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.