BRUNSWICK – One of the most successful NCAA Division III women’s basketball coaches in the nation is leaving Maine to pursue a Division I head coaching opportunity.

Stefanie Pemper, who guided Bowdoin College to six consecutive berths in the Division III Elite Eight from 2002 to 2007, has stepped down after 10 years with the Polar Bears to take the top job with the program at the U.S. Naval Academy.

“What an amazing 10 years it has been,” Pemper said in a Bowdoin press release. “I owe Bowdoin so much for giving me the opportunity to be a head coach, and I will miss this place tremendously.”

Pemper arrived at Bowdoin after serving as an assistant at Harvard. One of those Crimson teams was notable for beating Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, still the only No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 in either the women’s or men’s Division I tournament.

Upon arriving at Bowdoin, Pemper inherited a program that had experienced only a few flourishes of success in the New England Small College Athletic Conference and immediately built a winner.

She was adept at luring some of Maine’s most celebrated high school players of the decade, including Kristi Royer of Lewiston, Alexa Kaubris of Dirigo, Justine Pouravelis of Catherine McAuley and Lora Trenkle of George Stevens.

In that unprecedented stretch of Elite Eight appearances, Bowdoin won 92 percent of its games and punctuated a 76-game home court winning streak.

“I want to thank our players and our (alumni) for all they’ve done for me and the program. I’ve always encouraged them to treasure their four years of college basketball and to take ownership in the team, to make it theirs,” Pemper said. “They’ve always done that, and that’s why the program is special.”

Bowdoin went undefeated in the 2003-04 regular season and reached the Division III championship game, finishing 30-1 overall.

Until this season, the Polar Bears had won every NESCAC tournament in history.

Pemper leaves with a career record of 235-48, and she hardly leaves behind a bare cupboard. Kaubris is one of three senior starters returning in 2008-09.

“The team is in a great place with a talented group returning and a wonderful class of recruits coming. We weathered through a year of challenges this past season with great trust, focus, and maturity,” said Pemper. “A very special senior class of Jill Anelauskas, Alexa Kaubris and Maria Noucas will provide wonderful leadership through the transition. This program is very healthy.”