Waterville, MAINE - In honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Colby Athletics will profile a few of the many Colby athletes who can recall an experience that shape what being a female in sports means to them.
 
As a first-year, Keagan Dunbar's name was called a lot.  She earned Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Year, MWBCA All-Rookie Team honors, and made four appearances at MWBCA Rookie of the Week.  Dunbar was also named New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Rookie of the Week in December of that year after posting a double-double in an overtime win against Husson University. She ended her first-year campaign ranked second on the 2018-2019 team in scoring (12.2ppg), tied for second in total steals (13), and third in assists per game (1.7). Last year as a sophomore, Dunbar was fourth in scoring (7.4), second on the roster in team assists (2.1) and averaged 3.1 rebounds per contest. The drive that led her to this success started at an early age.  
 
Dunbar recalls being very active as a young girl in need of an outlet to release energy when she was younger, and fortunately her mother encouraged that. After many years of trying out different sports, such as ballet in kindergarten and soccer and lacrosse in high school, Dunbar ultimately fell in love with the game of basketball. Playing sports transitioned from a hobby with the purpose of harnessing some competitive energy and staying active after school, to a passion which ultimately brought the current junior to Mayflower Hill. 
 
The recreation director in her small Vermont hometown quickly picked up on her love for basketball, as well as her skill-level compared to her peers.  The director suggested Dunbar join the boys' basketball team in addition to the girls' team.  "His confidence in my ability to compete with the boys was the first step in the development of my confidence on the court," Dunbar reflected.  
 
Dunbar was greeted by male teammates that treated her equally which allowed her to embrace the fact that she wasn't just another boy on the team; she was a GIRL on the boys' team. She showed up to practice wearing hot pink shorts and crazy socks to emphasize that she didn't just want to fit in, she wanted to stand out. She began practicing more and more on her own time, in addition to the obligations of the two teams she was a part of.
 
Unlike her male teammates, not all of her male opponents were supportive of the fact that she was playing against them. She recalls one boy on another team refusing to play because he thought he shouldn't have to play against a girl.
 
"At first I wasn't sure if I should feel bad, but the only person that lost that day was the sixth-grade boy who didn't play in his game because he was too afraid to play against me."
 
This experience slowly allowed her to stop worrying about being too strong, too fast, too intense or too athletic. "I embraced my abilities as a female athlete from such a young age," Dunbar recalls.  "I realized that anyone who said anything negative about my love for athletics was just jealous of the determination and hard work I had put in to get to the skill level I was at." From that elementary season on, Dunbar has cherished basketball as a way for her to embrace these qualities as a female. Being involved in athletics has allowed her to find pride in both her abilities and accomplishments.
 
"To me, being a strong woman means not apologizing for the space you take up, being confident in your physical strength, skills and capabilities and being independent."
 
"To me, being a strong woman means not apologizing for the space you take up, being confident in your physical strength, skills and capabilities and being independent. There is a negative connotation around women who are physically strong or do 'manly' things. I think being a strong woman means embracing both your masculine traits and your feminine traits and not letting one take away from the other."
 
Her time as a Mule has been another chapter in Dunbar's personal development on and off the court.  The daily ups and downs of being part of a high-preforming collegiate team have taught her to navigate through tough situations and become a better, more supportive teammate and leader. She added, "Colby invests a lot into its athletes, and I have been grateful for the resources available to me to push myself further than I thought I was able to through PEAK performance." The balance between athletics, academics and other experiences at Colby has provided an environment in which she can acquire a competitive athletic experience while pursuing a high-level of education.
 
Dunbar's advice to her fellow athletes is to invest in yourself and your teammates. She says, "I poured everything I had into sports and attached my worth to my performance. Reflecting on Nation Girls & Women in Sports Day promoting strong women playing sports, I believe it's important never to apologize for your strengths and competitive edge."
 
You can tune into the Colby Women's Basketball Shoot-A-Thon on Saturday, February 27^th to watch Dunbar and the rest of the roster play to fundraise for a trip to Florida next season. This event will take place at the Whitmore-Mitchell Court in the Harold Alfond Athletic and Recreation Center, as well as streamed for fans off campus.

To navigate to Colby's NGWSD page, click here. 

Written by Amelia Lubrano '21