Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information

BRUNSWICK, Maine - Bowdoin College women's basketball coach Adrienne Shibles has been named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Region I (New England) Coach of the Year. Shibles, in her first season at the helm of the Polar Bears, led Bowdoin to their eighth NESCAC Championship and ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Shibles' 24 wins are the most by a Bowdoin women's basketball coach in their first year as head coach of the Polar Bears. After starting the season 3-2 and seeing a roster decimated with injuries, the Knox, Maine native steered the Polar Bears to wins in 21 of their next 24 games. Playing the fifth-toughest schedule in Division III women's basketball, Shibles' squad excelled defensively, ranking second in the NESCAC at 53.0 points allowed per game. Even more impressive, the Polar Bears allowed just six opponents to surpass 60 points this season.

The Division III WBCA Coach of the Year is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. If a coach has been selected as Regional Coach of the Year, they advance as a finalist to the national level of the selection process along with the other Regional Coaches of the Year in their respective division.