LEWISTON, Maine -- Renee Olsen brings national championship experience to the table. She won it all as a player at fellow NESCAC school Trinity College in 2012. 10 years later, she's the eighth head coach in Bates women's lacrosse history. The Bobcats begin their first season with Olsen at the helm Saturday at nationally ranked University of Chicago, with the opening draw set for 12pm eastern time. 

"It's been a whirlwind, but it's been really fun," Olsen said on this week's Bates Bobcast of the transition from Division I assistant coach to the head job at Bates. "We're getting better every day and we're putting in a lot of hard work. So I really can't ask for more from the athletes right now."

The Bobcats are led by senior captains Anna Reaman (Hingham, Mass.) on defense and Dana Swartz (North Andover, Mass.) on offense. 

"They've been in my office just about every other day going over everything, whether that's practice, and what we're packing on trips," Olsen said. "They've done a really good job of leading this team and creating a culture of a family."

Fans can expect a lot of new faces this year, as is the case with most Bates springs sports teams. The Bobcats have only played 10 games in the last two years combined due to the pandemic. 

One familiar face is senior midfielder Jordyn Tveter (Topsfield, Mass.), the team's leading returning scorer, who tallied eight goals and dished out two assists in five games last year.

"She's gritty," Olsen said. "She works really hard in everything that she does so I'm really excited to see what she can do this year for her senior year. I think she's ready to go." 

Returning from a year away is junior Chloe Robinson (North Salem, N.Y.), who can do it all for Bates, including win draw controls. She had eight goals and 10 draw controls before the 2020 season got shut down.

"She's been very noticeable so far during practice and scrimmages," Olsen said. "Chloe was a little nervous (returning to the team), but I think the thing that all of our players are doing right now is they're just going for it. That's the only thing that I can expect out of them after not playing for a couple years." 

Junior Eva Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) is in a similar situation as Robinson, having spent last season studying remotely. But she too has stood out to Olsen in the midfield during the preseason, giving the Bobcats a clear strength entering 2022.

The Bobcats also have a couple of players who are set to gain international experience this summer. Reaman is a member of Team Puerto Rico and sophomore Emma Austin (Norwich, Vt.) recently made the Irish National Team. 

"Right now we have Emma in the midfield spot, but we put her on offense for our first scrimmages," Olsen said. "So we saw her do some good things and we're excited to see her in that role a little bit."

Junior Cammie Lavoie (Epping, N.H.) is the most experienced goalkeeper on the roster, having made 30 saves in four games last year.

Other returnees with notable experience playing for Bates include sophomore midfielder Sadie O'Neil (Concord, Mass.), senior attacker Kate Loughlin (York, Maine), sophomore midfielder Maddy Roelofs (Rye, N.H.), junior Shelby Howard (Ashland, Mass.), junior Sophie Scola (San Mateo, Calif.), junior defender Annie Conway (South Salem, N.Y.) and junior midfielder Zoe Knauss (Buffalo, N.Y.). 

But what's most exciting for Olsen and the Bobcats is the unknown. Plenty of new or relatively new players will get their first full seasons of NESCAC play under their belts this year.

"We've got definitely a really deep bench and that's just a great kind of thing to have as a first year head coach," Olsen said. "We've got a lot of trust in our teammates right now too. So they're really excited. I'm really excited. We're all just really excited for that first game on Saturday."