University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Athletics Completes Another Solid Year
 |  The football team captured its 19th conference championship this past fall enroute to an NCAA Tournament berth. |
July 1, 2004
By Kyle Harris
The Maroon & White
The University of Massachusetts enjoyed another year of athletic success in 2003-2004. Highlighted below are the major accomplishments of each month.
SEPTEMBER
Men's and Women's Cross Country: The men's and women's cross country teams began the year with second and third place finishes, respectively, at their only home race of the season. The men then went on to take third in the Ted Owens Invitational, followed by both teams finishing second in the Big Orange Invitational at Syracuse.
Football: The Minutemen went 3-1, with their only loss coming to Division I-A Kansas State. Massachusetts did manage to hold an early lead against the Wildcats, on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Krohn to Jason Peebler.
OCTOBER
Football: Posting an undefeated mark of 4-0, the Minutemen recorded victories over New Hampshire (44-30), William and Mary (24-14), Hofstra (27-22) and Villanova (19-14). Both the Hofstra and Villanova games were regionally televised on CN8 and Fox Sports New England, respectively.
Ice Hockey: The UMass hockey team was ranked No. 14 in the country after winning their first four contests of the season. Chris Capraro earned Hockey East Player of the Week honors on Oct. 20 for his role in the 5-1 victory over St. Lawrence. It was also announced that Stephen Werner had been selected to play for the United States Junior National Team.
Men's Soccer: With a record of 7-2-1, head coach Sam Koch's squad tied the 1997 Minutemen for the best start in school history. On Oct. 6 the team was ranked 13th in the country, and was the top ranked team in New England.
Women's Tennis: The Minutewomen wrapped up their fall season with an undefeated 3-0 record in dual meets. They took down Saint John's (4-3), Connecticut (6-1) and Williams (5-2).
NOVEMBER
Men's and Women's Cross Country: The men's and women's squads closed out their conference seasons with seventh- and eighth-place finishes, respectively, at the Atlantic 10 Championship, before taking 22nd and 24th place at the NCAA Northeast Region Championship.
Field Hockey: UMass hosted the NCAA Field Hockey National Championship at Richard F. Garber Field, from Nov. 21-23. Also taking place on campus that weekend was the North-South All-Star Game, featuring UMass senior Kristin Hopwood. Jamie Bawden was named All-Atlantic 10 and Academic All-Atlantic 10, and was joined by Adrianne Monaco on the Academic All-Atlantic 10 squad.
Football: The Minutemen ended the regular season with a mark of 10-2 (8-1 Atlantic10), setting new school records for wins during the regular season, most conference victories and most victories at home (7-0). Tying Delaware for the Atlantic 10 Championship, the team advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the sixth time, but fell at Colgate in the first round (19-7). Many individuals were honored in November, including Mark Kimener, who was named CoSIDA Academic All-District, as well as begin named UMass' Outstanding Male Fall Scholar-Athlete. Head coach Mark Whipple was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, while 11 Minutemen earned all-conference honors.
Ice Hockey: The Minutemen began the month with another three-game Hockey East winning streak, downing Providence once and Merrimack twice. Thomas P?ck earned Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 10 following the weekend sweep of Merrimack, and locked up Hockey East Player of the Month honors as well. Head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon also signed a contract extension through the 2008 season. The team was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally, the highest-ever ranking in school history.
Men's Soccer: All-Atlantic 10 honors were bestowed upon Ptah Myers, Dan Colwell, Devlin Barnes and Richard Higa. The senior class finished their careers with an overall record of 50-25-6, including four straight winning seasons.
Women's Soccer: Lindsey Fairweather and Michelle Luttati were named second team All-Atlantic 10 selections, while Stephanie Barrett was tagged for the All-Rookie team. Luttati was also named UMass' Outstanding Female Fall Scholar-Athlete.
Men's Swimming and Diving: UMass swimmers received conference accolades in three different weeks, as Greg Chartier (Nov. 3) and Evan Swisher (Nov. 24) were named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week once each. In addition, Dylan Smith was named Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week on Nov. 13. The team defeated Saint John's and Boston University to bring their dual meet record to 3-0.
Women's Swimming and Diving: The women's squad defeated Boston University to complete the sweep and even their dual-meet record at 1-1.
DECEMBER
Men's Basketball: The Minutemen reeled off three straight wins, all in front of the home crowd, as they downed Marshall (83-65), Maine (67-60) and Albany (82-66). Three players also earned conference accolades during the month, as Rashaun Freeman was named Atlantic10 Rookie of the Week twice, while Maurice Maxwell won the award once and Anthony Anderson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week once.
Women's Basketball: Head coach Marnie Dacko's team went 3-3 for the month, including a 61-50 win over Utah State at the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
Football: Further accolades continued to rain down upon members of the team. Valdamar Brower, Jeremy Cain, Anton McKenzie, Krohn and Peebler were all named to the New England Football Writers Association Division I-AA All-Star team. Coach Whipple received Coach of the Year honors from The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and the New England Football Writers Association, while Cain and McKenzie were selected to the Sports Network All-America squad. McKenzie also received a nod to the Associated Press All-America team and the ECAC All-Star team. Academically, Krohn, Kimener, Michael Haynes, Ola Sanusi and L.A. Love all received Academic All-Atlantic 10 awards. Kimener also garnered a spot on the Division I-AA Athletic Director's Academic All-Star Team.
Ice Hockey: P?ck was again named Hockey East Player of the Week on Dec. 29. Softball: The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced that head coach Elaine Sortino had been selected for induction to its Hall of Fame.
Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving: The swim teams competed at the Nutmeg Invitational, while the diving teams traveled to the Princeton Invitational. Three swimmers received conference accolades for their efforts, as Diana Alberti and Lauren Rowell were voted Co-Performers of the Week, while Chartier was named Rookie of the Week, on Dec. 3.
Women's Track and Field: Senior Crystal Therrien began the year with a fourth-place finish at the Rhode Island Pentathlon. The team then downed Boston University and Maine in the first multi-team meet of the season.
JANUARY
Men's Basketball: Freeman earned two more Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week awards, coming on Jan. 12 and Jan. 25.
Ice Hockey: The No. 14 Minutemen closed out the month on a three-game Hockey East win streak, as they defeated No. 3 Maine, Northeastern and Merrimack. Gabe Winer was named Hockey East Goalie of the Month.
Men's and Women's Skiing: The women's ski team opened the season with a win at their only home carnival of the season, while the men skied to a fourth-place finish. The men's team then placed third at Waterville Valley as freshman Rush Hawkins won both the slalom and giant slalom. The women took fourth at the event.
Men's Swimming and Diving: The men's swimming and diving team took five events at the Rhode Island Invitational to finish second. Smith racked up two more weekly accolades, taking both ECAC and Atlantic 10 Swimmer of the Week, while Swisher won Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. The team then went on to defeat Boston College and Fordham, to post a 5-1 season record in dual meets. Their only loss of the year came at Southern Connecticut State.
Women's Swimming and Diving: The Minutewomen knotted up their season dual-meet record at 3-3 with consecutive wins over Central Connecticut State and Fordham on Senior Day.
FEBRUARY
Athletics: On Feb. 4, John McCutcheon is introduced by chancellor John Lombardi as UMass' new director of athletics.
Men's Basketball: Former UMass basketball star Al Skinner was honored on Feb. 18, as his number was retired and his career was celebrated. Another former UMass star and a professional teammate of Skinner, Julius Erving, served as master of ceremonies for the evening.
Field Hockey: Sophomore back Jamie Bawden was named to the Canadian Junior National Team, which will compete in the 2005 World Cup. Football: On Feb. 9, Don Brown is introduced as the 27th head coach in the history of the UMass football program.
Men's and Women's Skiing: The UMass men's ski team won the USCSA Regional title, while the women's team placed fifth. Hawkins led the men's team with a win in the giant slalom and a second-place effort in the slalom.
Softball: Katie Jo Kelley was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for her performance at the Fiesta Bowl Classic, as she batted .333 with a triple, a home run and four runs batted in.
Men's Swimming and Diving: Head coach Russ Yarworth was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season, as the Minutemen captured their fourth straight conference title, and seventh in the last nine years. Ten members of the squad were named all-conference: Chartier, Smith, Swisher, Gordon Leonard, Ryan Matthews, Owen Scollan, Pete Tawczynski, Conner Townsend and Justin Zeimetz all earned first team honors, while Sean Collins was named to the second team.
Women's Swimming and Diving: Head coach Bob Newcomb led his team to a fifth place finish in the Atlantic 10 conference meet. Diver Mary Jenkins was named first team all-conference, while Alberti, Rowell, Christen Dexter and Nicole LeBarge were all selected to the second team.
Women's Tennis: The Judy Dixon-led Minutewomen defeated Temple, 4-3, in front of a home crown of 150 people at the Bay Road Tennis Center, propelled by Christine Liehr's three-set victory.
Men's Track and Field: The men's track and field team placed fifth at the Atlantic 10 Conference meet, held at Rhode Island. Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng led the way by winning the 55-meter dash title in a time of 6.36 seconds.
Women's Track and Field: The Minutewomen placed eighth at the Atlantic 10 Conference meet, also held at Rhode Island. Elisabeth Budd claimed the conference title in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:16.12.
MARCH
Baseball: Head coach Mike Stone secured the 500th victory of his collegiate coaching career, as the squad opened the season with a doubleheader sweep of Rider. On March 24, senior pitcher Eric Chown earned Atlantic 10 and ECAC Pitcher of the Week honors after pitching a 10-inning complete game victory over Iowa.
Men's Basketball: Freeman was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, and was joined on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team by Art Bowers. While mourning the loss of former head coach Jack Leaman, the Minutemen were eliminated from the conference tournament by Duquesne (79-76). Women's Basketball: The Minutewomen fall to Duquesne in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament to conclude their season.
Ice Hockey: The UMass hockey team capped a terrific season with its first-ever appearance in the Hockey East championship game. It took Maine three overtimes in the fourth-longest NCAA hockey game ever played to down the Minutemen 2-1 at the FleetCenter, as UMass finished the year with a 19-12-6 record. Shortly afterward, P?ck, Nick Kuiper and Greg Mauldin all signed professional contracts with National Hockey League organizations. P?ck received numerous postseason accolades, including being the first-ever UMass player to receive first team All-Hockey East honors. He also earned a spot on the All-Hockey East Tournament team for the second straight season, and was UMass' first-ever finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate hockey player. After being voted to two different All-America teams, InsideCollegeHockey.com selected the Austria native as National Defenseman of the Year.
Men's Lacrosse: The men's lacrosse team posted a 5-2 record in March, including a victory over 13th-ranked Hofstra, and saw three of its players garner conference awards. Kevin Glenz was named ECAC Player of the Week on March 9, while Bill Schell was selected ECAC Defensive Player of the Week and Matt Tundo was voted ECAC Rookie of the Week on March 30.
Men's and Womens' Skiing: The defending National Champion women's team finished third at the USCSA Nationals, while the men finished fourth, each out of 18 teams. Hawkins was named a first team All-American for the men, while Ashley Maxfield was a first team All-America selection for the women.
Softball: The Minutewomen posted a 10-4 record for the month, as three players earned Atlantic 10 conference accolades. Candice Molinari received Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors, Jena Busa was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week and Aisha Franke received Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors.
Women's Swimming and Diving: Senior captain Lauren Rowell was named UMass' Outstanding Female Winter Scholar-Athlete.
Men's and Women's Track and Field: The men's team placed sixth at the New England Championship, while the women finished 15th. Frimpong-Boateng was also named the Atlantic 10 Student Athlete of the Year, as well as UMass' Outstanding Male Winter Scholar-Athlete. He was joined on the Academic All-Atlantic 10 team by John O'Neil and Matt Clark. On the women's side, Budd also earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors
APRIL
Baseball: Chown and Matt Torra shared Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week honors, as each player tossed a four-hit complete-game shutout during a three-game sweep of Saint Joseph's. Men's Lacrosse: Head coach Greg Cannella's squad easily defeated Manhattan, 16-4, under the lights at Garber Field. Brothers Gene and Matt Tundo earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, while Steven Byrnes was selected as ECAC Defensive Player of the Week just seven days later.
Women's Lacrosse: The Minutewomen went on a late-season run, winning three of their last four conference games to earn a spot in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Kerri Connerty received an Atlantic 10 Player of the Week nod, while Tracey Drown was named an honorable mention National Player of the Week and took home an Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award of her own.
Women's Rowing: UMass claimed its ninth consecutive Atlantic 10 championship, while posting first place finishes in the quad, the varsity four and the varsity eight. Softball: The Minutewomen posted an impressive 12-2 record in April and continued to receive conference accolades. Busa was once again named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week on April 6, while Kelli Arnold earned the same award on April 13. Amanda Morin earned Co-Rookie of the Week honors on April 13 as well.
Women's Tennis: The Minutewomen advanced to the conference semifinals before falling to Xavier, 4-2. As the third seed, the squad earned a first-round bye and then took down Duquesne in the quarterfinals, 4-0. Dorothy Iwanowicz was named all-conference, while Susan Hyams earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors. Hyams ended her career as the all-time winningest player in UMass history, compiling a total of 120 wins, as she posted a combined career doubles and singles mark of 120-70 (.632).
Men's and Women's Track and Field: UMass competed in several invitational meets, with both squads posting top 10 finishes each time. The highest finish for the women's team was second-place at the UNH Invitational, while the men's team came in fourth in the same competition.
MAY
Baseball: On May 10, the Athletic Department honored the 1954 UMass Redmen, as this year marked the 50th anniversary of UMass' first trip to the College World Series. Later in the month, Frank Curreri was named second team All-Atlantic 10 and first team All-New England.
Men's Lacrosse: The Minutemen closed out their season by taking down 11th-ranked Rutgers, 9-6, on senior day. The game was televised nationally on College Sports Television. Glenz and Chris Doyle were selected first team All-ECAC, while Greg Cannella was named ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time. In addition, Jack Reid was named first team All-New England, while Glenz, Doyle and Matt Garcia were picked to the second team, and Byrnes received honorable mention distinction. Sean Morris also earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Week honors following the Rutgers game.
Women's Lacrosse: Kristin St. Hilaire was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, and was joined by Drown and Hope Zelinger on the All-Atlantic 10 squad. St. Hilaire also went on to earn first-team All-North Region honors, while Drown was selected to the second team. Drown had also earned her second appointment as an honorable mention National Player of the Week.
Women's Rowing: The varisty eight claimed first place finishes at the Orange Plus Cup and the ECAC Championship, to finish the season with only one loss in seven races. The one defeat for the Minutewomen came at the hands of eventual NCAA champion Brown. Katie O'Brien was named UMass' Outstanding Female Spring Scholar-Athlete and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to earning All-America honors.
Softball: The Minutewomen claimed their 14th consecutive Atlantic 10 regular season title and received an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. The team played in the Athens, Ga., Regional, were they went 1-2 to close out the season with a record of 34-17. It marked the 28th straight season that UMass has posted a winning record. Hilary Puglia was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association Player of the Year, and was joined on the All-Atlantic 10 team by Arnold, Franke and Kelley. In addition, Franke was named to the NCAA All-Regional team, while Jamie Cahalan earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors.
Men's and Women's Track and Field: Both the men's and women's teams finished third at the Atlantic 10 Championship, then went on to finish 10th and 11th, respectively, at the New England Championship. On the men's side, O'Neil won the conference decathlon crown and Henry Smith claimed the Atlantic 10 tiple jump title, while for the women, Kate Markopoulos claimed first place in the league in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Three members of the men's team were named Academic All-Atlantic 10, in Frimpong-Boateng, O'Neil and Jon Korhonen. In addition, O'Neil was named UMass' Outstanding Male Spring Scholar-Athlete, while Frimpong-Boateng took home Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
This story was originally published in The Maroon & White.
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