North Part of Campus
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North Part of Campus
(Narrated by
Shannan Fotter)
This tour begins at the Fighting Black
Bear statute – which can be seen straight ahead, at the other end
of the Mall. Located on the lawn in front of the Memorial
Gymnasium, this statue was sculpted by Patricia Verani.
1.)
Memorial Gym, Field House and Mahaney Dome - MP3 audio tour (2.00
Mb)
Memorial Gym is the headquarters of athletics and its long history
at the university. Sports haven't always been available to women
in college. However, the passing of Title IX was instrumental in
reducing the gender gap in athletics. Nationwide in 1971, there
were only about 250,000 girls compared to more than 3 million boys
participating in high school sports. Today, female participation
has increased by 85 percent, with more than 2.7 million girls and
3.9 million boys participating in high school athletics. At the
college level, athletic participation has increased by 411 percent
for women. Media coverage of girls' and women's sports has also
increased tremendously. The University's "Gender Equity Plan for
Athletics" exists to guide the University of Maine in its
continuing efforts to maintain gender equity in its
intercollegiate athletics program. We have come a long way since
the 1970s when an English professor by the name of Marie
Urbanski led a group to demand that women be allowed to
use the weight room.
The
first woman director of men's and women's athletics at UMaine was
Suzanne Tyler. She formally served as the AD at the
university from 1995-2002. Today, she is an Associate Professor of
Education.
It is important to acknowledge the long
history of women's athletics, with a separate program and separate
leadership housed until the 1970s in Lengyel Gymnasium. The last
director of women's athletics was Dr. Mary Jo Walkup,
who retired in 1982. After her retirement the two departments
merged.
UMaine's first women's athletic team was in basketball in 1920,
followed by field hockey that started in 1923, archery in 1925 and riflry in 1927. Today, there are 10 women's varsity sports teams:
Basketball, Cross-Country, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey,
Indoor/Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Volleyball.
Of the 10, five have head coaches who are women (basketball, field
hockey, ice-hockey, softball and volleyball). In addition, 10
assistant coaches are women. Overall, there are over 200 female
athletes representing half of all varsity athletes on campus.
While no women's team has ever won a national championship, both
softball and basketball have won conference championships. The
Softball team won the America East Conference in 1994 and 2004;
Women's Basketball won the America East Conference in 1990, 1991,
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004.
Since
1987, the University of Maine has celebrated the National Girls
and Women in Sports Day in February. It is a day to acknowledge
past and present sports achievements, the positive influence of
sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and
access for women in sports. Another annual event held at the
University of Maine is the summer sports camps. Each year, about
2,500 young people, ages 8 and up, attend summer camps, and about
half of these participants are girls.
With
support of the M Club, the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame
was initiated in 1986 to honor Maine's finest athletes and
administrators. Since then nearly 150 people have been inducted,
including 22 women. Nonni Daly was the first woman
M Club president in the club's 95-year existence. She proudly
admits that she "bleeds blue!" A former president Friends of
Maine Hockey, Daly also has been on the boards of the baseball and
football support groups, and helped start the men's basketball
friends group. Beyond athletics, she served on the Alumni
Association Board of Directors for more than a dozen years and is
a co-advisor to the All Maine Women, a senior honor society. She
is completing a book on University of Maine traditions — from
Bolivar the Elephant (our University's first mascot) to Bananas T.
Bear. She also was one of the founders of the Scholar-Athlete
Awards Recognition ceremonies held each February to recognize
academic achievement. Currently, student-athlete GPAs are higher
than those for the general student population at the University of
Maine. The women's teams GPAs are over 3.0 and women athletes
have a higher graduation rate than any other students on campus.
Alumna
Barb Brown Dalton, Class of 1981, is president of
the Black Bear Board of Advisors and very involved in the annual
"Super Suppah" fundraiser for athletics.
The
Memorial Gym "Pit" is home to the volleyball team, which started
at the University in 1973 and competed for nine years. It was
reinstated in 1999. Before this, the Pit was the home court for
UMaine basketball. Some examples of standout players for
volleyball include: Tanya Dowding, a member of both
the volleyball and track teams from 1996-2000 who is a UMaine
record holder in the javelin. In 2001, Kristi Carver
was not only a letter winner in volleyball, she also was the
University of Maine's valedictorian. In 2002, volleyball player,
Adrienne Poplawski received the Maine Exemplary
College Student award. The team's head coach is Lynn
Atherley.
On the
wall in the Pit are two large designs of basketball players
created by Crystal Cummings, Class 1988, a former
women's basketball player who did these for her senior art
project.
The
Memorial Gym staff includes several women in high-ranking
positions in Athletics, including Ann England-Maxim,
the senior woman administrator and director of academic support
services for student-athletes, responsible for monitoring academic
eligibility and progress to graduation; Leslie Fields,
associate athletic director for compliance who makes sure the NCAA
rules are followed; Sue Randall, assistant athletic
director for business who handles and coordinates all business
expenses; Leslie Look, head strength and
conditioning coach who helps teams prepare for and maintain
fitness in summer, preseason and during the competitive year; and
Tanya Adorno, coordinator of athletic events who
pulls together everything for various sporting events.
Other
important women responsible for much of the day-to-day operations
in the Department of Athletics include Cristina Kerluke,
an athletic academic counselor who also coordinates athletic
tutoring for hundreds of student-athletes; Laura Reed,
assistant manager of athletic media relations who travels and
writes press releases for a number of teams; Angela Bohovich,
athletic marketing assistant who helps coordinate pre-game and
half time activities; Kelly Clifford, assistant
athletic equipment manager who helps to manage all of the teams
practice and game gear; Jenise Soucy, accounting
supervisor in the Business Office; and Linda Thayer,
administrative associate to the athletic director. Assistant
Athletic Trainers in Sports Medicine are Paula Linder,
Gretchen Benz, Amy Adamo and Tovan Willey. Their roles are to help prevent, treat and
rehabilitate athletic injuries.
Administrative assistants in Athletics include Linda
Cappuccio in the Business Office, Ranee Dow
in Internal Operations and Caren Haskell Ford in
Football. Some of the longest serving employees in
Athletics include Willi Gallant who serves as
administrative assistant for both Compliance and Academic Support
Services, Marian Dressler in Athletic Development,
and Dianne Gallant is the point person for Campus
Recreation.
Also
in Memorial Gym is the Department of Military Science (ROTC),
whose contact person is Paulette Ferland. Since
1992, Army ROTC has commissioned about 150 second lieutenants; of
them, 26 are women. For three years, the executive officer of the
Black Bear Battalion was Diane Dunn, the Maine Guard
representative who now commands the Maine Army National Guard
Training Site Detachment in Augusta.
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2.)
Wallace Pool - MP3 audio tour (187 Kb)
Wallace Pool is home to the UMaine's swim teams. Here, great
athletes competed like Julie Woodcock Shaw, a 1979
graduate with 17 New England Championship Titles. She was the
first woman athlete inducted into the University of Maine Sports
Hall of Fame in 1986. Carolyn Bryden Corse, a 1982
graduate, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 with two New
England Championships. Whitney Leeman Zeiger
graduated in 1984 with 17 New England Championship Titles to her
credit. She was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall
of Fame in 1986. Susan Herrick Lizzotte, a 1999
graduate, is an America East Champion and the current assistant
swimming coach at the University of Maine.
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3.)
Kessock Softball Field - MP3 audio tour (1.08 Mb)
Softball began at UMaine in 1979. Janet Anderson,
who graduated in 1967, served as the head coach for the softball
team for two decades, from 1979-99. She posted a record of 390
wins, 384 losses, and 1 tie. In 1994, Maine earned a spot in the
NCAA Tournament after winning the conference. This was the first
appearance of its kind by a Maine women's team. In addition,
Anderson served as head volleyball and head field hockey coach.
She was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame
in 2004. In softball, the outstanding players include pitcher
Lynn Hearty-Coutts, who graduated in 1987 and was
inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in
1993. Jocelyn Kondrotas, the National Batting
Champion in 1989, holds the record for most hits in a season with
62. Catcher Sara Jewett, who graduated in 2000, was
an NCAA Northeast All-American in 1999-2000. Jewett holds many
records, including most runs scored in a season with 49, most
RBI's in a season with 47, and most home runs in a season with
15. Pitcher Deb Smith from the Class of 1994 was
inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
When Janet Anderson stepped down, Smith took over as head coach
from 2000-04. She also led the team to a berth in the NCAA
Tournament after winning the America East Conference in 2004.
Shortstop Michelle Puls was the first individual to
earn conference Player of the Year honors in two consecutive
seasons. She assisted Deb Smith after she graduated and became
interim head coach in the 2005 season. Now leading the Black Bear
softball team is head coach Stacey Sullivan, who was
named the 2006 America East Softball Coach of the Year. Her
assistant coaches are Meghann Reiss and former
UMaine outfielder and 2004 America East All Tournament Team member
Molly McKinney. Also, Brittany Cheney,
the 2005 M Club Dean Smith top female student-athlete and
three-time America East Conference First Team, serves as the
Volunteer Assistant Coach. A strong supporter of softball is
Katherine Slott, Associate Professor of French and
former chair of the Athletic Advisory Board. Her name appears on
the bleachers.
Beyond
Kessock Field and Mahaney Diamond is the soccer field. Here,
greats like Katie Hodge, Allison Kelly
and Linda Consolante played. Hodge
was an America East All-Conference selection in 2002 and 2003. In
2003, she helped lead the Black Bears to their first post-season
appearance and a berth in the America East Conference championship
game. In 2001, Hodge was a member of the Canadian Women's National
Team. Academically, she was a member of the America East Academic
Honor Roll (2000-03) and received a master's degree in social work
while studying at UMaine. Allison Kelly was an
America East All -Conference selection in 2003 and 2004 (1st
team). She was selected to the America East Conference
All-Tournament Team after leading the Black Bears to the
conference championship game in 2004. During her career, she
helped lead the team to two consecutive America East Conference
Championship games. Kelly was a member of Canadian Women's Youth
National Team in 2000. Academically, she was named to the America
East Academic Honor Roll (2001-04) and was named Outstanding
International Student in the College of Education (2004). Linda Consolante is among the most decorated athletes in
the history of UMaine women's soccer. She was twice named America
East Defender of the Year, and was an All- Conference selection in
each of her four years. Linda earned a spot on the Canadian World
Cup team in 2003, and competed in the 2003 FIFA World Cup.
Academically, Linda was named the 2005 Outstanding International
Student in the College of Education. In 2006, Linda was a
finalist for the America East Conference Woman of the Year award.
Jackie Gebhart, Associate Head Coach of the Black
Bears, has been instrumental and guiding the team to four
consecutive America East Championship games over the past four
seasons.
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4.)
Mahaney Clubhouse - MP3 audio tour (44 Kb)
Janice Clark is the
only female you will find in the Clubhouse where she serves as the
Administrative Assistant to a number of sports teams and summer
camps.
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5.)
Alfond Stadium, Morse Field and the Beckett Family Track and Field
- MP3 audio tour (1.40 Mb)
Morse Field is home to the track,
field hockey, cheerleading and dance teams.
On
Morse Field, many star athletes have performed. The field hockey
team has had many greats, including Amy Corbett-Bernachez,
Class of 1992 and first team Regional All-American, and goalie
Mary Lou Winstel, Class of 1994, who holds the UMaine
record for most shutouts in a career, most saves in a single
season, and most saves in a career. Both women have been inducted
into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame. There have been
several National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) 3rd
Team All-Americans, including Mary Lou Winstel -
1993, Annie Elkanich - 1996, Morgan Brady
- 2001 and Tara Bedard - 2002. Thus far, there have
been 28 Regional All-Americans, including Mary Lou Winstel - 1993 and 1994, Margaret Henrick-McGregor -
1994 and 1995, Jeni Turner - 1996 and 1997, Debra Delilli - 1997 and 1998, Jen Johnstone
- 2000, 2001 and 2002, Tara Bedard - 2002,
Karly Bundy - 2003 and Meagan Connolly -
2004 and 2005. Meagan Connolly is Maine's first
America East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Former
Assistant Coach Diane Madl went on to play in the
1996 Olympics. Leading the Black Bear Field Hockey team for more
than a decade was head coach Terry Kix, the most
winning coach in UMaine history and four-time America East Coach
of the Year. Andrea Thebarge served as
Assistant Coach under Kix from 2002-2005 and was the Interim Head
Coach in 2006. Josette Babineau became Head Coach
in 2007.
The Beckett Family Track and Field is home to the track team,
which has seen many great athletes like Ann Turbyne-Andrews.
Since 1979, she has held the University Indoor and Outdoor Shot
Put record with a throw of 54 feet, 2 1/2 inches. In 1980, she was
the Women's National and World Power Lifting champion, a shot
putter on the United States Olympic Team, and an undergraduate
student at the University of Maine, inducted in 1987 into the
University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Track & Field member
Johanna (Riley) Evans, Class of 1998, holds the record
for the high jump, and was also the top student in Civil
Engineering. Viktoriya Rybalko, Class of 2003,
finished second in the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field
Championships. She holds 11 University records for indoor events,
including the Long Jump, Triple Jump, 60 yards, 55m High Hurdles,
200m, and as a member of the 4 x 200m relay. Her outdoor track
records are in the Long Jump, Triple Jump, 100m, 200M and as a
member of the 4 x 100m relay.
Standouts in Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor track include:
Susan Elias, Class of 1984, the state cross-country
champion and record-holder in the 1 mile, 1500m, and 4 x 800m
relay indoor and outdoor track events. Elias also was a member of
the U.S. National Cycling Team and U.S. National road cycling
champion, as well as points winner and 4th overall in the 1989
Tour de France. She is a research associate for the UMaine
Wildlife Ecology Department and the Vector-borne Disease Lab,
studying long-term patterns in small mammal population dynamics
and deer tick ecology. Other standouts include Bethany Heslam, Class of 1986, who holds the record for
the 200-meter run, and Joanne (Choiniere) Neally
1983, who holds the record for the Indoor 2 mile. Ann
(England) Maxim, Class of 1984 with a graduate degree in
1999, was a two-time New England Champion in the 1,000 yards.
She also held seven records, of which four still stand in the
Indoor 1,000m, 1,500m and mile run and as a member of the Outdoor
2 mile relay. Maxim also was left wing for UMaine's Field Hockey
team for three years. Patty (McCormick) Hurlburt,
Class of 1996 with a graduate degree in 1999, appeared in three
NCAA championships in one year — Cross Country, and Indoor and
Outdoor Track. She currently holds many records, including the
3,000 and 5,000 meter indoor/outdoor, and the 10,000 meter outdoor
events. Vanessa (McGowan) Ray of the Class of 2001
holds University records Indoors as a member of the 4 x 220 yard
and 4 x 400m relay, and Outdoors in the 800m, 1,500m, and 400m
hurdle records, as well as indoor and outdoor 4 x 400 and 4 x 800
meter relay. Susan, Bethany, Joanne, Ann and Patty have all been
inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame, while
Victoria, Patty, Johanna, and Vanessa received the M Club Dean
Smith Award as the top female student-athlete at Maine.
The
cheerleading and dance teams also appear on Morse Field. Although
cheerleading is not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, it is a part of the
athletic scene for football and men's and women's basketball.
Cheerleaders are predominately women who lead the fans in cheers
and participate in both regional and national competitions. The
dance team is made up of women who perform during halftime at the
football and basketball games. The dance instructor is Sandy Sanzaro, a 1983 graduate of the University of Maine.
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6.)
Alfond Sports Arena - MP3 audio tour (1.40 Mb)
Alfond
Arena is the home court for women's basketball and the home ice
for women's ice hockey. Here, great athletes like Cindy
Blodgett, Class of 1998, generally considered to be the
highest-profile athlete ever to attend the University of Maine,
led the nation in scoring, ranking fourth in the NCAA's all-time
points leader with a total of 3,005 points. She went on to have a
four-year career in the WNBA. Women's basketball holds the record
for the highest attendance for a women's sport event at the
university. In fact, it was during Cindy Blodgett's time - 1997-98
– that attendance was 14th in the nation, with nearly
5,000 people attending each game. It was also during this time
that former head women's basketball coach Joanne Polumbo
led UMaine to its first NCAA victory in 1999. Polumbo succeeded
Trish Roberts, a former Olympic basketball player and
Tennessee record holder. Sharon Versyp
followed as head coach and led the team for five seasons, leading
Maine to two America East Championships, one NCAA tournament
appearance, and two WNIT appearances. In 2007, Cindy
Blodgett returned to her alma mater as the head women's
basketball coach.
Eilene Fox paved the way
in building UMaine's women's basketball winning tradition. She
coached women's basketball in the 1970s, and is currently on the
faculty in the College of Education and Human Development. Five
women's basketball players have made their way into the University
of Maine Sports Hall of Fame: besides Cindy Blodgett in 2003, her
teammate Jamie Cassidy, Class of 2000, was inducted
in 2005. She ranked third in scoring and rebounds, and was drafted
by the Miami Sol of the WNBA. Emily Ellis, Class of
1985, inducted in 1991, was the sixth all-time leading scorer in
school history with 1,696 points; Elizabeth Coffin,
Class of 1988, was inducted in 1994. She was the fourth leading
scorer at UMaine with 2,153 points. Rachel Bouchard,
Class of 1991, was inducted in 1996. She was the second leading
scorer at the university with 2,405 points. Kim Corbitt
was another standout at the university. She was the 2005 women's
basketball player of the year. She also was the Top Scholar
Athlete for UMaine, and top female basketball scholar athlete for
the America East conference. She currently ranks third in all-time
assists. The only women's sport to retire numbers is basketball.
Six players' numbers have been retired: Cindy Blodgett,
Rachel Bouchard, Emily Ellis, Elizabeth
Coffin, Heather Earnest and Jamie
Cassidy.
You
also will see during women's basketball games a number of "ball
girls" around the court. These 4th to 8th
grade girls assist during the games with a variety of tasks, from
catching runaway balls to filling water cups to cheering on the
team.
Intercollegiate women's ice hockey got its start at UMaine in
1997. Among its stars was Raffi Wolff, who played
for Germany in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics. In 2000, Alison
Lorenz led the nation in goals with 38 and points per game
with 3. She also holds the UMaine single- game record for goals
with 5 and the most total points with 6. Lara Smart
started in goal during UMaine's first post-season appearance. She
posted 6 games with 30 or more saves. In 2005, as part of the
building of the Shawn Walsh Center, the program received all new
locker facilities, a weight room, training room, players' lounge
and coaches' offices.
Off
the Alfond ice are four women who are longtime employees of Black
Bear athletics: Jeanne Goss, who staffs the men's
ice hockey office; Betty Fadrigan, the
administrative assistant for women's ice hockey who coordinates Alfond Arena rentals; Deb Leavitt, the ticket
manager who handles the thousands of requests for individual and
season tickets for all sporting events; and Pam Rideout,
a former ticket manager who now manages the Bear Necessities
athletic store.
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