2011-12 State of Athletics

2011-12 State of Athletics

University of New Hampshire

Letter from the Athletic Director .................... 3

State of AthleticsAcademics .............................. 5Athletics ................................. 6Athletics Development ........... 7Finance ................................... 8Philosophy & Culture ............ 9

Appendix AWomen’s Soccer ................... 11Men’s Soccer ........................ 12Volleyball ............................. 13Football ................................ 14Field Hockey ........................ 15Men’s Cross Country ........... 16Women’s Cross Country ...... 17Men’s Hockey ...................... 18Women’s Hockey ................. 19Men’s Basketball .................. 20Women’s Basketball ............. 21

Men’s Indoor Track .............. 22Women’s Indoor Track ......... 23Men’s and Women’s Skiing ................................... 24Women’s Swimming & Diving .................................. 25Gymnastics ........................... 26Women’s Lacrosse ............... 27Men’s Outdoor Track ........... 28Women’s Outdoor Track ...... 29

Appendix BJim Urquhart Student-Athletes of the Year .............. 31Coaches of the Year .............. 32Tina True Award ................... 32Academic Excellence Award ................................... 33Community InvolvementAward ................................... 33

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2011-12 New HampshireState of Athletics

UNH Wildcats @unhathletics UNH Athletics unhwildcats.com

Table of Contents

Dear Friends of UNH,

The 2011-12 academic year has come to a close and it seems like yesterday we welcomed the Class of 2015 at the annual Freshman “Cat Pack” Orientation.

Our department has realized much success and a fair share of disappointment as well, but through it all has been a commitment and a work ethic that is unique to UNH.

These are challenging times in higher education, and certainly intercollegiate athletics is not immune to those challenges. Some days it seems as though we fight mightily simply to hold on to hard-earned victories, while other days are more up-lifting. Through it all, I remain amazed at the quality of people I work with at this institution and their unyielding spirit to maintain the excellence that UNH represents.

UNH remains one of the nation’s premier land-grant institutions, renowned for its undergraduate experience, research, depth of programs, and of course, its intercol-legiate athletics programs.

We couldn’t do what we do without the commitment of the faculty, adminis-tration and staff. While these times remain challenging, UNH’s gritty doggedness to “do the right things” shines through in all that it does. Just as we challenge our student-athletes to give more than they believe they can, we equally give more so we can continue the trajectory of success.

This report, while meant to capture the successes of our intercollegiate pro-grams, is frankly more representative of the institution’s philosophy and culture of finding a way to get the work at hand done, and done well!

On behalf of our 500 plus student-athletes, the coaches, administration and staff, we thank you for your support and look forward to 2012-13.

Sincerely,

Marty Scarano Athletics Director

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2011-12 State of AthleticsAnnual Report


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AcademicsUNH student-athletes are provided with an all-encompassing academic support system that prepares them for the rigors of their college career as incoming freshmen and supplies them with the resources necessary for achieving and sustaining success during their years on campus.

The academic support staff achieves its mission in four ways: providing general academic information, monitoring academic progress, arranging tutorial services and referring student-athletes to support of-fices on campus.

General academic information – Located conveniently on the main floor of the Field House, the academic support offices contain information pertaining to NCAA eligibility information, additional academic resources on campus and class registration information.

Monitoring academic progress – The academic support staff communicates with professors, aca-demic advisors and coaches on an ongoing basis. Progress reports for all first-year student-athletes are gathered during the midpoint of the fall and spring semesters, with the professors evaluating the student-athletes on performance, attendance and class participation. Student-athletes have group and individual meetings with the academic support staff throughout the year in order to monitor progress and offer additional academic strategies.

Tutorial program – All student-athletes are eligible for free tutorial assistance through the athletic de-partment. The tutors are University undergraduate and graduate students who have been recommended by their professors to mentor in specific subject areas. Student-athletes are able to arrange tutoring ses-sions that accommodate their own hectic schedules. Individual and small study groups are available.

Academic center – The student-athlete academic center, located in the Field House, is equipped with new computers, study carrels and study tables. It is a quiet place for student-athletes to complete aca-demic work before and after practice.

The benefits of the academic support system were once again evident in 2011-12 as UNH had the high-est number of student-athletes named to the America East Fall Honor Roll (96) and the highest percent-age of student-athletes named to the Winter/Spring Honor Roll (65%). Additionally, the football team led the CAA with 20 members named to the CAA Academic All-Conference Team. The men’s and women’s soccer teams received the NSCAA Academic Award for having a team GPA of at least 3.0. UNH was one of only two schools to have both teams receive this award.

Four Wildcat teams were honored by the NCAA with the Public Recognition Award for multiyear Aca-demic Progress Rates (APR) in the top 10 percent of all teams in their respective sports: gymnastics, men’s hockey, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s indoor track & field. Also, the football team was recognized for its academic success and student-athlete graduation rate by receiving the Academic Progress Rate (APR) Award for the CAA. UNH was one of only five FCS programs in the nation to garner the honor for a second straight season, and was the only FCS team in the country to both reach the postseason and capture an APR Award in back-to-back seasons.

Senior volleyball player Amy Keding and sophomore swimmer Lauren McCandless were each recipi-ents of the America East Scholar-Athlete award in their respective sports. Keding graduated with a degree in Chemistry and Physics Teaching, while McCandless, a cellular and molecular biology major, is the first sophomore from UNH to be selected as a scholar-athlete.

Gymnast Danielle Reibold was selected as EAGL Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Reibold, who gradu-ated with a degree in Biomedical Sciences, is the first UNH gymnast to receive this honor.

Women’s track & field team members Kate Early and Keely Maguire received University recognition this spring. Early, who also played four years on the women’s basketball team, received the prestigious Dean Williamson Award for her “outstanding and well-rounded extracurricular activities, scholarship, athletics, and loyalty to the University.” Maguire received a Parent’s Association Award for “having shown an understanding and appreciation of the value of a university education and having accepted the responsibility to share their education to better the community in which they live.”

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Fall Highlights• The field hockey squad took home its second-ever America East Championship title and made its first

NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000.• Women’s cross country tied for second place at the America East Championships and finished 12th at the

NCAA Regionals.• Men’s cross country garnered a seventh-place finish at the America East Championships and finished 21st

at the NCAA Regionals.• Football extended its nationwide record of consecutive FCS Tournament appearances to eight with an at-

large berth.• Volleyball posted a clean 3-0 sweep over top-ranked Albany, handing the Great Danes their first and only

conference loss, and earned the second seed in the conference tournament.• Men’s soccer tallied three consecutive 1-0 wins, including two to win the 22nd Annual Nike Fall Classic.• Women’s soccer extended its conference-record postseason streak with an 11th straight America East

Tournament appearance.

Winter Highlights• The women’s basketball program enjoyed its first winning season since the 2005-06 campaign and earned

a postseason berth for the second time in program history with a trip to the Women’s Basketball Invita-tional. Senior Denise Beliveau became the 16th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point mile-stone.

• Jordon Bronner netted a career-high 24 points to lift men’s basketball over Colgate. The team also won four consecutive games for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

• Kristina Lavoie, Nicole Gifford and Jenna Lascelle of the women’s hockey team each tallied a hat trick in separate games during the season, while Jenn Gilligan made a career-high 44 saves in a game against border rival Maine.

• Men’s hockey’s Stevie Moses notched two four-goal games on the season, including one against Dart-mouth at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

• Women’s swimming and diving tallied a 6-2 record on the season and finished third at the America East Championships. In their opening meet at Siena, a total of five pool records were shattered by the Wildcats. The coaching staff was also honored with the America East Coaching Staff of the Year award.

• Gymnastics recorded a 195.75-194.225 upset over No. 23 West Virginia after senior Ali Carr notched a 9.9 on the uneven bars and balance beam, and advanced to the NCAA Regional for the 30th time in the last 31 years.

• The men’s/women’s ski team finished third at the EISA Championships and 10th at the NCAA Skiing Championship.

• Men’s indoor track & field senior Brice Paey captured America East and New England titles in the shot put and remained undefeated until a fourth-place finish at the IC4As.

• Women’s indoor track & field graduate student Allison Letourneau broke three school records during the season while senior Sydney Fitzpatrick also set a school mark in the 5,000 meters.

Spring Highlights• Laura Puccia helped the women’s lacrosse team upset No. 12 Vanderbilt by scoring five goals and adding

an assist.• Women’s track & field finished runner-up at the New England Championships while a trio of Wildcats

qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary meet. • Men’s track & field finished seventh at New Englands as Kevin Greene and Tyler Dinnan each claimed

individual titles and also helped lead the 4x800 meter relay team to victory.

Athletics

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Athletics

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Athletics DevelopmentIn this past fiscal year, over $624,000 was raised in current use support though our athletics annual giving program: The Wildcat Fund. This represents a 24% increase in achievement from last fiscal year. Individuals and corporations made charitable contributions to support UNH Athletics as the result of email/mail ap-peals, personal solicitations from gift officers, peer to peer solicitations from volunteers, and student pho-nathon callers. Within The Wildcat Fund, donors could designate their annual gift to support any of our 17 athletic Friends Groups (operational funding), Athletic Scholarships (supporting the $8 million annual cost to fund 330 athletic scholarships) and the Athletic Director’s Priorities (department-wide initiatives). The average gift size was $183.00 and close to 50% of our athletic donors are UNH alumni, with the remaining comprised of friends, parents, staff and students.

In the area of major gifts, the Athletics Development team worked with loyal supporters to establish five (5) newly named endowed athletic scholarships. An endowed athletic fund provides a permanent source of income for the Athletic Department and gifts to an endowed fund are invested, with a percentage (currently 4 percent of the 12-month moving average) of the income growth supporting a specific program or areas, as directed by the donor(s). The remaining income is invested into the endowment, ensuring that that value of the investment grows in perpetuity. The minimum amount required to establish a new endowment at UNH is $50,000 and this amount can be paid all at once or in installments (over three to five years). Donors are en-couraged to name endowed funds in a way that is meaningful to them. Currently there are 90 named athletic endowed funds, the majority of which support athletic scholarships, many of which are sport-specific. In this fiscal year, gifts to establish new endowments combined with donations made to our existing endowed funds totaled over $315,000.

In the area of gift planning, during this fiscal year six (6) families confirmed their intentions to make a be-quest gift (a deferred gift provision in their estate plans) to UNH. Collectively, these bequest gifts represent $75,000 in capital project support that will be utilized in the 2012-2013 academic year (Cowell Stadium scoreboard and football locker-room project) and $2.1 million in scholarship support for future Wildcat student-athletes. We are grateful for these families for choosing to name UNH as the recipient of a major gift. A bequest can be a powerful expression of your faith in the University and provides significant future support to UNH Athletics.

This year, the Athletics Development team planned and carried out several key stewardship events. Members of the UNH Athletics community gathered on October 28, 2011 in the Memorial Union Building for the in-augural Endowed Athletic Scholarship Luncheon. The event brought together over 60 benefactors who have established endowed athletic scholarships with 70 student-athletes who directly benefit from their generos-ity. The celebratory event will continue to be held annually on the Friday before Homecoming Weekend. In addition, the team organized the annual Wildcat Summer Cruise on June 12th as a way to thank over 200 athletic donors, as they joined coaches and administrators on the Thomas Leighton for a cruise around Ports-mouth Harbor. To close out the year, on June 23rd the Athletics Hall of Fame event was held in Lundholm Gymnasium in the Field House as six (6) individuals were inducted including Greg Blaisdell ’03 (men’s alpine skiing), Darren Haydar ’02 (men’s ice hockey), Stephan Lewis ’02 (football), Nicole Mullins ’94 (gymnastics), Ellen Weinberg Hughes ’91, ’94G (women’s ice hockey, women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse) and Jim Jeannotte (Joan Leitzel Award).

The Athletics Development team helps support special events such as alumni reunions, celebratory events, Friends Group functions, golf tournaments and more. In addition the Cat Tracker newsletter is mailed to over 10,000 households, three times a year (fall, winter and spring). The piece serves as a key communication tool for our alumni and friends, specifically highlighting the impact of donor support on our student-athletes and our athletic programs.

In order to ensure the success of UNH Athletics we must continue to grow all aspects of Athletics Develop-ment, including: our annual giving program, the number and value of our endowed athletic funds, and de-ferred gifts. The loyal support of alumni, parents and friends plays an essential role in our ability to establish a sustainable financial model. To make a secure, philanthropic gift online, please visit: www.unh.edu/sup-portathletics.

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FinanceAs reported last year, the Athletics Department implemented several strategies in Fiscal Year 12 to respond to a series of University budget cuts after a major reduction in State Funding. While final year-end numbers are not yet available, current projections indicate that Athletics will show improved financial results in FY12 due to efforts in restricting travel costs, freezing vacant positions and/or salaries, freezing scholarship awards and maximizing ticket revenue, game guarantees, and a greater reliance on annual contributions to cover costs.

Athletic generated revenues as a percent of total Athletic Revenues continues to outpace other America East Conference schools, CAA schools and FCS schools while allocated revenues lag be-hind. A measure of Revenue Self Sufficiency, Athletics generated revenues cover almost 30% of total Athletic expenditures at UNH compared to the America East and CAA average of 24%. Combin-ing Student Fees with Athletics generated revenues results in coverage of 67% of Athletic expenses compared to the America East average of 56% and CAA average of 37%.

Total salaries and benefits comprise 27% of the Athletic expense budget compared to the average 32% for America East Schools, and an average 28% for CAA schools. Coaches compensation falls just below the America East average of 16.7% of expenditures while administrative salaries and ben-efits continue to fall 4-5% below the average for America East schools and 2-3% below the CAA av-erage. UNH Athletic expenditures comprised approximately 5% of the total institutional expenses.

UNH Athletics continues to be a very efficient and lean organization. The outlook for FY13 will be similar to FY12. We will continue to monitor and contain costs where feasible and develop strate-gies to enhance and maximize generated revenue through ticket sales, game guarantees, sponsor-ships and fundraising.

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Philosophy & CultureThe philosophy and culture of the Athletic Department is embodied in student-athlete development. Ex-cellence in academics and athletics is a portion of that development. It also entails perfecting skills to be successful in the University and state of New Hampshire communities as well as life-long endeavors. To accomplish this goal, the Athletic Department utilizes the expertise and services of many campus depart-ments and organizations, including Health & Wellness, Hazing, Diversity & Inclusion, Career Planning & Preparation, Financial Responsibility, Leadership and Community Service.

Student-athlete development includes activities such as: Wildcat Mentors (UNH student-athletes work with Newmarket Jr. High School); Read Across America (visit elementary and middle schools to read and facili-tate discussion on the importance of education and staying in school); Holiday Food and Toy Drives; Hoops for Hunger; Soles 4 Souls Shoe Collection (over 1,300 pairs shipped to people in the U.S. and abroad); and Alternative Spring Break (travel to New Orleans, West Virginia, Haiti and Honduras to assist in community rebuilding).

The collective team involvement in service projects and activities, which also included special projects by individual teams beyond the aforementioned list, exceeded 4,500 community service hours in the 2011-12 academic year.

The melding of UNH athletics and the Granite State extends beyond community service. The Athletic De-partment facilities are utilized by more than just the 20 varsity teams it sponsors. The University’s recreation department has access to some of the intercollegiate facilities for intramural sports that are open to all Uni-versity students, and the UNH faculty/staff also has access for recreational use.

In addition, the Athletic Department has a partnership with Northeast Passage in which we provide support regarding admissions, athletic training and conditioning, and academic support. Taylor Chace honed his skills as part of the Northeast Passage program utilizing UNH’s facilities and went on to earn both a bronze (2006) and gold (2010) medal at the Paralympic Winter Games as a member of Team USA. Northwest Pas-sage athletes will be directly involved in UNH athletics by participating in the department’s educational programing and community service events.

Furthermore, the Seacoast community and entire state of New Hampshire benefit from UNH’s athletic fa-cilities. The Oyster River High School hockey team has called the Whittemore Center home for a number of years and the facility also brings in numerous cheerleading competitions. Cowell Stadium and the Reggie F. Atkins Track & Field Facility have been home for the New Hampshire Special Olympics Summer Games and, more recently, local youth and high school football teams have played games at that venue. At the Field House, Lundholm Gym is a site for NHIAA basketball championships, the Paul Sweet Oval holds several high school indoor track meets annually and Swasey Pool has both youth and high school events. The ath-letic facilities are also the home of various fundraisers, such as the Relay For Life at the Paul Sweet Oval.

UNH Athletic Department Mission StatementThe mission of the intercollegiate athletics program at UNH is to provide student-athletes a collegiate expe-rience that is enriched by their participation in programs that are competitive at the NCAA Division I level both regionally and nationally.

The intercollegiate athletics program also plays an important role by enhancing the quality of life for the University and statewide community by being a source of pride and identification with the University while always maintaining high standards of academic scholarship and integrity.

To fulfill its mission, the intercollegiate program must: (1) Provide student-athletes every opportunity to meet academic and athletic demands with the goal of graduating every student-athlete; (2) Provide resourc-es necessary to field competitive teams with league affiliations, and to gain regional and national recogni-tion; (3) Provide equitable opportunities for all intercollegiate athletics by the active recruitment of minority athletes, and provide equitable opportunities for all women student-athletes commensurate with that of their male counterparts; (4) Provide excellent facilities for all athletes to train, practice and play; (5) Conduct all operations within state and federal law, University policies, rules of the NCAA and athletics conferences in which the University competes.

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2011-12 State of AthleticsAppendix A


Women’s Soccer

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Overall Record: 5-12-2 Conference Record: 3-4-1

America East Tournament: Quarterfinals

The women’s soccer team, which finished the season with a 5-12-2 record, made the conference tournament for a record 11th straight season. The team played a challenging non-conference sched-ule against some of the elite teams in the country before settling into the competitive conference slate.

After opening the season with a loss against the University of Massachusetts, the women embarked on a four-game road trip, highlighted by the Nike Tournament in Eugene, Ore. UNH was handed losses by both Oregon and Oregon State in the tournament before traveling to Rhode Island to face the Rams. UNH downed URI, 1-0, on a goal by Stephanie Gilkenson to pick up its first win of the season.

After completing non-conference play with a 2-7-1 re-cord, UNH opened America East competition against the University at Albany. Led by rookie Meghan Led-with’s two goals and one assist, the Wildcats defeated the Great Danes, 5-3, earning their first conference win of the season.

The Wildcats hit a bit of a rough patch after that win, dropping four straight contests before recovering with a three-game unbeaten streak. They recorded wins against Binghamton and Maine, as well as a draw against UMBC during that stretch. Senior Stephanie Gilkenson led the way for UNH during the three-game unbeaten streak with a pair of goals, while goaltender Erica Cor-rea recorded a 0.67 goals against average.

The Wildcats, who finished the season with a 3-4-1 con-ference record to earn the fourth seed in the America East Tournament, was upended by Binghamton in the quarterfinals.

Monique Lamotte -- All-Conference First Team -- NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Second Team -- All-Conference Academic Team

Stephanie Gilkenson -- All-Conference Second TeamKelly Mooney -- All-Conference Second TeamMeghan Ledwith -- America East All-Rookie Team

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Overall Record: 7-9-2 Conference Record: 1-4-2

America East Tournament: DNQ

The University of New Hampshire men’s soccer team finished the season 7-9-2 overall after open-ing up with a 2-1 win against Rhode Island. The ‘Cats opened the season with a 1-4 record, but battled back to win three straight games, high-lighted by two Nike Fall Classic wins. UNH has dominated the Fall Classic, winning it for the third straight year after defeating both Air Force and Hartwick by 1-0 decisions. The Wildcats had many scoring opportunities, but could not fight back in a couple of one-goal losses in mid-season. UNH earned its first conference win against Binghamton (3-0) when Steve Palumbo punched in a pair of goals. Freshman goalkeeper Travis Worra, who finished with three saves, earned his fourth shutout of the season. UNH tied two home games against Hartford and Vermont, the latter a game in which Worra recorded a career-high nine saves. The Wildcats recorded an-other win against Holy Cross as Josh Bronner scored the winning goal with just two minutes remaining to lead the team to a 2-1 victory. The ‘Cats fell to Boston University (3-0) and Albany (1-0) before ending their season with a win against Dartmouth (3-0). Charlie Roache tallied his first goal of the season and Worra recorded his fifth shutout in the win. Worra ended the season with a .753 save percentage. The Wildcats finished the season with a 1-4-2 conference record and just missed out on the America East Tournament.

Brad Hilton -- All-Conference Second Team -- NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Second Team -- All-Conference Academic Team

Travis Worra -- All-Rookie TeamAlex Russell -- All-Conference Academic TeamRyan McNabb -- All-Conference Academic TeamGustav Nilsson -- All-Conference Academic TeamJeffrey Turner -- All-Conference Academic Team

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Overall Record: 10-20Conference Record: 8-4

America East Tournament: Semifinals

After missing the America East Tournament last year, the volleyball team rebounded with a strong 2011 campaign and earned the second seed in the conference tournament behind a quartet of all-conference selections.

Despite impressive performances by seniors Amy Keding and Lauren Laquerre, UNH struggled with a tough non-conference schedule but picked up the pace at the start of conference play with four straight victories.

UNH opened America East play with a 3-2 win at Hartford as sophomore Morgan Thatch-er led the way with 22 kills and four digs in the victory. New Hampshire continued the four-match streak with wins over Providence, Stony Brook, and UMBC before losing its first America East match against Binghamton. The senior duo of Laquerre and Keding each recorded two double-doubles in that span and averaged double-digit kills, while junior Jansan Falcusan recorded 189 assists.

The highlight of the season came Oct. 16 when the Wildcats conquered defending America East champion Albany in straight sets. Amy Keding recorded another double-double (21 kills, 19 digs) in the victory.

UNH finished the regular season second in the America East, but the Wildcats fell to Stony Brook, 3-1, in the semifinals of the confer-ence tournament.

Volleyball

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Amy Keding -- All-Conference First Team -- America East Scholar-Athlete -- All-Conference Academic Team

Lauren Laquerre -- All-Conference Second Team -- All-Conference Academic TeamJansan Falcusan -- All-Conference Second TeamMorgan Thatcher -- All-Conference Second Team

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Overall Record: 8-4 Conference Record: 6-2

NCAA Playoffs: Second Round

The UNH football team made its eighth straight appearance in the NCAA postseason to extend the longest streak in the nation. Quarterback Kevin Decker helped direct the team this season while lead-ing the CAA in total offense/game (308.4 yards), passing yards/game (279.3), pass efficiency (154.3), points responsible for/game (16.7) and TD passes (20).

UNH opened its season with a tough 58-22 loss to FBS foe Toledo, but the team then gained momen-tum with a four-game wining streak. In the home opener against Holy Cross, Decker threw a 60-yard pass to Justin Mello with just 1:10 remaining in the game to help the Wildcats earn a 39-32 victory.

In front of a crowd of 24,022, the Wildcats defended their Co-lonial Clash crown with a win over UMass at Gillette Stadium. In what would be the last meeting of the two rivals, Dontra Peters amassed 208 all-purpose yards, compiling 98 yards on three kick returns while collecting a team-leading three recep-tions for 18 yards. Peters won the Bill Knight Trophy as the most outstanding player of the game.

In the 99th all-time meeting between UNH and Maine, the Wildcats reclaimed the cherished Brice-Cowell Musket for the eighth time in nine years. Nico Steriti and R.J. Harris com-bined for 373 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, propel-ling the ‘Cats to a 30-27 victory.

The Wildcats excelled both on and off the field this season. The team placed a league-leading 20 members on the CAA Academic All-Conference Team while 17 members earned CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award honors.

Matt Evans --All-CAA First Team --New England Football Writers Gold Helmet Award --All-New England Football Team --College Sports Madness Foot ball All-American --FCS AP All-America Second Team --The Sports Network/Fathead. com All-American --Walter Camp FCS All-American --Buck Buchanan Award --College Sports Journal All- American

Kevin Decker --CAA Offensive Player of the Year --All-CAA First Team --All-New England Football Team HonoreeBrian McNally --All-CAA First Team --All-New England Football Team HonoreeRJ Harris --All-CAA Second Team --College Sports Journal All- Freshman TeamRicky Archer --All-CAA Second Team --All-New England Football Team HonoreeMike MacArthur --All-CAA Second TeamJoey Orlando --All-CAA Third TeamSeamus O’Neill --All-CAA Third Team

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Kevin Decker

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America East Tournament: ChampionsNCAA Tournament: First Round

For the third consecutive year, the University of New Hampshire field hockey team finished the season with a winning record. The ‘Cats ended the season atop the America East with a 4-1 conference record and tied a program record for most wins in a season with a 17-5 overall mark.

UNH came into the season with high hopes, returning 10 starters including seniors Whitney Frates, Kyle Lyons and Hayley Rausch. The Wildcats began the season on an eight-game winning streak, including victories against nationally ranked Ohio State and North-eastern. After losses against Northwestern and Louisville, UNH won its next four games, highlighted by a victory over then-seventh ranked Stanford.

New Hampshire opened America East play with a 2-0 win against Fairfield. It continued its success in conference with wins against Vermont, Boston University and Maine, with its only loss coming against defending America East champion, Albany.

With a 4-1 league record, the Wildcats earned a share of the America East regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. In the team’s opening round match against Albany, the seniors had a chance for redemption after last season’s champion-ship loss. The team took care of business, shutting out the Great Danes by a 1-0 decision. The Wildcats then defeated Boston Univer-sity, 4-2, in the conference finals to capture the league title. Rausch was named the Most Outstanding Player and also broke UNH’s single-season points record (62).

The America East title was the program’s first since 1998 and second in school history. The victory also earned the Wildcats a meeting with eighth-seeded Michi-gan in the NCAA tournament’s first round. After the ‘Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Michigan muscled its way back and stole a 5-4 victory.

UNH was led by captain Whitney Frates, whose 23 goals and 11 assists earned her several National Field Hockey Coaches Association and America East awards. She was tabbed a NFHCA Division I All-American, NFHCA Northeast Region Player of the Year, America East Offensive Player of the Year, and America East All-Conference First-Team member. In addition, Robin Balducci was named the America East and Northeast Region Coach of the Year.

Field Hockey

Whitney Frates -- NFHCA Northeast Player of the Year -- NFHCA All-American -- NFHCA All-Northeast First Team -- America East Offensive Player of the Year -- All-Conference First Team -- ECAC Offensive Player of the Year -- ECAC All-Star First TeamKyle Lyons -- NFHCA All-Northeast First Team -- NFHCA All-American -- All-Conference First Team -- ECAC All-Star First Team

Hayley Rausch -- NFHCA All-Northeast First Team -- All-Conference First Team -- ECAC All-Star Second Team

Megan Bozek -- NFHCA All-Northeast Second Team -- All-Conference Second Team -- All-Conference Academic TeamKendall Deck -- All-Conference Second Team -- NFHCA National Academic SquadKatherine Nagengast-- All-Conference Second Team -- All-Conference Academic Team -- NFHCA National Academic SquadMaegan Grew -- All-Conference Rookie TeamKellie Joyce -- All-Conference Rookie Team -- NFHCA National Academic SquadEmma Erler -- All-Conference Academic Team -- NFHCA National Academic SquadMeg Williamson -- NFHCA National Academic SquadChristine Albertelli -- NFHCA National Academic SquadCarlie Tarbell -- NFHCA National Academic Squad

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America East Championships: 7th Place NCAA Regionals: 21st Place

The men’s cross country team made great strides during the 2011 campaign and all signs point to a continued rise to success in the coming seasons.

New Hampshire’s 2011 squad featured a mixed group of veteran runners and promising newcomers, paced by senior Granite State native Daniel DeCrescenzo, who led the Wildcats to a seventh-place finish at the America East Championships. DeCrescenzo finished 12th overall with a time of 25:07, while junior Kent Harlow also added a top-25 finish at 25:23.

The Wildcats then moved on to the NCAA Northeast Regional meet at the University at Buffalo, where junior Cory Sinotte finished 88th overall to lead his team to a 21st-place finish. Freshmen Jeff Moretti and John Prizzi also added top finishes for the Wildcats, which should bode well for the youthful program in the future.

Off the course, the men’s cross country team was impressive as ever in the classroom as 20 members of the squad were named to the America East Academic Honor Roll.

Daniel DeCrescenzo

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America East Championships: 2nd Place NCAA Regionals: 12th Place

Women’s Cross Country

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Keely Maguire -- All-Conference Team -- NCAA All-Northeast Region TeamSydney Fitzpatrick -- All-Conference Team

Elise Beattie -- All-Conference Team -- America East All-Academic TeamDarcy James --America East All-Academic Team

A model of consistency over the past few seasons, the women’s cross country team continued its run as one of the premier programs in the America East Conference after another strong perfor-mance in 2011 when UNH finished runner-up at the league meet for the second straight season.

The Wildcats were led by the veteran duo of senior Sydney Fitzpatrick and junior Keely Maguire, while sophomore Elise Beattie established herself as one of the top up-and-coming athletes in

the league. Fitzpatrick finished third overall at the conference championships, clocking in at 16:59, while Maguire and Beattie placed fourth and 10th, respectively, as all three runners were named to the All-Conference team. UNH finished with 56 points, sharing second place with Boston Univer-sity.

New Hampshire earned a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional meet in Buffalo, paced by Maguire who was 24th overall in a time of 24:27. The Wildcats were the second-highest America East finisher at the regional meet, while Maguire racked up All-Northeast Team accolades for her efforts.

The Wildcats were equally as impressive in the classroom and placed 24 members on the America East Academic Honor Roll. Junior Darcy James, who placed 11th overall at the conference champi-onship meet, and Beattie were both named to the America East All-Academic Team.

Keely Maguire

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Overall Record: 15-19-3Conference Record: 11-14-2

Hockey East Tournament: Quarterfinals

The men’s ice hockey team skated to an overall record of 15-19-3 in their 2011-12 campaign, and went 11-14-2 in Hockey East play. Faced with the graduation of Mike Sislo, Paul Thompson and Phil DeSimone, the youthful squad was guided by the leadership of senior co-captains Mike Borisenok and Damon Kipp, while the honor of alternate captain was given to Stevie Moses.

After a tough mixture of Hockey East and non-conference competition, the Wildcats rounded out the month of November with a solid 9-1 win over Alabama-Huntsville. Moses scored a career-high four goals in the game, while sophomores Nick Sorkin and Kevin Goumas had five and four assists, respectively, in the effort.

Following that win, UNH hit a snag, losing 10 of its next 13 games before a two-game series with Providence College. UNH hosted Providence in the first game and defended home ice with a 3-1 win. The next night, the Wildcats pulled out a 3-2 overtime win on a goal by senior Kevin McCarey. Those victories propelled the team to a 5-3-1 record in the team’s last nine games of the regular season.

UNH ended up challenging the No. 3 seed and sixth-ranked Boston University in the first round of the confer-ence tournament. The first game ended in a 3-2 double-overtime victory for the ‘Cats, thanks to a goal from

freshman forward Grayson Downing in the second overtime. After a BU win in game two forced a third and final matchup, the Terriers claimed the series by a 5-4 double-overtime decision.

At the end of the season, freshmen Trevor van Riems-dyk and Casey DeSmith were named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Moses was se-lected as a finalist for the Walter Brown Award.

Moses paved the way for the ‘Cats with 35 points on 22 goals and 13 assists on the season. Moses led the team in goals, power-play goals and shorthanded goals. Sophomore forward Nick Sorkin also had 35 points on nine goals and 26 assists. Splitting time in net for the ‘Cats was senior Matt Di Girolamo and DeSmith. Di Girolamo spent 897:32 minutes in net with a .883 save percentage and a 3.41 GAA, while DeSmith was between the pipes for 1,285:36 minutes earning a 2.33 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

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Casey DeSmith -- Hockey East All-Rookie TeamTrevor van Riemsdyk -- Hockey East All-Rookie Team

Stevie Moses

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Overall Record: 10-22-3Conference Record: 4-15-2

Hockey East Tournament: Quarterfinals

The women’s ice hockey team wrapped up the season at 10-22-3 and advanced to the Hockey East Championship tournament for the ninth time in 10 years by finishing sixth in the 2012 standings.

The Wildcats started off the season in strong fashion by winning their first three games. In the season opener against Niagara, the Wildcats scored five second-period goals to earn a 6-3 victory, setting the stage for another victory over the Purple Eagles and a home win against Colgate.

In their Hockey East opener against Boston College, the ‘Cats kept up with the Eagles, earning a 1-1 tie. Netminder Jenn Gilligan backboned the deadlock with a 24-save effort, including several outstanding stops in overtime to preserve the tie.

The Wildcats next picked up a thrilling 5-4 overtime win over rival Dartmouth, led by Emma Clark, who registered a pair of goals, including the game-winning tally in overtime.

After dropping five straight, the Wildcats’ next win came against Princeton with the help of Nicole Gifford as she posted her first career hat trick to help lift her team to a 3-1 victory. The very next game, UNH scored a power-play goal 41 seconds into overtime to down Union, but the team would enter a five-game win-less skid.

From there, UNH snapped out of the stretch by winning four of the next five contests, headlined by a three-goal effort from Kristina Lavoie to lift the Wildcats over Vermont by a 4-2 decision. The Wildcats managed to qualify for the conference tourna-ment, but fell to Boston University in the first round.

Women’s Ice Hockey

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Kristine Horn -- Hockey East All-Conference Honorable MentionKristina Lavoie -- Hockey East All-Conference Honorable Mention

Kristina Lavoie

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The men’s basketball team had another successful campaign in 2011-12, finishing with double-digit victories for the fourth straight season. Behind the leadership of captains Alvin Abreu, Brian Benson, Ryan Herrion and Chandler Rhoads, New Hampshire finished the season fifth in the America East and registered a 13-16 overall record.

UNH opened the regular season with an impressive win against Suffolk, 85-64, before falling to Bos-ton College, Loyola and Holy Cross in close contests. The Wildcats played to a 6-6 non-conference record, earning wins against Dartmouth, Brown, Marist and Colgate.

After the 2-7 start to open America East play, the Wildcats went on to win five of their next six games, highlighted by a four-game win streak. During the streak, Abreu averaged 13.5 points, including a 21-point performance against Albany. Junior Ferg Myrick also stepped up for the team during that stretch, averaging 14.5 points and exerting an unmatched defensive effort.

UNH closed the season with a 7-9 con-ference record to earn the fifth seed in the America East tournament, but the Wildcats fell to Albany in the quarterfinal round.

Abreu, who was named to the All-Confer-ence Second Team, wrapped up his Wild-cat career ranked third all-time in scoring (1,583), as well as first in games played (118) and minutes played (3,879), fourth in 3-pointers made (216), fourth in field goals made (535), fifth in free throws made (297) and 10th all-time in steals (115).

Additionally, Benson was named to the America East All-Academic Team for the third straight season.

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Alvin Abreu -- America East All-Conference Second TeamChandler Rhoads -- America East All-Defensive Team

Brian Benson -- America East All-Academic Team

Alvin Abreu

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Under the direction of second-year head coach Maureen Magarity, the women’s basketball team racked up 16 victories for its first winning season since the 2005-06 campaign and earned a postseason berth for the second time in program history.

The Wildcats opened the season with a 3-4 record, highlighted by a buzzer-beating win over Cornell on the road when Kelsey Hogan tipped in the game-winning lay-in as time expired for the thrilling victory. There were several impressive individual performances during the opening stretch, including Cari Reed’s 32-point outburst against Harvard. Reed buried a school-record eight 3-pointers, seven of which came during her 27-point second half. Following the 3-4 start, the Wildcats registered a three-game winning streak, defeating Manhattan, Rhode Island, and Wagner in that span. The win against Wagner marked Morgan Frame’s second game as a Wildcat and she celebrated the occasion with a 35-point eruption, leading the way for UNH in an overtime triumph.

The ‘Cats wrapped up non-conference action at 7-7 and battled to a 9-7 mark in America East play, boasting some notable team accomplishments along the way. UNH knocked off Vermont in overtime behind double-

double performances from Beliveau (15 points, 17 rebounds) and Frame (16 points, 12 rebounds). The ‘Cats also downed reigning conference champion Hartford at home, snapping an 18-game losing streak to the Hawks.

UNH earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament, but was upended by UMBC in the America East Tournament quarterfinals. New Hampshire accepted a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational, but fell to Holy Cross in the first round despite a 24-point performance from Beliveau in her final game in a Wildcat uniform.

Beliveau ended her UNH career ranked sixth in scoring (1,365 points), fourth in rebounding (843) and third in steals (201). Earlier in the season, she became the 16th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Beliveau was recog-nized on a national level after being named to the Lowe’s Se-nior CLASS Award Second Team. She was one of one of 10 national finalists from Division I institutions recognized for a commitment to excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

Women’s Basketball

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Denise Beliveau -- America East All-Conference First Team -- America East All-Academic Team -- America East All-Defensive Team -- Lowe’s Senior CLASS Second Team

Denise Beliveau

Morgan Frame -- America East All-Conference Second Team

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America East Championships: 4th PlaceNew England Championships: 11th Place

IC4A Championships: 37th Place

Men’s Indoor Track & Field

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Brice Paey -- America East Champion in shot put -- School record in shot put; 60-03.00 -- Conference championships record in shot put; 58-11.50

After being selected to finish fifth in the America East coaches’ poll, the men’s indoor track & field team bested preseason expectations and placed fourth at the conference championships, headlined by some impressive individual performances.

Senior Brice Paey returned to form after taking last year off as an academic redshirt, racking up five America East Field Performer of the Week awards as one of the top shot put throwers in the region. Paey’s outstanding indoor campaign featured a school-record toss of 60-03.00 as well as his third indoor conference title in the event on a meet-record throw of 58-11.50. Paey went on to win at the New England Championships and remained undefeated until the IC4As, where he earned a top-5 finish in the 40-thrower field.

On the track, the underclassmen performances of sophomore Kevin Greene and freshman D’mahl Mc-Fadden solidified a promising fu-ture for the men’s squad. Greene was runner-up in the 1,000 meters at the conference championships, while McFadden enjoyed an out-standing rookie campaign after tak-ing second in the 60-meter hurdles at the league meet and fifth in the event at the New England Cham-pionships.

As a team, the Wildcats placed 11th at the New England Champi-onships and finished second among America East teams in the 34-team field.

Brice Paey

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ECAC Championships: 43rd Place

Women’s Indoor Track & Field

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Allison Letourneau -- America East All-Academic Team

-- School record in mile; 4:42.47

--School record in 1,000m; 2:48.16

Melody Pothier -- America East All-Academic TeamSydney Fitzpatrick -- School record in 5,000m;

16:17.62

Featuring a healthy mix of veteran distance runners and a strong corps of throwers, the women’s indoor track & field team enjoyed several individual accomplishments during the season. The team placed sixth at the America East Championships and went on to earn a top-10 finish at the New Eng-land Championships.

The Wildcats were paced by the distance trio of graduate student Allison Letourneau, senior Sydney Fitzpatrick and junior Keely Maguire. Letourneau, who broke three school records in two different events during the season, captured a second-place finish in the mile at the conference championships, crossing the finish line in a record-setting time of 4:42.47. Fitzpatrick broke a school record in the 5,000 meters and then turned in a second-place finish in the event at the league championships. Lastly, Maguire earned a runner-up finish in the mile at New Englands.

The tandem of senior Melody Pothier and junior Rose-mary Read formed a viable throwing threat in the con-ference landscape. Pothier and Read finished third and fourth, respectively, in the weight throw at the America East Championships, while senior Kate Early added a runner-up performance in the pentathlon at the New England Championships.

In addition, Letourneau and Pothier were both named to the America East All-Academic Team for their commit-ment to success in the classroom as well as in athletics.

Sydney Fitzpatrick

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Following last year’s eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a third-place finish at the EISA Championship, the UNH ski team opened the 2011-12 campaign looking to build off recent success. The Wildcats returned several key pieces from last year’s team, including Nordic skiers Erik Lindgren and Dan Guiney for the men, and Liz Guiney and Danielle Baron for the women. The team also returned several important alpine skiers, including Paul Atkinson, Zach Clayton, Marie-Elaine Lepine and Catherine Blanchard.

The Wildcats earned top-five finishes in every competition during the regular season, building momentum heading into the EISA Championships. Liz Guiney notched a fifth-place finish in the 15K Nordic race, alpine skier Jenna Kantor earned a third-place result in the giant slalom, and Coley Oliver placed fifth in the giant slalom leading the team to a third-place finish.

After EISAs, the team traveled to Bozeman, Montana to compete in the NCAA Championships. Led by solid per-formances from Liz Guiney, Laura Rozinowicz, and Clay-ton, the Wildcats skied to 10th place overall. The finish marked the 23rd time in 30 years that the team earned a spot in the top 10.

EISA Championships: 3rd PlaceNCAA Championship: 10th Place

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Paul Atkinson -- NSCA All-Academic Team -- EISA All-East Second TeamErik Lindgren -- NSCA All-Academic TeamPer Lindgren -- NSCA All-Academic TeamColey Oliver -- NSCA All-Academic TeamSam Reed -- NSCA All-Academic Team

Liz Guiney -- EISA All-East Second Team -- NSCA All-Academic TeamMarie-Elaine Lepine -- EISA All-East Second TeamLaura Halupowski -- NSCA All-Academic TeamElizabeth Izzo -- NSCA All-Academic TeamJenna Kantor -- NSCA All-Academic TeamTristan Ramey -- NSCA All-Academic TeamLaura Rozinowicz -- NSCA All-Academic TeamAnnika Taylor -- NSCA All-Academic Team

Erik LindgrenMarie-Elaine Lepine

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Overall Record: 6-2America East Championship: Third Place

Women’s Swimming and Diving

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Lauren McCandless -- America East Scholar-AthleteKatie Mann -- America East Championship Most Outstanding Swimmer

-- America East Championship Most Outstanding Rookie

The University of New Hampshire women’s swimming and diving team capped off yet another fan-tastic season this year after posting a 6-2 overall record and a third-place finish at the America East Championships.

In the first meet of the season, the ‘Cats topped Siena College by a score of 126-93 and set five pool records in the process. After winning every event at the meet, New Hampshire set the tempo for the season.

The Wildcats then picked up a pair of wins in a dual meet against Central Connecticut State (213-84) and Bryant University (221-69). Shelli Reed led the way with three first-place finishes as UNH won 14 of 16 events on the day.

The team kept its impressive winning streak intact after posting a 160-128 win at the University of Rhode Island. The ‘Cats made quick work of their opponent once again, taking first place in 14 of 16 events. After a sixth-place finish at the Terrier Invitational at Boston University, the team traveled back to Durham, N.H. to host the University of Vermont. With the help of Reed and Jessica Little tallying a combined five first-place finishes, the ‘Cats remained undefeated at 5-0.

New Hampshire would end up falling in its next two meets, losing to Boston University (182-118) and to Dartmouth (199-98), but the Wildcats battled back and earned their sixth win of the year at the University of Maine (185.5-109.5). At the America East Championships, freshman Katie Mann paced the Wildcats as she broke two records en route to being named Women’s Rookie of the Year and the Most Outstanding Swimmer, becoming the first swimmer in con-ference history to win both awards.

Additionally, UNH took home the America East Coaching Staff of the Year award for the third straight year. It was also the 12th time that head coach Josh Willman took the title home during his time at the helm. Shelli Reed

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GymnasticsEAGL Championships: 6th Place

NCAA Regionals: 6th Place

The gymnastics program completed another stellar season after posting four head-to-head wins and two additional first-place finishes in multi-team competition.

In its opening meet of the season, New Hampshire topped Rutgers on the road by a score of 191.05-189.575. After falling to Penn State in their next meet, the ‘Cats tallied four first-place finishes in a row, including head-to-head wins over Pittsburgh (194.15-193.725) and Northern Illinois (193.2-191.875). Against Pittsburgh, Kate McGeever tallied a personal-best and meet-high 9.9 in the floor exercise while Ali Carr notched a 9.8 on the vault against Northern Illinois.

The Wildcats captured their biggest win of the season when No. 23 West Virginia came to town. New Hampshire posted a season-high score of 195.75 points with the help of Carr scoring 9.9 on the uneven bars and balance beam while Austyn Fobes notched a 9.925 on the bars, marking West Virginia’s first loss in conference competition. At the EAGL Championship, Fobes tallied a personal-best 9.9 on floor exercise to help lead the ‘Cats to a sixth-place finish at the meet.

UNH wrapped up its season by scoring a 193.900 at the NCAA Fayetteville Re-gional to finish in sixth place at the meet. Carr led the way for the Wildcats as she posted a team-high 9.825 on the balance beam and a 9.8 on vault. Courtney Con-nors also tallied a 9.8 on vault while Erin Machado and Fobes put up matching 9.8 scores in the floor competition. Associate head coach Ed Datti and assistant coach Jess Kelley were tabbed the Northeast Regional Assistant Coaches of the Year while senior associate athletic director Michelle Bronner was named the North-east Regional Administrator of the Year.

Ali Carr

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Danielle Reibold -- EAGL Scholar-Athlete -- EAGL First Team

Austyn Fobes -- EAGL First TeamKayla Gray -- EAGL First TeamAli Carr -- EAGL Second Team

Jillian Hudson -- EAGL Second Team

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America East Tournament: DNQ

Women’s Lacrosse

The women’s lacrosse squad finished up its 2011-12 campaign with a 5-11 record overall and a 2-4 record in America East play.

The team opened up the season 0-4 before securing a 19-7 victory at Fresno State. Junior midfielder Chelsea Cyseter led the way for the ‘Cats with five goals and an assist while fellow junior Jenny Simpson netted four goals.

New Hampshire then won two of its next three games, all of which were at home. The first game re-sulted in a loss to Fairfield, however the ‘Cats bounced back and won the next two, including a thrill-ing 12-11 win over No. 12 Vanderbilt. Laura Puccia netted five goals in the win, while netminder Kathleen O’Keefe made 14 saves.

The Wildcats dropped their next four games before picking up consecutive wins against Columbia and UMBC. In the win against Columbia (14-8), Kate Keagins paced the offense with five goals and went on to set the tone in the team’s 12-11 win against UMBC with two goals and two assists.

Nevertheless, the Wildcats dropped a close matchup to Stony Brook, 12-10, to just miss out on qualify-ing for the America East tournament. The squad wrapped the season up in a non-conference match against No. 18 Boston College, falling by a margin of 11-6.

Five members of the squad picked up yearly America East accolades, including a First-Team nod by senior Keagins. Senior Ilana Cohen received Second-Team honors while Puccia was named to the All-Rookie Team. Simpson and Jamie DePetris rounded out the honors by being named to the America East All-Ac-ademic Team. Keagins went on to garner IWLCA Northeast Region Second Team recognition.

Kate Keagins -- America East All-Conference First Team -- IWLCA Northeast Second Team

Ilana Cohen -- America East All-Conference Second TeamLaura Puccia -- America East All-Rookie Team

Jenny Simpson -- America East All-Academic TeamJamie DePetris -- America East All-Academic Team

Kate Keagins

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Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

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The University of New Hampshire men’s outdoor track & field team capped off another strong spring season after placing fifth at the conference championships and seventh at the New England Championships.

Individually, senior Brice Paey picked up right where he left off from the indoor season as he claimed the fourth America East outdoor shot put title of his career with a toss of 56-10.00, while junior Chris Dupuis added a second-place finish in the hammer throw. On the track, freshman D’mahl McFadden continued to show promise as one of the top rookies in the conference with a runner-up performance in the 110-meter hurdles.

Senior Tyler Dinnan and sophomore Kevin Greene proved to be the bright spots behind the team’s seventh-place finish at the New England Champi-onships as each claimed individual titles and also helped capture a relay victory. Dinnan won the 1,500 meters at 3:53.24, while Greene took the 800 meters in a time of 1:50.28. The duo then teamed up with freshmen Dean Bhatt and Steve Souza to capture the 4x800 meter relay at 7:42.39.

Following the season, Dinnan was named to the America East All-Academic Team.

Brice Paey -- America East Champion in shot putKevin Greene -- New England Champion in 800 metersTyler Dinnan -- New England Champion in 1,500 meters

-- America East All-Academic TeamGreene, Dinnan, Dean Bhatt, Steve Souza -- New England Champion in 4x800 meter relay

Kevin Greene

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America East Championships: 6th PlaceNew England Championships: 2nd Place

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

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After capturing a New England title last season, the women’s outdoor track & field team earned an-other impressive performance with a runner-up finish at the meet while, individually, three competi-tors qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries.

Graduate student Allison Letourneau, who set four school records in three different events during the season, capped off an outstanding final go-around as a Wildcat with a second-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the America East Championships. From there, she went on to capture her fifth career New England title with a victory in the 800 meters and took 23rd in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA East Regionals.

Junior Keely Maguire also captured a New England title with a first-place finish in the 1,500 meters, topping a field of 31 runners for her second career victory at the regional meet. She also finished

25th in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Regionals, marking her second straight Outdoor East Preliminary qualification.

Senior Laura Stern orchestrated a remark-able comeback after two injury-plagued seasons. Stern was 21st in the event at the NCAA Regionals and was runner-up at both the conference and New England Championships. She was also named the America East Field Performer of the Week to open the season.

Allison Letourneau -- New England Champion in 800m

-- School record in 5,000m; 16:39.95


-- School record in 800m; 2:08.81

Keely Maguire -- New England Champion in 1,500m


Allison Letourneau

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2011-12 State of AthleticsAppendix B


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JIM URQUHART STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brian McNally (Cornwall, N.Y.) and Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) were named the 2012 recipients of the Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year by the University of New Hampshire athletic department. The award is named in memory of longtime UNH coach Jim Urquhart, who coached the New Hampshire men’s lacrosse team for 17 years and the wrestling team for 11 seasons before taking the position of Associate Athletic Director of Event Management in 1997. He passed away after suffering a heart attack on Jan. 14, 1998.

McNally, who graduated in December with a bachelor’s de-gree in Kinesiology: Physical Education Pedagogy, concluded his UNH career as one of the most fearsome pass rushers in school history. The 22-year-old collected 27.5 career sacks over his four years and established the University’s all-time, single-season record with 13.5 sacks as a junior in 2010. The 6-foot-3, 272-pound defensive end was a two-time member of the CAA All-Conference First Team, twice garnered FCS All-New Eng-land Team recognition and also was feted as an ECAC First Team All-Star in back-to-back seasons; all honors were for the 2010 and ’11 seasons. McNally, who signed a free agent con-tract with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, tallied 26 tackles and amassed a team-leading 7.5 sacks this past year to earn College Sports Journal FCS All-America Honorable Mention, the pres-

tigious Bill Bowes Coaches Award and membership on the CAA Academic All-Conference Team. As a junior, the Cornwall, N.Y., native was tabbed a College Sporting News Sweet-63 All-America and was selected to Phil Steele’s FCS All-America Third Team. He was named the 2008 CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year after emerging as a force on the Wildcats’ defen-sive line to record 55 tackles and a team-leading 8.5 tackles for loss as a redshirt freshman.

Beliveau, who graduated in 2010 with a degree in Exercise Science and is working toward a graduate degree in leadership and children’s health and disabilities, will go down as one of the top players in the history of the women’s basketball program. An all-around com-petitor, Beliveau was named the team’s most valuable player for the second straight season after leading the squad in rebounding/game (8.6) and adding 14.1 points per game. Beliveau, an America East All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, was the only player in the league to rank in the top-five in both scoring and rebounding. The team co-captain led the Wildcats to their first winning season since 2006 and etched her name throughout the program’s record books. She ended her UNH career ranked sixth in scoring (1,365 points), fourth in rebounding (843) and third in steals (201). Earlier this season, she became the 16th player in pro-

gram history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Beliveau was also highly successful in the classroom, as she was named to the America East All-Academic Team for the second time in as many sea-sons. Beliveau was recognized on a national level after being named to the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Second Team. She was one of one of 10 national finalists from Division I institutions rec-ognized for a commitment to excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

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2011-12 COACH OF THE YEAR AWARDS• Robin Balducci, Margaux Shute, Ross Gorham and Meg Shea - America East Coaching Staff

of the Year (field hockey)• Robin Balducci - Dita/NFHCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year• Josh Willman, Jarrod Zwirko, Tory McKenna and Jared Felker - America East Coaching Staff

of the Year (swimming)• Ed Datti and Jess Kelley - EAGL Assistant Coaches of the Year (Gymnastics)

- NCAA Northeast Region Assistant Coaches of the Year

TINA TRUE MEMORIAL AWARDThe Tina True Memorial Award, given annually since 2007 to two Wildcat athletes for their com-mitment to strength and conditioning, was presented to Brice Paey (Milton, N.H.) of the men’s track & field team and Kate Early (Corning, N.Y.), who competed for the women’s track and field team and women’s basketball team. True was a co-captain and coxswain of the women’s crew team from 2000 to 2002. Her commitment to training and her passion for her sport greatly contributed to the success of the team. In January of her junior year, Tina’s life was tragically cut short in a car accident.

Paey recently captured his fourth America East outdoor shot put title at the conference championship meet and also claimed the in-door league title in the event over the winter. A former NCAA Re-gional qualifier, Paey broke the 60-foot mark this past indoor season and owns both the indoor and outdoor school records in the event.

Early, a multi-event specialist, finished third in the heptathlon at the America East Championships. Last season, Early finished second overall in the heptathlon at the league championship meet, setting a school record with 4,713 points. As a four-year member of the basketball team, she provided a strong defensive presence and was named the Wildcats’ most improved player as a senior in 2010-11.

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ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEThe Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Excellence, presented annually since 2010, went to Paul Atkinson (Toronto, Ontario) of the men’s skiing team and Jacky Mendes (Dayton, Maine) of the women’s track & field squad. The duo was feted as the student-athletes with the highest cumula-tive grade point average.

Atkinson, who crafted a cumulative 3.77 GPA as an economics major, is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, the Omi-cron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society and the Atkins Investment Group, a completely student-managed investment fund at UNH’s Whit-temore School of Business.

Mendes, who boasted a 3.98 GPA as a sports studies major, is a mem-ber of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Golden Key International Honor Society. A two-year member of the Leadership Development Program, Mendes is a captain of the women’s track & field team and is the coordinator for the program’s volunteer-based food drive.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AWARDThe Community Involvement Award, which debuted in 2011, was bestowed upon Atkinson and volleyball player Jessy Dick (Lethbridge, Alberta).

Dick is also a two-year member of SAAC. The Alberta native has participated in numerous community programs throughout her four years, including the development of UNH Basic Injustice, a group on campus designed to engage students in the issues of global injus-tice as well as provide possible fundraising and awareness solutions.

Atkinson, a three-year member of SAAC, served as the organization’s co-president in 2011-12. SAAC acts as a liaison between the athletic administration and student-athletes, promotes UNH athletics in a pos-itive way around campus, in Durham and throughout the seacoast area, organizes community service projects and builds community within the Athletics Department by involving all teams in activities, events and ed-

ucational programs. Atkinson, the men’s alpine ski team captain, was UNH’s America East SAAC representative and served as the league’s SAAC President this year. In addition, he organized a Toys for Tots fundraiser and helped coordinate the Hoops for Hunger fundraising basketball tournament.

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2011-12 State of Athletics

Documents

Transcript of 2011-12 State of Athletics