport Purple Knights
Post Eagles
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NCAA
Division III|

Albertus Magnus Falcons
Coast Guard Bears
Connecticut College Camels
Eastern Connecticut Warriors
Hartford Hawks
Mitchell Mariners
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Trinity Bantams
Wesleyan Cardinals
Western Connecticut Colonials

NJCAA Division III|

Gateway Lions
Lincoln Wildcats
UConn-Avery Point Pointers
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