Bates College Athletics

Congrats to Bates College Softball! The Bobcats posted the highest GPA in all of NCAA Division III this year.

https://gobatesbobcats.com/news/2026/8/12/softball-posts-highest-gpa-in-ncaa-division-iii.aspx

Thank you NCAA for sharing this story about men’s cross country and track and field captain Jackson Monz! https://gobatesbobcats.com/news/2026/7/28/general-jackson-monz-26-20-000-feet-above-the-sea.aspx

Jackson Monz ‘26: 20,000 feet above the sea

Bates College men's cross country and track & field captain Jackson Monz ‘26 saw his senior season ruined by injury. Two grade 4a stress reactions in his tibiae put him out of commission for the Bobcats.

So he set his sights higher: 20,310 feet higher, to be exact.

“Over winter break, I decided I had to do something cool,” Monz says. “So my dad suggested I take a look at the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Denali course.”

Denali, federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. And when measured from base to peak, it’s the tallest mountain in the world.

Monz, who hails from Logan, Utah, is no stranger to challenging climbs. He’s been backpacking and rock climbing since he was four years old. And he scaled the Grand Teton in Wyoming (a mere 13,775 feet) in two days at the age of 13.

“Growing up, my life was basically spent outdoors while also at elevation,” Monz says. “But I’d never done anything like this.”

Indeed, Denali couldn’t be more different than Grand Teton. While Grand Teton involves highly technical rock climbing, there’s no snow. Denali is serious mountaineering, with snow all around you.

When climbing Denali, you are carrying about 50 pounds of supplies on your back and dragging even more weight on a sled. But hiking, even while carrying a lot of weight, has a lower impact on the body than competitive running. So after a little time off, Monz was able to start training for the trip and gradually build up his strength.

“I got a lot of funny looks while on the StairMaster at Merrill Gym with my big backpack on,” Monz says. “I lifted weights, hiked the White Mountains with my friends, took long bike rides, and even went on the occasional run with my teammates.”

On Sunday, May 31st, Bates College held its 160th Commencement. Monz graduated with a degree in biology. He flew to Alaska the next day.

Read the full story of Monz’s climb at the link in the comments!

Congrats to Bates College Baseball!

The Bobcats achieved a team GPA of 3.52 this year, more than enough to earn the American Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award:

https://gobatesbobcats.com/news/2026/7/27/baseball-earns-2025-26-abca-team-academic-excellence-award.aspx

Baseball earns 2025-26 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award - Bates College The Bates baseball team was recognized for their work in the classroom last Wednesday, earning the 2025-26 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Henry Pelletier Joins Bobcats as Assistant Men's and Women's Squash Coach

Henry Pelletier Joins Bobcats as Assistant Men's and Women's Squash Coach - Bates College LEWISTON, Maine – Bates College head men's and women's squash coach Nadiia Usenko has announced the hiring of Henry Pelletier as assistant coach for the Bobcats' men's and women's squash programs.

David Omasombo ’26 and Chiwer Mayen ’26 often snuck into Alumni Gym as kids to get shots up. They’d play pick-up with Bates students. “Alumni Gym is where I threw down my first real dunk,” Mayen says. But when they first met, the notion of Bates as a future alma mater was far from their minds.

Now, Omasombo and Mayen are recent Bates grads, after making the most (and then some) of their time on campus. After four years steeped in academics, basketball, internships, community service, jobs, and further friendship, Omasombo and Mayen are well-aware of the example they set for future generations. Mayen was raised by an immigrant father, trying to care for his son and daughter on his own. Omasombo spent the first eight years of his life in a refugee camp in Tanzania before moving to America. “I didn’t have the privilege or opportunity to go to school and there were very few resources,” Omasombo says. “All we had was family. But that kept us alive.”

What might not seem possible is possible. It’s been done. Here they are. The first Lewiston High School alums to play men’s basketball for Bates in 50 years.

Read more about these two Lewiston Blue Devil Boys Basketball and Bates Men's Basketball alums' remarkable stories in the spring edition of Bates Magazine, and at the link in the comments!

Photos by Phyllis Graber Jensen and Sun Journal Sports

Bates Men's Basketball's David Omasombo & Chiwer Mayen: Standing Tall for Lewiston

As seen in the latest issue of Bates College Magazine:

https://gobatesbobcats.com/news/2026/7/1/mens-basketball-david-omasombo-26-chiwer-mayen-26-standing-tall-for-lewiston.aspx

Bates College Alumni Official City of Lewiston, Maine