Hall of Athletic Honor
Although she established her place in Bullets history by leading the 1980 field hockey team to a Division III national championship, Bowers made countless other contributions to the College's athletic program during her 23 seasons. If Grace Kenney is the first name in Gettysburg women's athletics, then certainly Lois Bowers is a close second.
A 1952 graduate of Temple who earned her master's degree from Western Maryland, she came to Gettysburg in 1969 and led the women's basketball squad to 22 wins in four years before shifting gears to guide the women's swimming program through its first four varsity seasons. During that span, she also helmed the women's tennis team in 1975 and 1976.
In 15 seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach, she won a then-program record 99 games while leading the Bullets to the 1979 Middle Atlantic Conference championship and a fifth-place finish at the 1981 AIAW national tournament.
She enjoyed her greatest on-field success, however, while guiding the field hockey program to 103 victories from 1978 to 1991. In the fall of 1980, the Bowers-led Bullets rebounded from a 6-4-1 start to win their final 10 games and capture the institution's first national championship in any sport, wrapping up the historic title with a 1-0 win over Hartwick on Nov. 22, 1980. In addition, she led the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1987.
