Polar Bear Tennis Camps

Conor Smith was named the men’s head coach in 2011, he subsequently took a team that was consistently ranked within the top 15 nationally into a premier Division III program. The team has finished within the top 10 in the country during the last seven of eight years and has played for four NESCAC championships while also claiming two titles. In 2016, Smith led the Polar Bears to their first National Championship by defeating Middlebury for the first men’s title in Bowdoin athletics history. During 2018, his team returned to the National Championship but lost in the final match. After the team portion of NCAA’s in 2018, Grant Urken won the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis singles championship, becoming the first Polar Bear tennis player to win an individual national championship in school history. Jerry Jiang would partner with Grant Urken during the 2019 season to claim the individual doubles national championship while finishing the year ranked #1 in the country. In 2019, Grant Urken would graduate from the program as one of the most decorated players and among the few Division III tennis players to claim a career “triple crown” winning the team, singles, and doubles national championships during his four years.

During the 2018 season, the men’s team won the NESCAC championship and broke the program record for wins in a season with 23 victories. Smith earned NESCAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in 2018 as well as the ITA National Coach of the Year honors for the team’s achievements in 2016. His teams have reached the Elite 8 round five times during his career while amassing an 18-6 record in the NCAA tournament.

Smith was previously the men’s and women’s head coach for four years at Bridgewater College (Va.), and was twice named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference men's tennis coach of the year, netting the honor most recently in 2011 as the Eagles went 14-7 overall. He also claimed the honor in 2009 after leading Bridgewater to a third-place finish in the ODAC - the team's highest conference finish in 30 years. Under Smith's direction, the squad set program records for single-season wins in each of the past two seasons.

Smith began his coaching career in September, 2003 as the men's assistant coach at Mary Washington, a position he held until May, 2005. Later in 2005, he accepted a position as women's assistant coach at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Mary Washington and in 2007 he received his Master’s degree in history at Washington College.

Smith played four years of tennis at the University of Mary Washington and was a two-time All-American. Smith was the Capital Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2000 and in 2001 he was individually ranked No. 30 in Division III. Smith earned his first All-American honor as a junior in 2002 and, as a senior captain, was named an All-American for the second time. He was ranked No. 15 in the nation and won the ITA Senior Regional Player of the Year.

During 2013, Smith was named to the Mary Washington Athletic Hall of Fame.

Smith lives in Harpswell with his wife Chrissy, daughters Madeline & Gwenyth, Molly and son Patrick.