The Bates College women's soccer and volleyball teams were both one win away from a New England Small College Athletic Conference title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. But both teams lost the championship game, and their seasons officially ended on Sunday night when the Division III Tournament fields were announced, and Bates was not among the institutions invited to either tournament.

The women's soccer team finished the 2003 season with a 12-3-2 record, beating Trinity 2-0 in the first round of the NESCAC championship, then defeating top-seed and host Bowdoin 1-0 in the semifinals. Amherst beat the Bobcats 6-0 in the championship game.

The volleyball team earned the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Tournament with a 9-1 NESCAC record. The Bobcats beat seventh-seed Middlebury 3-0 and third-seed Colby 3-1 in the first two rounds of the tournament before losing to top-seed Williams 3-0 in the championship match on Saturday. Bates finished the season with a 26-9 record, the best since Jen Bowman's first year as head coach in 2000.