The Top 10 from 2010

With 2010 coming to a close, here is one person’s look back at the Top 10 stories of the year from the world of UNE Athletics.

10. Lizzie Wareham qualifies for the ECAC Championship
Wareham ’12 (Osterville, Mass.) became the first UNE swimmer to qualify for the ECAC Championship when she made the cut for the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.

9. Remarkable turnaround for the women’s lacrosse team
After winning just four matches in 2009, Big Blue posted a remarkable 12 wins during the 2010 season – the greatest one-season turnaround in NCAA Division III history.

8. UNE tops in TCCC with 52 academic all-conference selections
In addition to earning a great deal of recognition within the competitive arena, the Nor’easters distanced themselves from the others in the conference by placing 52 student-athletes on the TCCC academic all-conference team. The total of 52 selections was 10 higher than the second-place institution.

7. Top rookies in the TCCC
Men’s lacrosse player Tyler Thomas ’13 (Pleasantville, N.Y) and field hockey team member Hannah Tavella ’14 (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) were chosen TCCC Rookie of the Year in their respective sport. Thomas scored a school-record 40 goals and registered 65 total points. Tavella, a solid all-around player and trigger for the Nor’easters’ penalty corners, had four goals and 10 assists.

6. Anne Cowles chosen TCCC Woman of the Year
A 2010 graduate and four-year starter for the field hockey team, Anne Cowles (Franconia, N.H.) was voted TCCC Woman of the Year and was subsequently eligible for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

5, 4, 3 Bringing titles home
A pair of conference championships and one state title were certainly highlights of 2010. Back in February, the women’s basketball team won the TCCC for the first time since 2001, leading Regis from start-to-finish in a 75-62 triumph. The golf team won UNE’s first-ever state championship, ending the six-year year reign of Husson University. And, the field hockey team brought home the program’s first conference championship, shutting out top-seeded New England College, 3-0, on the road.

2. The birth of the Big Blue Turf
When the field hockey team hosted the University of Southern Maine on Sept. 1, it marked the opening of UNE’s new synthetic turf field – or the ‘Big Blue Turf’ as it has become affectionately known. With seating for more than 500 spectators, a large scoreboard and flag pole, and state-of-the-art pressbox, the BBT has become one of the premier outdoor facilities in the region.

1. UNE receives $10 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation
In what was described as “truly transformative” by UNE President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D., the University announced Dec. 10 it has received $10 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation for the construction of the Harold Alfond Athletics Complex and for the university's health care work force education program. The gift is the largest the University has received to date and will fund a 105,000-square-foot athletics complex to include an ice hockey rink, basketball court, classroom space, fitness center and multi-purpose indoor practice courts that will also be used for large events on campus with a seating capacity of 3,000.

...and down the stretch they come

...and down the stretch they come

Entering the final week of the regular season, the Nor'easters are poised to take runs at various conference championships. Below is a capsule view of how post-season play is shaping up for the fall sports.

Cross Country
Both the women and men will compete in the TCCC Championship hosted by Roger Williams University at Colt State Park on Oct. 30. Both Nor'easter squads are in the midst of solid seasons and are legitimate contenders for the TCCC title.

Field Hockey
The Nor'easters are 9-5 overall (6-1 conference) heading into a crucial TCCC showdown at Nichols College tomorrow. The winner of that contest will be the number two seed for the TCCC Championship and earn a bye in the opening round. New England College has already clinched the top seed. The TCCC Championship opens up Saturday, Oct. 30.

Golf
The golf team placed third at the TCCC Invitational yesterday to wrap up its season. Junior Griffin Andrews carded a 77 to place second individually. Big Blue posted its most successful season ever, winning a pair of events -- including the State of Maine Championship -- while recording a 29-7-2 mark versus its opponents.

Women's Soccer
Currently 11-4 with two contests remaining, the Nor'easters own an 8-3 conference record which places them in a tie for third in the TCCC standings. One more victory will ensure a first-round home playoff game. The TCCC Championship is slated to kick-off Oct. 30.

Men's Soccer
The men stand at 3-7-5 (1-6-4) with a pair of games left on the docket. The Nor'easters have battled injuries all season long, yet still remain mathematically in play to snag a playoff spot. They will need a pair of wins, along with some help from other conference members.

Volleyball
Big Blue (15-9 overall) is 4-3 in conference play with three TCCC matches remaining. Tied for fifth at the moment, the Nor'easters still have crucial conference match-ups with Western New England College and Roger Williams University remaining. UNE hopes to slide up a notch to fourth in order to host an opening-round tournament game.

FORE!!! The UNE golf team is playing thru

FORE!!! The UNE golf team is playing thru

They don't compete on campus; heck, they don't even practice on campus. On days of their matches they leave before many of you are out of bed, only to return after darkness. Fan support is limited at their matches - usually just parents or other family members. But despite the lack of fanfare and a glut of a anonymity, members of the UNE golf team continue to plug along.

Well, the days of being in the 'shadows' are over; the UNE golf program has arrived.

After a solid showing in the team's first two events of the 2010 season, Big Blue exploded on the scene, winning the Maine Intercollegiate Championship held Sept. 17-18 at Boothbay Country Club. UNE posted a two-day total of 638 to edge six-time reigning champion Husson University by two strokes.

"I am very proud of the team," said consistently-understated and humble head coach Kasey Keenan. "We are honored to be state champs with such a strong playing field of team," Keenan continued.

C'mon Coach Keenan, Rex Ryan probably would have said something like, 'I knew we had it before we teed it up. I was just surpised we didn't win by more.'

Just to prove their victory at the state championship was no fluke, the Nor'easters backed up their triumph by capturing the John Queenan Memorial Tournament (hosted by St. Joseph's College) in their next outing.

With the season nearly half over, UNE has its sights set on the season-ending The Commonwealth Coast Conference Invitational.

Between now and then, seek out a member of our golf team and congratulate them. What they have accomplished this season is truly remarkable.

Opening Day

Opening Day

Three new coaches, two of whom will lead the soccer programs. One new playing facility. With the dawn of a new sports season upon us, change is in the air at the University of New England.

New field hockey coach Jane Hurt traversed the Atlantic to take over UNE's highly-successful program. A native of England, Hurt boasts an impressive playing and coaching resume. She assumes the post previously held by Joan Howard, who has moved over to the administrative side of collegiate athletics.

Heather Davis will be at the head of the bench for the women's soccer team. Davis, a highly-accomplished leader who had previously been at NCAA Division II Lock Haven and the prestigious NCAA Division III institution Carnegie Mellon, carries with her 12 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level. She fills the void created when Doug Biggs retired last January after piling up 180 wins in 20 seasons at UNE.

The other new addition to the Nor'easters' coaching staff is head men's soccer coach Matt Gnall. Gnall comes to Biddeford from Williams College, where he helped oversee a team that advanced to last season's NCAA Division III national semifinal. He brings with him experience with some of the most elite programs in the nation - both as a player at Wesleyan and a coach at Williams. Gnall takes over for Andy Biggs, who left UNE in June to become an assistant at Brown. The Nor'easters are coming off a 10-win season, their highest win output since the 1997 campaign.

Perhaps the most exciting development in recent months is the completion of the synthetic turf field. The field hockey squad christened the complex this morning with its initial training session. Players and fans will be treated to a first-rate playing surface, bleacher seating for more than 550, and a state-of-the art PA and sound system.

While summer is vacation time for many, things have been busy on the beautiful UNE campus.

Games get underway Sept. 1 when the field hockey team hosts Southern Maine at 4 p.m. on the Big Blue Turf, followed by a men's soccer game with Thomas (7 p.m.) at Barbara J. Hazard Field.

What a year it was....

What a year it was...

For those of you who follow March Madness, you probably look forward to the video montage CBS puts together at the close of the men's championship game. Set to the song "One Shining Moment', the piece reflects on the highs and lows of the frenzied field of 65 (soon to be 68).

As we turn out the lights on another school year, we felt it fitting to look back at 2009-2010 -- another banner year for the University of New England Nor'easters.

Here is our version of 'One Shining Moment.'

Certainly one of the lasting memories from '09-'10 will be the show of emotion from the women's basketball team (see above photo) as the final horn sounded in Big Blue's victory over Regis in the TCCC championship game. Head coach Anthony Ewing's club won a school-record 23 times, en route to the Nor'easters first trip to the Big Dance since 2001.

And how about that numblingly cold evening in November when UNE captured the ECAC New England field hockey championship? Senior Taryn Flagg tallied her third goal of the match 2:13 into overtime to set off a wild celebration under the lights on Barbara J. Hazard Field. Joan Howard and her crew ripped off a program-best 16 wins on their way to the school's first ECAC title.

Several other teams posted impressive seasons along the way. The women's lacrosse team turned a four-win '09 season into a 12-win campaign in 2010 -- the greatest turnaround in NCAA Division III during 2010. The men's soccer team came up with double-digit wins for the first time since 1997, while the women were on the winning side of the ledger 15 times for the second consecutive season. The softball team ripped off its fourth straight year of 20 or more wins, and the swim squad sent a competitor to the ECAC Championship for the first time.

Individually, this space might not be enough for all Big Blue's accomplishments. Flagg was the field hockey program's first all-American, while teammate Anne Cowles was voted TCCC Woman of the Year. UNE boasts four TCCC Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year, four players/rookies of the year, and a pair of coaches of the year. (click here for a complete listing of all of the award winners)

At a place where academics and athletics goes hand-in-hand, UNE lived that mantra once again, placing a staggering 51 student-athletes on the TCCC Academic All-Conference Team, 10 more than the institution with the next-highest number.

Years down the road when Big Blue loyalists reflect on 2009-2010 chock full of championships individual accolades, it will be tough not to say, 'what a year it was.'

Deciphering a Decade

Deciphering a Decade

When the ball dropped in Times Square to bring 2009 to a close, it was also quitting time for the opening decade of the new century.

So much had happened in a mere 10 years. The terms Twitter, iPhone and Facebook are now part of nearly everyone's vernacular. American Idol, Survivor and Grey's Anatomy reign on TV. And sadly, the events of Sept. 11, 2001 had changed our world forever.

That 10-year span saw the University of New England Nor'easters storm into the decade and close it with a flurry.

Below is a look back at one observer's 10 most compelling stories of the decade.

10. Field hockey player Taryn Flagg is chosen third team all-America (2009)

After shattering nearly every career and single-season record in the program’s record book, Taryn Flagg ’10 was recognized by Longstreth and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association as a third team all-American. Flagg finished her brilliant career with 51 goals and 22 assists, good for 124 total points – all school records. She piled up a school-record 24 goals in 2009 en route to earning The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Player of the Year and first team all-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) accolades.

9. Four fall student-athletes selected TCCC Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year (2009)

In span of just a few days this past October, four fall sport student-athletes were recognized as TCCC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in their respective sport. Anne Cowles (field hockey), Ryan Tarr (men’s soccer), Ali Trafton (women’s soccer) and Claire Varner (volleyball) were each honored as the gold standard for the term “student-athlete.”

8. UNE announces plans for construction of a synthetic turf field (2009)

As the athletics program has grown by leaps-and-bounds, so has the need for additional space and an upgrade to facilities. Some of those needs will become a reality in the near future when construction of a synthetic turf field commences. The Nor’easters will be one of the few athletics programs in the nation – and the only NCAA Division III institution – sporting blue synthetic turf. The fully-lit facility will be a competition field for field hockey and lacrosse, as well as soccer during inclement weather. It will also provide the student body space for intramural activities in the evening.

7. Field hockey team captures UNE’s first ECAC Championship (2009)

A scoring attack that ranked UNE 17th in the nation. A program-record 16 wins. The Nor’easters’ first ECAC Championship in any sport. Any way you look at it, the 2009 field hockey season was one to remember. After going 13-2 during the regular season and drawing an opening-round bye in the TCCC Tournament, the Nor’easters were upset by Nichols in the semifinal round. Joan Howard’s squad made the most of the ECAC bid it earned, storming thru the bracket to walk away with the title. Few in attendance will ever forget the epic 3-2 overtime victory over Plymouth State in the championship tilt.

6. UNE brings back men’s ice hockey after a 25-year hiatus (2007)

The University expanded its varsity sport offerings from 13 to 14 with the addition of a men’s ice hockey team, bringing back a program that enjoyed a great deal of success in the late 1970’s when UNE was known as St. Francis College. Under the direction of Brad Holt, the Nor’easters competed at a pre-varsity level for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons before earning membership into the ECAC East, one of the nation’s premier NCAA Division III leagues.

5. Women’s soccer captures a conference championship (2000)

In just its second year as a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference, the women’s soccer team was better than all the others in the CCC. Under the direction of Doug Biggs, the Nor’easters posted a 10-1-1 regular-season conference mark and outscored their opponent 10-1 during the CCC Championship to win the program’s first conference title since becoming an NCAA Division III member.

4. Cutting down the nets (2001)

Talk about a Cinderella story. After earning a number six seed in the conference tournament by virtue of an 8-4 regular-season record, the women's basketball team won three consecutive playoff games on the road to come away with a CCC title. Perhaps even more impressive than the three road wins was the fashion in which it was done – UNE came away victorious by an average of 13 points, including a 77-60 win over Gordon in the championship game.

3. Slugging their way to a title (2000)

Back-to-back victories over Endicott in the championship round of the CCC Championship gave the softball team the athletics program’s first conference title since becoming a full-fledge member of the NCAA in 1999. David Labbe’s Nor’easters boasted a vaunted offense that averaged nearly nine runs a game as they pounded their way to a 26-10 record. Included in those 26 wins was a 14-game winning streak, as well as a win over St. Joseph’s of Long Island in the opening round of the NCAA Championship – a victory that still stands today as UNE’s lone win in any sport in the NCAA Championship.

2. UNE recognized by the NCAA and USA Today (2003)

UNE’s academic excellence shone thru in 2003 when the University was honored by the NCAA and USA Today for having the highest student-athlete graduation rate in the nation. Former president Sandra Featherman, Ph.D and student-athlete Emily Willoughby traveled to McLean, Va. to accept the prestigious honor at the NCAA’s 2003 Academic Achievement Awards.

1. Creating a buzz while taking home a championship (2009)

A Campus Center record crowd of 1,093 supported the Nor’easters as they won the men’s basketball program’s first-ever The Commonwealth Coast Conference championship when the Nor’easters took down Colby-Sawyer, 90-79. During the regular season, Jason Mulligan’s crew reeled off 19 consecutive wins at one point on their way to racking up 24 wins – a turnaround of 19 wins in a span of two seasons. Buoyed by their faithful following at home, the Nor’easters averaged 372 fans per home contest, including more than 2,400 in attendance at three home playoff contests.

Nothing like a little home cookin'

Nothing like a little home cookin'

Heading into the final game before break, the men's basketball team had dropped five consecutive games and owned a 2-6 record. The 2-6 mark was a bit deceiving considering the rugged level of competition the Nor'easters had come across in the early going (UNE's setbacks have come to opponents with an aggregate record of 41-8).

So, what was the tonic for the ailment? Nothing like a little home cookin' to change the tone heading into a three-week layoff.

The Nor'easters took down UMaine Farmington, 81-67, last Saturday (Dec. 12) in what was just their second home game of the semester. The Big Blue have now won 16 straight at the friendly confines of the Campus Center -- a streak that dates back more than a year.

Since Jason Mulligan's arrival in 2007, his teams are 25-6 at home.

Maybe it's the familiar surroundings. Possibly it's the absence of a long bus trip. Certainly it's the loyal support of the Nor'easter faithful.

On behalf of all the members of the Athletics Department at UNE, I would like to wish each of you an enjoyable holiday season.

For those of you heading home for the holidays, enjoy the home cooking. I know I will!