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Bean's Bearing's: July 2023

An Academic Year Recap and Look Ahead

Bean's Bearings: July 2023
From the Desk of Al Bean, Director of Athletics

Bean's Bearings: An Academic Year Recap & Look Ahead

 Another year is officially in the books for the Huskies.  It was a very good year with great success and accomplishment in many areas of our program but also a year filled with sadness and loss.  Sometimes I reflect and truly wonder how much can possibly be packed into a year in the life.  The spring sports season brought home our fourth Little East Conference championship of the year, this one in women's outdoor track and field.  Three teams, baseball, women's lacrosse and softball, qualified for LEC championship tournaments and made solid showings in postseason play.  Along the way, head coaches Ed Flaherty and Sarah Jamo reached significant milestones.  Flaherty collected his 1,100th win in his 38th year as head coach of the Huskies baseball team while Jamo picked up win number 200 in her 11th season on the softball diamond.  Women's lacrosse coach, Angela Mallis, was selected Coach of the Year by her peers in the LEC.  In addition, Rob Whitten and his staff were voted the Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year.  Countless student-athletes were named to all-conference and all-region teams as well.    
 
On the track, three student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship held in Rochester, New York.  Junior Ben Drummey qualified for NCAA National Championship in the pole vault and won his fourth NCAA All-America honor, finishing fourth overall.  Drummey had previously won two NCAA National Championships in that same event.  Sophomore Anna Reny, LEC Track Athlete of the Year, competed in the 400 meter hurdles for the Huskies and freshman Riley Reitchel, LEC Field Rookie of the Year, participated in the javelin.  It was another outstanding year for the Huskies track and field programs. 
 
To cap off the spring season, the Huskies finished second in all three of the major awards sponsored by the Little East Conference: the Commissioner's Cup, the President's Cup and the Sportsmanship Cup.  The Commissioner's Cup indicates success in competition against your conference opponents while the President's Cup measures the academic performance of all participating student-athletes by calculating their cumulative GPA.  Voting guidelines for the Sportsmanship Cup includes conduct of student-athletes, coaches, spectators and evaluates the overall experience of visiting teams when they come to your campus to compete.  As athletic director, my goal will always be to finish first, however, I'm very proud that we have very strong finishes across the board and display great balance as an athletic program and learning community.
 
Special events and programs highlighted the spring season for the Huskies once again.  Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23 was a very special weekend for USM Athletics.  Saturday started at Flaherty Field with the presentation of a Little East Conference Hall of Fame ring to Tyler Delorme, a two-time All-American in baseball, who helped to lead the Huskies to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series in 2000 and 2001.  We moved from the baseball field to Hannaford Field and presented a LEC Hall of Fame ring to Jess Knight Tremblay, a USM record holder and one of the most honored and explosive offensive players in the history of women's lacrosse in the Little East Conference.  Both ceremonies brought family, friends, former teammates and a great sense of pride and tradition. 
 
We then returned to the baseball diamond for a very special presentation between games.  USM baseball legend Vinnie Degifico passed away on June 6th, 2022 after a difficult battle with cancer.  Vinnie was one of the most feared hitters in all of collegiate baseball and led the nation in hitting during his junior year with an amazing batting average of .526.  He was drafted by the Red Sox and progressed in their minor league system before an unfortunate injury curtailed his promising playing career.  He returned to USM as an assistant baseball coach and later as ice arena manager, positions he held for more than 25 years.  Vinnie was a larger than life character who was beloved by countless people and built relationships and friendships in all areas of his life.  He was a special person to our student-athletes and the USM community and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. 
 
While we mourned Vinnie's passing and celebrated his many contributions, the past six weeks has brought additional sadness and a sense of loss to our program.  Mark Caron, shortstop on the 1991 national championship baseball team and successful business leader passed away suddenly at the age of 53.  Mark had just attended the celebration to honor Vinnie a few days before and had spoken with many of his former teammates and friends at USM.  Just recently, Rick Piancentini, captain of the Huskies baseball team when I was a freshman, also passed away.  Rick was a great leader and an outstanding captain.  He worked hard, played hard and expected you to do the same.  His charismatic personality will be deeply missed by family, friends and so many people in the greater Portland area who knew him and appreciated him.
 
On April 22nd, Vinnie became the first person in USM sports history to have his number retired.  A touching and heartwarming ceremony was held on Flaherty Field with current players, coaches, countless alumni, friends and former players on hand to honor Vinnie's legacy.  President Jackie Edmondson and Coach Ed Flaherty spoke about Vinnie's many contributions to USM and his impact on our program.  Vinnie's framed uniform was presented to his wife Cindy and his children Anthony and Maria before his number 23 was officially unveiled on the wall of the press box where it will stand forever.  It was a proud and meaningful day for all involved.
 
The following day, the Huskies held their annual Honors Night dinner and award ceremony.  Departing seniors were recognized for their many contributions to the USM athletic program with parents, friends and members of the Huskies staff on hand to help honor them.  This is a special night for our seniors, their family and friends and one we all look forward to each year.  In addition to recognition of each senior, four special awards are presented annually.  The Paula D. Hodgdon Leadership Award was shared by two exceptional young women, Rona Scott (softball) and Sophia Slovenski (track & field).  Scott has played a critical leadership role in both the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Student-Athlete Diversity, Inclusion and Equity committee (SADIE).  Slovenski, the Huskies nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year, won for the second straight year.  Slovenski has worked as a leader and mentor on behalf of Strong Girls United for the past couple of years.  Strong Girls believes that physical activity, mental skills, strong mentorship, and community give girls what they need to succeed and do anything. 
 
Kiaya Gatchell  (soccer & lacrosse) and Tanner McClure (ice hockey) shared the Roland Wirths Memorial Award.  Gatchell's leadership, unbridled enthusiasm and work ethic is infectious and is a model for many other student-athletes in our program.  McClure's leadership and impact on others has been obvious throughout his time as a Husky.  In addition to winning the Wirths Award, he was also recognized as the recipient of the Mike Beveridge Humanitarian Award.  The award is presented annually to a member of the USM hockey community who consistently displays the characteristics of caring, compassion, generosity and selflessness consistently displayed by Mike Beveridge, a trusted and respected member of the men's ice hockey program for more than 30 years.  McClure was also responsible for organizing a USM Chapter of Best Buddies, a program that offers one-on-one friendship and leadership development programs for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.
    
Riley Peterson (track & field) earned the coveted Kimberly Turner Award.  Peterson was an exceptional leader, high-achieving student-athlete and also served the department's athletic communications efforts with distinction.  His abilities were critical in helping to develop images and videos to help further promote USM Athletics, its many programs and special events and initiatives.   Jake Peavey, an NCAA All-American in wrestling, repeated as the winner of the Bean Leadership Award.  Peavey has been a model of commitment in the classroom and on the mat since his arrival at USM and his work ethic has been incredible.  His leadership has been critical to the development of his fellow team members and the success of the wrestling program.  Jake punctuated the NCAA Division III Regional Wrestling Championship hosted by USM by pinning his opponent in just 18 seconds to punch his ticket to the national championship.  It was the final match of the day and sent the crowd into a frenzy as he jumped into his coach's arms.   
 
The University's Student Engagement Awards followed closely behind Honors Night and the Huskies were very well represented.  Tyler Gardiner (hockey & tennis) was the recipient of the Contribution to Campus Life Award, while hockey teammate Nick Ritmo received the Senior Husky Achievement Award.  Residential Life leadership awards were presented to four Huskies:  Maggie Brock (tennis), Tyler Gardiner (hockey & tennis), Jaryd Traverso-Penn (tennis) and Maddy Young (hockey).  Best Buddies was voted Outstanding New Student Organization and Husky Pack Chats was voted as the University Event of the Year.  The Huskies Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) earned the award for Outstanding Service to the Community.  Clearly, it was a proud night for the Husky Nation.
 
Now that the year has come to a close, academic awards have been pouring in for the Huskies.  Countless student-athletes have been honored by the College Sports Communicators of America, the Little East Conference, the New England Hockey Conference and the New England Wrestling Association.  Closing out the academic year, the Huskies checked in with an overall GPA of 3.23 with 20 of our 22 teams over 3.0.  I'm proud to say the classroom performance of our student-athletes continues to improve each year.  For the 2022-2023 academic year, 262 Huskies had a GPA over 3.0, 38 more winners than any other year since the inception of the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete awards program in 1987-1988.  That number now represents 65% of our overall student-athlete population, well done Huskies!
 
As I write this monthly edition, the Huskies have just finished hosting the Class A and Class C Maine Principals Association Regional and State Championships in baseball and softball.  These were fantastic events and we are proud to serve as host along with the championships in volleyball and indoor track and field that we also hold at the Costello Sports Complex.  USM summer sports camps are set to begin on the recently updated and decorated Gary Fifield Court in the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium.  Looking ahead, we're getting ready to host the 34th annual Husky Golf Classic at the historic Poland Spring Golf Course on August 7th.  The first 144 players to sign up are guaranteed a spot in the 18-hole scramble format tournament, registration is now open on our website.  In addition, we are planning for the return of our fall student-athletes on August 18th.  As always, the summer will pass quickly but I'm hopeful that staff members and student-athletes alike will returned recharged, energized and ready for the opportunities and challenges of the year ahead.
 
USM's Homecoming weekend is scheduled to take place on October 12th-15th this year and the Huskies will have a full slate of events for our alumni, student-athletes, parents and friends of the program.  In addition to regularly scheduled intercollegiate games and alumni contests, we are considering several special events for the weekend, including the 37th annual Husky Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony, the Zombie Run and a very special celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Intercollegiate Sports at USM.  Men's and women's basketball were the very first sports played at USM, then known as Gorham Normal School, back in 1922 – 1923.  Those initial games were played in Russell Hall, now the site of USM's theatre program on the Gorham Campus.  This promises to be a very special celebration for USM Athletics and the University; there will be other surprises as well.  I hope you will make plans to join us for Homecoming weekend.
 
As we look ahead in anticipation of the upcoming academic and athletic year, there will no doubt be significant challenges.  Those challenges will provide us with the opportunity and necessity to review and evaluate, look under the hood, improve and find new and better ways to get it done.  This time around, we will forge ahead with several new staff members leading the way.  Following the retirements of long-time leaders Mike Keller and Reg Grant, veteran coaches and former Huskies Jim Hopkins '00 and Brian Bickford '87 will join the Huskies staff to guide the men's soccer and golf programs respectively.  Former Franklin Pierce head coach and mentor, David Chadbourne, will make the transition to USM and guide the next chapter of the Huskies women's basketball program, replacing Samantha Norris who is pursuing other professional opportunities.  In addition, a search for the Huskies next men's ice hockey coach will begin very soon.           
 
The world is changing, so too is higher education and NCAA intercollegiate athletics.  Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), the Transfer Portal and the NCAA Transformation Committee are now significant parts of college athletics and will clearly impact the future.  We must navigate and embrace change and find our way to continued excellence.  As always, the support of our alumni, friends and parents is critical to our ongoing success.  Thanks for all you have done and hopefully will continue to do in the future.  Have a fantastic summer.  Go Huskies!    
 
 
 
 
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