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Two years ago, University of Maine athletics seemingly hit rock bottom. Every athletic team finished the season with a losing record, a feat uncommon for a school that has had 34 conference championships and two national titles in its history. Last year, the athletic program took another hit when the volleyball and men’s soccer programs were eliminated due to budget cuts. With two tough athletic years behind them, UMaine athletics is now back on top, and there’s no reason to think deep conference tournament runs and NCAA tourney berths aren’t on the horizon.
In the fall season, the women’s soccer team advanced to the conference semifinals behind the stellar play of America East Striker of the Year Laura Martel, before dropping a heartbreaking decision to Binghamton University in penalty kicks.
The field hockey squad also advanced to the America East semifinals and were competitive all season, losing one-goal decisions to nationally-ranked squads Northwestern University and Michigan State University.
The football squad struggled early in the season after advancing to the national playoffs in 2008. The young team, finishing 5-6 overall on the season and second place in the Colonial Athletic Association North Division, had their ups-and-downs but returns a solid nucleus of 16 starters and preseason All-American back Jared Turcotte. Turcotte missed the entire 2009 season with a groin injury.
Sophomore cross-country runner Corey Conner was the outstanding performer in the fall season. The distance star won the America East and New England Championships and finished ninth in the NCAA Regional, qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind., in December.
Winter sports are off to a blazing start, led by the men’s basketball and men’s hockey teams. Ted Woodward’s men’s basketball team has struggled in the past seasons, finishing 9-21 overall last season and bowing out in the first round of the conference tournament. This season the Black Bears have been stellar in nonconference action, posting a winning record and defeating Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Black Bears are off to a sizzling start in conference play too, sitting in third place with a 7-3 record. They remain only one game behind conference leader Stony Brook University for the top spot. The highest seed remaining in the America East Tournament hosts the conference championship game in March on ESPN.
After two straight losing seasons, the men’s hockey team has finally climbed back to the top, especially after this weekend’s sweep of rival and Hockey East-leading University of New Hampshire. Led by sophomore sensation and Hobey Baker hopeful Gustav Nyquist, the Black Bears are tied for second in Hockey East and currently sit in eighth place in the latest PairWise rankings. The PairWise rankings help determine the NCAA Tournament field, which consists of 16 teams. In Saturday night’s game against the Wildcats, it was hard to find an empty seat in the Alfond, bringing back memories of just three years ago when it was one of the toughest tickets in town.
The women’s basketball squad is still in rebuilding mode, but has already surpassed their win total from a season ago. The women’s hockey team has endured its share of struggles, but freshman forward Darcia Leimgruber was selected for Team Switzerland in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Spring sports are about to begin, with softball slated to start their season Thursday and baseball beginning two weekends from now. The softball team returns most of their team from last season, where they had a 21-win improvement from the year before. The baseball squad graduated three key starters, but they have a plethora of arms and another great recruiting class. With a competitive nonconference schedule, including national powerhouses University of North Carolina and Oregon State University, the Black Bears should be in a good situation heading into conference play as they try to retrieve their first America East title since 2006.
Men’s hockey is the key to success for UMaine athletics as a good season equals a chance for a national championship. With other programs on the rise, including men’s basketball fighting for its first conference title and NCAA Tournament berth, and individual performances, such as Corey Conner dominance in cross country last fall, it’s a good time to be a UMaine Black Bears fan.
Bangor Daily News