Earlier today, the Minutemen went to the beach for a pregame jog and stretch. Check out the photo gallery on Facebook
The Minutewomen, who are in action this afternoon at the UVA Cavalier Classic facing Elon at 4:30 p.m., are currently on a three-game winning streak and sit at 4-8 on the year.
"While the program progress may not appear rapid under Dawley, it's been clearly identifiable. She already has four new recruits for next season, and improving on last year's 3-11 conference mark this season seems quite likely.
Her knowledge of the game cannot be questioned, and it's clear the former outstanding Vermont coach has a plan. The elevator may be going up at a filled-hotel- elevator speed, but it's going up while making the necessary stop at each floor."
Happy birthday to Jordan Broadnax and Brendon Levengood of football, Michael Loughery of men's soccer and Kelsey McGovern of women's lacrosse!
Happy birthday to women's swimmer Katherine Foley and women's field hockey player Molly MacDonnell!
Also check out the postgame interviews with head coach Sharon Dawley and freshman Emily Mital:
In making an ambitious transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Mid-American Conference, the University of Massachusetts turned to a man with an equal amount of ambition as its next coach.
The challenge of building a championship-caliber program is daunting, but Notre Dame offensive coordinator Charley Molnar embraced the opportunity when he was introduced yesterday as the Minutemen's 29th coach during a press conference at Gillette Stadium, where UMass will play five home games each of the next two seasons.
"Why did I choose UMass to be the place where I'm going to put the rest of my professional reputation and my career [at stake] - why did I choose to come here?'' asked Molnar.
"UMass has a vision to be greater than what it is today. I wanted to be involved in a program from the ground up. Some people like to be caretakers of college football programs; I've always envisioned myself to be a builder.Motivational speaking can be a bit of a tightrope.
If it comes off at all oversold or disingenuous, it looks phony. Being a salesman is good. Being a used car salesman is very bad.
But in his first appearance as the coach of the University of Massachusetts football program, Charley Molnar walked that line effectively, getting the most out of his first impression.
The Notre Dame offensive coordinator's energy appeared genuine and more than a little infectious. He's never been a head coach before, but he came off as a polished speaker. Even during the question and answer session, Molnar stayed on message like an experienced campaigner. And while he seemed honored and excited to have the job, he came off very confident that he was the right man for it.
CONTINUE READING: Charley Molnar passes first test at opening press conference | GazetteNET
The Massachusetts women's basketball team, while on a six-game slide, has been keeping the early season non-conference games relatively close, losing four of its six games by five points or less.
Other than a blowout loss on the road to Miami (Ohio), UMass has been within striking distance of all of its opponents, the closest of which was a three-point loss to Central Connecticut at home in overtime on Nov. 16.
Minutewomen coach Sharon Dawley, while disappointed that the team hasn't come away with one of these close games, made it clear that she has been encouraged by her team's performance.
Here are recaps of the victory from several media outlets:
Gazette: UMass men's basketball holds off East Carolina
MassLive: Minutemen survive shaky second half in 63-58 defeat of East Carolina
Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Minutemen survive East Carolina rally
Daily Collegian: Men's hoops holds on, defeats East Carolina
Globe: Massachusetts holds off East Carolina 63-58
The Sports Network: Recap: East Carolina vs. Massachusetts
Daily Reflector: Familiar feeling for ECU
Both MassLive and the Daily Collegian have coverage looking ahead to tonight's matchup:
MassLive: UMass hockey: A Baker's Dozen of thoughts for the week
MassLive: UMass hockey hosts Yale in last game before Christmas break
MassLive: UMass hockey's mid-week opponent: There's something really special about Yale, and something quite strange too
Collegian: Getting back to a defensive state of mind
Collegian: No place like home for UM
Happy birthday to baseball player Rich Graef!
Happy birthday to men's lacrosse player Mike Fetterly!
