This week’s Thursday night football game featured an AFC South matchup between the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Consistent rain led to both offenses having difficulty passing the ball, and the game quickly became a defensive battle. The Jaguars pulled out the 20-7 win, with the defense being led by defensive end Calais Campbell, bringing them their first win of the season.

After shutting down the Titans on a quick five-play first drive, a muffed catch on the punt lead to Jaguars’ special teams recovering the ball at the Tennessee 7-yard line. Starting quarterback Gardner Minshew capitalized immediately, throwing up a floater to tight end James O’Shaughnessy off of a play-action boot left. The Jaguars defense then made quick work of quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Titans’ offense, forcing another punt. Minshew continued to show impressive poise and accuracy for a sixth-round pick, as he and the Jaguars offense marched down the field on a six-play drive, leading to a 22-yard touchdown catch from wide receiver DJ Chark. 

After a scoreless second quarter from both sides, the Jaguars scored a field goal in the third with a 40-yard kick from Josh Lambo. The Titans finally showed life at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Derrick Henry bringing the score to 17-7. This hope didn’t last long as the Jaguars scored on a 48-yard field goal from kicker Josh Lambo and then shut down the Titans offense for the rest of the game.

Following the injury to offseason acquisition quarterback Nick Foles, not much was expected from this team. But Minshew continues to put in a strong effort, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns, commanding the Jaguars’ offense up and down the field throughout the contest. Chark hauled in four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Running back Leonard Fournette worked hard against a tough Titans defensive front seven, charging through the tackles to the tune of 66 rushing yards, in addition to having six catches for 26 yards. Campbell led “Sacksonville” to four hits for a loss and three sacks, and the Jaguars’ talented secondary shut down Mariota through the air.

 In an otherwise abysmal performance for a squad that had high hopes coming out of a shellacking of the Cleveland Browns in week one, Henry’s 17 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown carried a light stat sheet. Though Mariota struggled at times with connecting down the field, wide receiver Adam Humphries still hauled in six receptions for 93 yards. Aside from a good deep pass to tight end Delanie Walker and the touchdown from Henry, seemingly every other drive ended in a turnover. The combination of tough football weather and a tough Jacksonville defense proved to be too much for the Tennessee offense.

This was a crucial win for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) as they had a slow start to the season losing their first two games. Going into the season the Jaguars had a lot of high praise due to having one of the best defenses in the league. In the past few years, their defense has won them games, but they continue to come up short due to their offense and bad quarterback plays. After week two, the Jaguars star cornerback Jalen Ramsey requested a trade following some heated interactions on the sideline with head coach Doug Marone. If Minshew can continue to restore hope for the team and fans, hopefully, that’ll be enough to both keep Ramsey in the building and keep Jacksonville playing football deep into January.

The University of Maine softball team (20-23,7-10) ended their season down in Stony Brook, New York, taking on the Stony Brook University Seawolves (23-20,10-7) for a final series in the regular season. The Black Bears split the doubleheader on Friday, May 4 by losing the first game 7-1 before winning the second game 4-1.

Fourth-year Annie Kennedy got the start in Game 1. She is coming off a complete game loss in which she gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out five against Binghamton on April 29.

For the Seawolves, second-year Melissa Rahrich got the nod in the circle. She came into the game with an 11-9 record and a 4.27 ERA.

Stony Brook scored in each of the first four innings. The scoring started with third-year catcher Irene Rivera lacing a double to left field, bringing Rahrich home to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.

In the second, fourth-year shortstop Chelsea Evans poked a single through the middle, bringing fourth-year left fielder Ileana Torres home to extend the lead to 2-0.

In the third, Torres brought Rivera home when Maine third-year third baseman Alyssa Derrick committed her second error of the game. The defensive miscue led to Stony Brook extending their lead to 3-0.

The Seawolves tripled their lead in the fourth when Rivera launched a three-run home run to right center, putting them up 6-0.

The Black Bears got on the board in the sixth when third-year catcher Maddie Decker lined a single to right center, plating fourth-year right fielder Erika Leonard and cutting into the deficit at 6-1.

Stony Brook got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when Maine fourth-year reliever Molly Flowers uncorked a wild pitch, plating first-year Danielle Petrovich to give the Seawolves a 7-1 lead. That would be the final run of the game.

Kennedy was charged with the loss, giving up six runs (fived earned) on eight hits. She did not issue a walk while striking out two.

Rahrich pitched a complete game, giving up one run on three hits with six strikeouts. She did not walk a batter and was credited with the win. Rivera finished the game with three hits, two runs scored and four runs batted in.

Black Bears split doubleheader

The Black Bears used a four-run fifth inning to pick up the split in the doubleheader, downing the Seawolves 4-1.

First-year Kyleigh O’Donnell got the start for the Black Bears in Game 2. O’Donnell is coming off a start against Binghamton in which she gave up six earned runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings. She walked two and struck out three.

The Seawolves started third year Lindsey Hughes. Hughes was coming off a three-hit shutout with one walk and six strikeouts against Seton Hall.

Stony Brook got on the board first when O’Donnell heaved a wild one, allowing Rahrich to score and the Seawolves to go up 1-0.

Maine turned the tables in the fifth when third-year shortstop Laurine German punched a single to right, scoring fourth-year Sarah Coyne to tie the game at 1-1. First-year left fielder Shanna Scribner was thrown out trying to score. A wild pitch brought fourth-year centerfielder Rachel Carlson around, giving the Black Bears the 2-1. That lead was extended to 4-1 when Leonard smacked a triple to right field, scoring two more.

O’Donnell threw a complete game, giving up five hits and one run. She walked two and struck out four in the win.

Hughes was charged with the loss, giving up one run on three hits over 4.1 innings. She walked two and struck out two. Second-year Taylor Pechin gave up three runs over 2.2 innings of work, with four walks to just one strikeout.

Maine drops regular season finale

The Black Bears fell in the rubber match on Saturday, May 5, losing 6-2 to the Seawolves.

The Black Bears sent Flowers to the circle for the start. She gave up one run over two innings in her previous appearance in relief of Kennedy. For the Seawolves, Rahrich would get the nod. She had tossed a complete game in the first game of the series.

Stony Brook struck first when Flowers hit first-year second baseman Nicole McCarvill with the bases loaded to put them up 1-0 in the first inning.

Evans led off the second with a walk. Third-year centerfielder Katelyn Corr then tripled down the right field line to bring her home, extending the lead to 2-0.

Sloppy defense was the Black Bears’ downfall in the sixth. Errors by third-year second baseman Meghan Royle and fourth-year first baseman Kristen Niland helped load the bases before Rahrich launched a grand slam into left center field to give the Seawolves a 6-0 lead.  

Maine prevented the shutout from happening in the seventh, when German hit a single up the middle. Scribner and Niland both came in to score, but Rahrich recorded the final out of the game to give Stony Brook the win.

Rahrich went the distance for the Seawolves, giving up two unearned runs on eight hits. She struck out three and did not issue a free pass.

Flowers was charged with the loss. She gave up two runs on four hits over four innings. She walked four and struck out three.

Maine will be back in action on Wednesday, May 9 when they head to Vestal, New York to take on Binghamton University in the America East playoffs. First pitch is at 11 a.m. Stony Brook’s opponent in the America East playoff has yet to be determined.

The University of Maine baseball team (14-29, 8-10) was back in action with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 against the Binghamton University Bearcats (14-27-1, 8-13). The Black Bears split the doubleheader by dropping the first game 7-4 before winning the second game 4-2.

The starter for the Black Bears in the first game was second-year Trevor Delaite. Delaite is coming off a four-inning appearance in which he gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. He walked two and struck out two.

Third-year Nick Gallagher got the nod for Binghamton. He entered the game with a 2-6 record and a 5.51 ERA while striking out 44 over 49 innings.

Binghamton got on the board first when fourth-year first baseman Luke Tevlin hit a sacrifice fly to center, allowing fourth-year centerfielder CJ Krowiak to score, putting the Bearcats up 1-0.

Neither team would score again until the fifth, when Krowiak looped a single to left, bringing first-year second baseman Jake Evans around to score, extending the lead to 2-0.

In the sixth, Evans ripped an RBI single of his own, bringing first-year designated hitter Shane Marshall home and giving the Bearcats a 3-0 lead. Fourth-year shortstop Paul Rufo laced a double down the left line, bringing Evans and redshirt second-year left fielder Daniel Franchi to raise the lead to 5-0 in the Bearcats’ favor.

Binghamton  tacked on more runs in the seventh. This time, Marshall joined the hit parade with a two-run triple to right center, plating both Tevlin and fourth-year catcher Jason Agresti to run the score to 7-0.

The Black Bears made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Errors on back-to-back plays by Tevlin and an infield single by third-year third baseman Danny Casals loaded the bases for fourth-year designated hitter Jonathan Bennett. Bennett cleared the sacks with a double down the right field line to make the score 7-3. Bennett scored on a sacrifice fly by redshirt third-year second baseman Caleb Kerbs to make it 7-4. Binghamton brought in third-year Robert Brown in relief of Gallagher, and Brown slammed the door shut over the final 2.1 innings.

Delaite was charged with the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits over 5.1 innings of work. He walked three and struck out two. Gallagher earned the win, giving up four runs (one earned) on four hits over 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out seven.

Black Bears split doubleheader

Maine avenged the loss in the first game of the doubleheader with a 4-2 win in the second.

Fourth-year John Arel got the start for the Black Bears. He was roughed up in his last start against UMBC, giving up seven runs over 3.1 innings.

The Bearcats trotted out fourth-year Nick Wegmann. He entered the game with a 3-6 record and a 4.12 ERA.

Binghamton would take a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Tevlin launched a triple to center, bringing Agresti around to score. Second-year catcher TJ Wegmann brought Tevlin home on a sacrifice bunt to extend the Bearcat lead to 2-0.

Maine chipped away at the deficit in the bottom half of the inning. As Casals went down on a strikeout, fourth-year catcher Christopher Bec stole third, then scored on a throwing error by Evans, making the score 2-1.

Third-year shortstop Jeremy Pena plated Kerbs with a single in the bottom of the fifth, knotting the game at 2-2. Second-year right fielder Hernen Sardinas followed up with a double into the gap, scoring Pena to give the Black Bears their first lead of the game at 3-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Kerbs capped off the scoring with an RBI double that brought second-year left fielder Kevin Doody and ran the score to 4-2. Arel would finish the game off with a one-two-three inning for the win.

Arel went seven innings on the game, giving up two runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out eight in picking up his team-high fifth win of the season. Wegmann was charged with the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven over 4.2 innings.

Black Bears pick up series win

Maine picked up the series win by a 6-1 score on Sunday, May 6.

Second-year Cody Laweryson started the game for the Black Bears. He entered Sunday’s contest 0-3 with a 4.31 ERA after his latest start against UMBC, in which he gave up five runs in five innings.

The Bearcats sent redshirt fourth year Jacob Wloczewski out to the rubber for this one. Wloczewski came in with a 2-5 record and a 6.02 ERA on the season.

Maine got on the board in the first inning. Pena laced the first pitch of the game into the right centerfield gap and legged out a triple. Wloczewski unleashed a wild one, and Pena scampered home to give the Black Bears a 1-0 lead.

With runners on first and second, Bec laid down a bunt and was tagged out by Agresti, who threw the ball into center field, allowing Pena to come across for the 2-0 Black Bear lead. Casals went the other way and dropped a double at the base of the foul pole, driving in another run and extending the lead to 3-0. Bennett then launched a two-run homer to right to give the Black Bears a 5-0 lead. That was the end of the line for Wloczewski, who was replaced by first-year lefthander Reid VanScoter. VanScoter slammed the door shut on the inning, but the damage was done.

Binghamton got on the board in the sixth, when Tevlin doubled to left field. Third-year right fielder Anthony Meduri, who reached on a fielding error by Pena, came around to score, cutting the deficit to 5-1.

The Black Bears got the run back in the bottom of the eighth. Bec led off the inning by driving a solo shot to left, giving Maine the 6-1 lead. That would be all the scoring, as redshirt fourth-year Jonah Normandeau finished the Bearcats off with a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

Laweryson went 5.1 innings on the game, giving up an unearned run on five hits. He struck out five, did not walk a batter, and picked up his first win of the season. Wloczewski was tagged with his sixth loss of the season, giving up five runs on seven hits and two strikeouts over 2.1 innings.

The Black Bears head to Albany, New York to take on the University at Albany Great Danes on May 12 and 13. The Bearcats play a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 8 at Siena College before taking on UMBC for three games on May 12 and 13.

The University of Maine outdoor track team competed against four opponents at the Reggie Atkins Track and Field Complex on the University of New Hampshire campus on Saturday, April 7. The men finished in second place with 168 points, while the women took home first with 166 points.

Fourth-year Benjamin Davis dominated the sprinting events, taking first place in both the 100-meter (10.85) and 200-meter (22.36) sprints. Fourth-year Mozai Nelson had strong showings in both of these events, finishing third in the 100 (10.99) and just missing tying Davis in the 200 (22.37).

The 800-meter saw the Black Bears take three of the top four spots, with fourth-year Jacob Johns (1:57.70) and first-year John Hassett (1:58.58) finishing first and second, while first-year Ethan Orach (1:59.31) finished fourth. In the 1,500-meter, Maine took the second through fourth spots, thanks to third-year Aaron Willingham (4:05.38), Johns (4:10.25) and Hassett (4:11.21).

The 4-x-100-meter and 4-x-400-meter relays netted Maine 14 more points on the day, as Davis, Nelson, first-year Seth White and third-year Andrew Smith finished in 42.89 seconds while Nelson, second-year Andrew Clement and fourth-years Elijah and Isaac Yeboah clocked in 3:29.59.

First-year Elijah White stepped up in the jumping events, finishing second in the long jump with a distance of 6.93 meters, and taking first in the triple jump at 14.17 meters. In the throwing events, fourth-year Adam Lufkin took second in the discus at 46.21 meters and fourth in the shot put at 14.52 meters. Maine also netted points in the hammer, thanks to fourth-year Raymond Ngo and first-year Stephen Urli finishing ninth and 11th respectively.

On the women’s side, third-year Lauren Magnuson and second-year Cassidy Hill netted the Black Bears 11 points with a third (12.40) and fourth (12.47) place finish in the 100-meter. Hill would go on to win the 200-meter at 26.07. The Black Bears would pick up another first place in the 400-meter, as first-year Catherine Christiansen finished in 1:01.33. Second-year Elisabeth Redwood finished the event in third with a 1:01.76 finish. Second-year Tiffany Tanner took second in the 800-meter with a time of 2:20.24.

Maine would take first in the 4-x-100, as third-year Ariel Clachar, Hill, Magnuson and first-year Anna Schumann finished in 49.52 seconds. The Black Bears also took second in the 4-x-400, as Christiansen, Redwood, Tanner and second-year Brittany Torchia clocked in at 4:07.81.

Clachar and Schumann were key pieces for jumping. Clachar would win the long jump with a total distance of 5.59 meters, while Schumann took home the triple jump with a total distance of 10.93 meters.

First-year Sarah Vancore (11.15 meters) and fourth-year Rachel Bergeron (11.08) finished third and fourth respectively in the shot put to pick up 11 points. They would team up for eight more points with fourth place (Vanacore at 32.92) and sixth place finishes (Bergeron at 32.65) in the discus. First-year Allison Fayard won the hammer with 43.39 meters, while third-year Kayla Greenwalt took second in the javelin with a 33.75-meter throw.

Both teams will be back in action next Saturday, April 14 at 11 a.m. for the Wildcat Invitational in Durham, New Hampshire.

The University of Maine women’s hockey team finished out their season on March 3 when they fell to the Northeastern University Huskies in the Women’s Hockey East Association (WHEA) Semifinals, 2-1. The team finished with an overall record of 19-14-5, going 10-6-3 in conference play. The Black Bears celebrated their first WHEA playoff win in history against Boston University and also broke the record for the most wins in a season in Maine women’s hockey history with 18.

Compared to last season, Maine has made some significant improvements. In the 2016-2017 season, the Black Bears finished ninth in conference play, whereas this season, they moved up to the No. 3 seed in the conference and were ranked No. 10 nationally by the USCHO poll.

As for individual awards, first-year Anna Zikova was named to the Women’s Hockey East Pro-Ambitions All-Rookie Team. Zikova was a big part of the conference’s second-best scoring defense, while also contributing to conference’s third-best penalty kill (86.8 percent). She finished the season with two goals and 11 assists, for a total of 13 points.

Captain and third-year defender Alyson Matteau and second-year forward Tereza Vanisova were selected to the Hockey East Second Team All-Stars. For the second year in a row, Matteau led the team in blocks, with 72. She finished the season with five goals and 10 assists. Vanisova is ranked No. 12 in the top leading scorers in the country, finishing off the season with 16 goals.

Second-year goaltender Carly Jackson was named to the Hockey East All-Star Honorable Mentions. Jackson ended the regular season with the lowest goals against average (GAA) in Hockey East (1.88).

“I think we had a really great season and we took some big steps as a program. There are areas that we’ll work on individually and as a group but going into the off-season, we are more than capable of getting where we want to be and I’m extremely excited to see the next level that we can take it to as a team,” Jackson said.

Head Coach Richard Reichenbach won the Hockey East Coach of the Year Award, making him the first ever Maine women’s hockey coach to be selected.

“I am proud of the team and development and steps they made to improve as a team. They found a level of consistency in how they played as a team that led to them winning the most games in program history,” Coach Reichenbach said.

The past few seasons for the Black Bears have not been nearly as successful as this past one; however, it is important to stay positive in times of struggle.

“Our belief and expectation was that we had a team that could win a Hockey East Championship, but we did not meet our expectation of what we believed our team could do,” Reichenbach said.

Brooke Stacey, Mikayla Rogers, Victoria Hummel, Catherine Tufts and Kristin Gilmour all finished their college careers this season, and the Black Bears will be looking to their incoming first-year students to help fill those voids.

“I think overall we had an amazing season, we all hoped for it to be longer. But despite losing in the semifinals, we were all very proud of our performance what we accomplished this year,” Stacey said.

It is easy to say that this Black Bear women’s hockey team had a successful 2017-2018 campaign, but there is always room for more.

“Expectations will be the same going into next year, to win championships. We will change, learn and grow as a program to help put the team in the best position to do so next season. Defensively we were strong throughout the season, we need to grow offensively in our ability to score on the power play and consistently throughout our entire forward group and from the point,” Reichenbach said.

The Black Bears will be looking to build off of this year’s success when hockey season returns to the Alfond Arena next fall.

“Every season is extremely unique in how our team changes and the strengths of other teams in the league. We are always changing and growing as a program to be better. Next season, we think the incoming freshmen will add size both on forward and defense, many with national team playing experience. With their size and strength, they will be used to playing against elite competition and have the skill to contribute offensively from game one,” Reichenbach said.

The University of Maine men and women’s track team was back in action at the America East championship meet on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24 in Boston. The men took home sixth place in the meet with 55.5 points, while the women finished eighth with 33 points.

Day one for the men saw the team garner all but one of their 19 points in just two events: the long jump and the pole vault. First-year Elijah White took home runner-up honors in the long jump with a personal best 7.05 meters, giving Maine eight points as a team. Second-year Troy Davis also scored in the event, as his 6.75-meter jump was good enough for sixth place.

Second-year Alecsander Wortman and third-year Devin Burgess finished back-to-back in the pole vault with 4.65 and 4.5 meters respectively, finishing in fifth and sixth place, and giving the Black Bears seven more points. Wortman would put up a personal best, while tying his brother, UMaine graduate Tristan Wortman for the third-highest jump in UMaine history.

The distance medley relay team of second-years Cooper Nelson and Branden Kuusela, third-year Tucker Corbett and fourth-year Logan Moses rounded off the scoring with an eighth place finish of 10:31.62.

Day two featured redshirt fourth-year Jacob Johns finishing second in the mile at 4:07.46, less than a second behind Grant Hauver, a second-year at UMass Lowell.

Fourth-year Mozai Nelson pulled in three more points and a sixth place finish in the 200 with a time of 22.19 seconds. Third-year Aaron Willingham also took home three points for the Black Bears with a sixth place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:24.03

White took home fourth in the triple jump, and redshirt fourth-year Scott Murray earned sixth in shot put. The scoring would be rounded out by second-year Camden Cleathero, who took home fourth in the pentathlon to give the Black Bears five more points.

On the women’s side, Maine tallied 14 points on day one, courtesy of the throwing events. Fourth-year Rachel Bergeron led the charge with a runner-up finish in the weight throw, finishing with a 17.03-meter toss. First-year Alice Barnsdale finished right behind Bergeron, picking up another six points on a third place finish a 17.00 meter toss. Both would earn all-conference honors for their finishes.

Day two showcased third-year Lauren Magnuson, who finished in second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.49 seconds, the second fastest time in that event in program history.

Magnuson was also recognized as the America East Elite 18 recipient for track and field, awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at each of the finals sites for all 18 sports that America East competes in. She was recognized for her 3.96 GPA.

Fourth-year Kaitlin Saulter and second-year Tiffany Tanner each took home seventh place finishes in the mile and 800-meter, adding two points each to Maine’s team score.

Both teams will be down in Boston on Sunday, Feb. 25 for the Last Chance Meet in order to qualify for nationals.   

With spring looming ever closer, and the University of Maine baseball team starting its season with a weekend series against Texas Tech, the team comes in another year older, and with that, adds another year of experience.

Maine is coming off a 25-29 season that saw them lose the first three games to Winthrop University and go into a stretch between March 7 and April 1 that saw them lose 10 games out of 11 played, including a series cancellation against the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Playing away from Orono was a thorn in the Black Bears’ side, going an abysmal 1-18 on the road, compared to a more respectable 14-5 at Mahaney Diamond, and 10-6 at neutral site games.

For the Black Bears, it all comes down to having the right attitude and doing things the right way. And according to Head Coach Nick Derba, that starts at the top.

“Last season being a tale of two seasons starts with me. I didn’t have an identity as far as being a head coach goes, and there were things that I did that I didn’t believe in. The team followed suit. When you look out on the field and see something that you don’t like, the leadership is usually the problem. As the season moved on, I found my groove, and it trickled down once the guys saw what was expected,” Derba said.

There was speculation as to whether or not Maine would search further for a new head coach after Steve Trimper left to take the Stetson University job. But after Derba willed his team to their highest win total in four years, the interim tag was removed.

The Maine bats should be alive and roaring this spring, as the team’s batting leaders, fourth-year catcher Christopher Bec and third-year shortstop Jeremy Pena return. A healthy third-year third baseman Danny Casals and second-year first baseman Hernen Sardinas gaining more experience should help a deep lineup, one that finished with a team batting average of .285. The question now is who will be the run producer in the middle of the lineup, having lost right fielder and RBI leader Tyler Schwanz to graduation. Will any of the underclassmen step up and fill a big hole in the lineup? Is a rebound from third-year outfielder Colin Ridley, who hit .299 with six home runs and 42 RBI’s in his first season before slumping to a .215 in 21 games last year, in the making?

Pitching is another question mark for this team coming into the season. Black Bear pitching finished the season with a 4.73 ERA, which, while still better than six professional teams, is not quite going to get the job done. Fourth-year Justin Courtney paced the starting rotation with a 3.92. Third-year Nick Silva, while looking brilliant in four relief appearances, still finished with a 4.64. Third-year John Arel was hampered by injuries and will look to bounce back.The bullpen also had its fair share of issues, with fourth-year left-hander Connor Johnson sporting a 5.31. However, the wild card this season will be redshirt third-year right hander Chris Murphy.

Murphy struggled in 2017, pitching to an 8.04 ERA over seven appearances covering just 15.2 innings, while walking 20 and striking out 11. For a team that struggled with collecting big strikeouts when they needed it, Murphy will have to build on a 2016 that saw him punch out 54 hitters in 41 innings. Derba believes that Murphy is starting to figure out the learning curve.

“Murph has a plethora of talent, and he has the mental capacity to be successful. We just have to stay patient with him, because some players bloom a little later,” Derba said.

Murphy won’t be the only one one looking to turn the corner for the Black Bears this season. All of the returning players look to build on what they did last season. Silva believes that this year’s upperclassmen are hungry, knowing that the younger guys are waiting in the wings.

“The underclassmen bring a great attitude to the team, and really challenge us older guys. They want to to take our spots, so it’s great to have that competition,” Silva said.

There is not much that can be done on an individual level to help the team win, except of course, making the adjustments and bringing the competitive fire every single day.

“I just need to get ahead in counts, throw the pitches I want to be able to instead of getting into fastball counts. Everybody knows the fastball is coming in that spot, and it makes it easier to hit,” Johnson said.

The ceiling has been set high for the Black Bears in 2018. But projections really do not mean anything if they can’t execute the plays and play a clean game. And they have a daunting task at hand with a nationally ranked team as the first test. If they can stay competitive, maybe steal a game or two over the Red Raiders, there has to be reason to be optimistic.

The University of Maine swimming and diving team competed in the America East championships starting on Thursday, Feb. 15 at the Sports and Recreation Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In the first men’s championship since the 2012-2013 season, Maine sat in third place with 365.5 points, trailing both the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and Binghamton University as of Saturday night. The Virginia Military Institute sat behind the Black Bears in fourth place.

Second-year Coulter Morrill, first-years Hayden Kasavicha and Andy Sprague, and fourth-year Alexander Penn willed the Black Bears to a third place finish in the 800-meter freestyle relay, finishing in 7:16.57. Maine would secure another third place finish in the 200-meter medley relay, as first-years Nick Gould, Jack McNamara and Jacob Ketch, and fourth-year Kevin Clyne finished in 1:37.38. In 3-meter diving, first-years Kyle Adams and Ben Sturgis finished in back to back placements, with Adams coming in seventh with a score of 223.1, while Sturgis took eighth with a score of 183.6.

Day two saw a school record fall in the 200-meter freestyle relay. Sprague, Ketch, Coyne and second-year Justin Hafner finished the race in 1:23.46, breaking the previous record of 1:23.89. Sprague picked up 9 points in the 50-meter freestyle with a ninth place finish of 21.1 seconds.

Clyne gave a strong finish in the 100-butterfly, taking fifth place with a time of 50.76 seconds. Second-year Calvin Cleworth, first year Nick Gould and Ketch finished ninth, 10th and 13th respectively.

First-year Kazu Temple stole the show for the Black Bears on day three by breaking another school record, finishing the 100-meter breaststroke in 56.66 seconds. This time beat the record set by Nathan Richard back in 2007 by just four hundredths of a second. The fifth place finish gave Maine another 14 points towards their overall score. Maine would pick up another 12 points on a seventh place finish by Morrill in the 200-meter freestyle. The day would end with a third place finish in the 400-meter medley relay from Sprague, Temple, Clyne and fourth-year Conor Mayhew, finishing in 3:26.21.   

On the women’s side, Maine enters the final day of competition in fifth place, trailing the University of New Hampshire, Binghamton, UMBC and the University of Vermont. VMI brings up the rear.

After failing to have a diver reach the finals, the 800-meter freestyle relay team put the Black Bears on the board. Third-year Shayla-Rose Kleisinger, fourth-year Juliana McDonald, first-year Emily Lund and second-year Ines Khiyara put together a fourth place finish for 30 points. Second-years Emma Blair and Sabrina Nuttall teamed up with fourth-years Victoria Kingston and Emily Borger for a fifth place finish for another 28 points.

Once again, a diver failed to reach the finals. Kleisinger would add 9 points with a ninth place finish in the 500-meter freestyle, finishing in 5:04.66. Lund would pick up another 2 points with a 15th place finish.

Second-year Lynsie Russell pulled out an eighth place finish in the “A” final of the 200-meter individual medley, finishing with a time of 2:08.56, garnering 11 points for the team. First-year Caroline Strolic finished 12th with a time of 2:09.34.

The Black Bears picked up 40 points in the 50-meter freestyle, when Borger, McDonald and Blair finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively, and second-year Kate Pontius finished 16th for the last point of the event.

Borger, Blair, McDonald and Nuttall capped off the day with a second place finish in the 200-meter freestyle relay.

Day three started with the 400-meter individual medley, Russell, Khiyara and Strolic provided the scoring for Maine with finishes of 10th, 14th and 15th respectively.

Kingston gave the Black Bears their best individual showing on the meet with a fourth place showing in the 100-meter butterfly, finishing the race in 56.75 seconds. Pontius finished 13th with a time of 58.83 seconds.

The Black Bears would wrap up the day with a fifth place finish in the 400-meter medley relay, thanks to third-year Megan McGillivray, Nuttall, Kingston and McDonald.

The America East finals will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Men and Women Swim Teams Wrap Up at America East

The University of Maine swim team wrapped up action at the America East Championships on Sunday, Feb 18. The men finished in third with a team score of 576.5  and the women finished fifth with a score of 402.

On the men’s side, Temple and third-year Sean Driscoll both broke the school record in the 200-breaststroke set by Richard back in 2007. Temple’s 2:04.23 and Driscoll’s 2:04.49, which bested Richard’s 2:05.67, were good for fourth and fifth places respectively. Morrill and McNamara also scored in the event with an eighth and a ninth place finish.

Maine would take 24 points in the 200-yard butterfly, thanks to a sixth place finish by Sprague and an eighth place finish by Cleworth. In the 1,650-yard freestyle, second-year Alexander Watson and first-year Andrew Plese finished in back to back positions, at 17:14.28 and 17:28.05 respectively.

Two top 10 finishes in the 200-backstroke would follow, as fourth-year Connor Mayhew finished in seventh at 1:53.64, and first-year Nick Gould took 10th with a time of 1:58.65.

The Black Bears would end the scoring in the 1-meter diving, where Adams and Sturgis finished seventh and eighth with scores of 246.9 and 184.15 respectively.

The University of Maryland Baltimore County won the meet with 1,113 points, followed by Binghamton with 817.5 points. The Virginia Military Institute would bring up the rear with 358 points.

The women came firing out of the gates, having three swimmers finish the 100-yard freestyle finish in the top eight. McDonald took fifth place with a time of 51.78 seconds. Borger and Blair finished seventh and eighth respectively, with times of 52.05 and 52.12 seconds.

Russell took home sixth place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:02.93. In the 200-meter breaststroke, Maine had four swimmers clustered between ninth and 13th, as Nuttall and Caroline Strolic took ninth and 10th, while second-year Emma Blackdeer and Khiyara took 12th and 13th.

The day ended with the 400-yard freestyle relay team of McDonald, Borger, Blair and second-year Rita Chen breaking the school record of 3:28.31, finishing in 3:28.13.

The University of New Hampshire won the meet with a team score of 794. Maine would finish ahead of just the Virginia Military Institute, who finished with 130 points.

*Editor’s note: This article has been edited to reflect the properly identify the athletes as well to provide coverage to Sunday’s results. Kevin Clyne was part of the record breaking relay team. Sunday’s results were not part of the original article*

The University of Maine men’s hockey team is exceeding the expectations the pundits (myself included to a certain extent) gave them. Expected to finish at or near the bottom of Hockey East play this season, the Black Bears are sitting in fifth place at 9-7-3 within the conference, and 15-10-4 overall. This record puts them just outside of the top four with 21 points, sandwiched in between Boston University and The University of Massachusetts Lowell, and just five points behind conference leader Boston College. Barring any sort of stumble, Maine could host a quarterfinal matchup in the Hockey East tournament.

The key to the success of the team this season has been its young core, and one of the contributors to this core is second-year forward Mitch Fossier.

Fossier, who committed to the University of Maine as a 16-year-old, has 24 points on the season so far, having scored eight goals and dished out 16 assists. He has notched multiple points in a game on 10 separate occasions, including three against the University of Vermont on Dec. 2 by tallying three assists in the Black Bears’ 6-2 victory over the Catamounts.

With the amount of talent he displays on the ice, one would expect that he would have started to skate at an early age and would have lived somewhere that would afford him the ample opportunity to do so, whether for drills or just to have fun. Well, there is truth to this.

“My dad played at the college level, so he he had me on skates when I was little. I also played lacrosse and tennis, a year of football, but hockey was always my favorite,” Fossier said.

The difference is the hometown. Fossier hails from Alpharetta, Georgia, a half hour outside of Atlanta, where hockey has struggled to find a footing at the professional level. The Flames started there in 1972 before moving to Calgary after nine seasons, and the Thrashers, having made one playoff appearance in 15 seasons, moved after the 2010-2011 season to become the Winnipeg Jets. He does not find this to be a problem, and has gone to the necessary lengths to excel at the sport.

“When you play hockey in Georgia, you head north to play against different teams. Then there is juniors, so I spent a year in Wisconsin, a year in South Dakota for the Sioux City Musketeers, and a year in Michigan. I was pretty well adjusted by the time I got here to Maine,” Fossier said.

Despite there not being a professional team in the area, he is encouraged by the interest in the sport at the youth level.

“You wouldn’t think it, but the Atlanta area does have that pocket where hockey is gaining popularity. It’s great to go back to the Cooler (one of the local ice rinks) and get the kids excited to play,” Fossier said.

There is a similar sense of optimism within the Black Bear locker room.

“Hockey’s popularity is growing, especially at the youth level. There is that pocket there, and it is always great to see kids on the ice when we head back for offseason training,” Chase Pearson, second-year center and linemate to Fossier, said.

Coming from a town where hockey is not expected to be popular, one would think that two top-rate players would have been playing together for a long time. Sometimes, your first experience with someone from your hometown comes by going against them.

“You would think that coming from the same town, living 10 minutes up the road from somebody, that you would be playing with them your whole life. I knew of Mitch [Fossier], but that was mostly through playing against him in youth league. The first time we played on the same team was when we came here,” Pearson said.

Sport, art and balancing the workload

Black Bear fans know Fossier for what he does on the ice. What may come as a bit of a surprise is that he also expresses his artistic side through music.

“I started playing music when I was 10, and really got into it when I was 12 or 13. It’s another thing I am really passionate about, and it’s something I have worked a lot with at school. I’m sure I will be doing something within music to a good extent, depending on what else I am doing and how much time I will have,” he said.

While a gig schedule in the area is sure to be released, Fossier can’t really guarantee an appearance on any sort of singing competition.

Being a student athlete is already a juggling act, almost as if it were two full-time jobs in and of themselves. Adding performances could certainly strain the level of attention further. For Fossier, it all comes down to focusing on one thing at a time.

“It’s certainly a lot and makes for very busy days. The time to get done what needs to be done is there, I just have to be careful with managing my time. I like to think I am good at staying in the moment, so I am typically focused on what I am doing, whether that is my class work, hockey, or music,” Fossier said.

A new media student, who is not sure exactly what to do with the degree, Fossier is keeping his eye on his passions. And with two seasons left, he looks to hone his skills and make whatever it takes to get to the biggest stage happen.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team (13-8, 6-2) rode an 11-1 fourth quarter run to defeat the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (14-7, 5-2) by a 56-46 score from Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, NH on Wednesday. Second-year guard Blanca Millan led the surge, scoring six points of the 11 to finish with 16 on the game.

Second-year forward Fanny Wadling would start the scoring for the Black Bears with a little jump shot, but UNH would go on a mini-run, scoring the next six points. Wadling and redshirt third-year guard Tanesha Sutton would lead the Black Bears to a 9-0 run to give them a little separation.

The Black Bears would build up a double digit point lead at 30-19 with 4:08 to go in the first half when the Wildcats made things interesting, going on a 7-1 run to close out the half down by five.

Maine shot well from the field, going 50 percent overall, but struggled from three point range, going 2-7. New Hampshire won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Black Bears 18-10. Maine won the turnover battle, forcing 11 while committing just four.

Both teams went tit for tat in the third quarter. Maine built their lead back to 11 with a pair of free throws from second-year guard Julie Brosseau before the Wildcats came clawing back on the strength of a 9-1 run, cutting the deficit down to 43-39 heading into the fourth.

New Hampshire would tie the game at 43-43 with a pair of free throws from fourth-year center Carlie Pogue with 7:53 to go in the quarter. A fast break layup by Sutton gave the Black Bears the lead, but Pogue would answer with another jumper. Millan would take over from there, scoring six straight points for Maine.

The Black Bears finished the game shooting 43.1 percent from the floor, including a paltry 20 percent from three point range. The Wildcats held the edge in rebounds at 35-30, as well as second chance points at 11-6. Maine’s defense played airtight, forcing 18 turnovers to their 10, and outscoring the Wildcats 17-13 on the takeaway. New Hampshire finished the night shooting 32.6 percent.

On top of Millan’s 16 points, Sutton and Wadling both finished in double figures with 15 points and 14 points respectively. Wadling also pulled down 10 rebounds to finish with her first double-double as a Black Bear. Pogue was the only Wildcat to finish in double figures, leading all scorers with 22 points.

According to their Twitter page, during their current winning streak, they have trailed for just two and a half minutes while commiting 7.7 turnovers per game.

New Hampshire will be at home to take on the Binghamton University Bearcats on Saturday, Jan. 27, with the opening tip set for 1 p.m.

Black Bears demolish Retrievers to keep streak alive

Excellent defense and clutch shooting gave Maine their fourth straight win, a 69-36 shellacking of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) (2-19, 1-7).

The only time the Retrievers were in the game came with 7:36 left in the first quarter, when Millan was called for a foul on first-year forward Janee’a Summers, who made her layup and sank the following free throw to knot the game up.

From that point on, the Black Bears dominated the quarter, going on a 13-2 run where UMBC would not score for another four minutes.    

The second quarter was only marginally better for UMBC, as they were able to put up 11 points, including six on a pair of three pointers by second-year guard Allison McGrath. Unfortunately for the Retrievers, Maine also shot well in the second, putting up 20 on the quarter to build up a 36-16 lead into halftime.

Brosseau led all scorers in the first half, going four for eight from beyond the arc and two for two from the free throw line to tally 14 points. Maine outshot UMBC 41.3 percent to 20.8 percent. The Black Bears outrebounded the Retrievers 20-18, and ran away with points off turnovers in the first half, 12-0.

Neither team had could get anything going in the third quarter. After Maine’s lead reached 41-16, UMBC went on to score seven unanswered points and brought the score to 41-23 before Wadling gave Maine a spark.

“In the third quarter, we were getting good looks but we weren’t making the shots. We talked about shooting with confidence and in the fourth quarter we did exactly that,” Head Coach Amy Vachon said.

As well as the offense played, the defense was critical for setting the table. This has been true over the streak, as Maine is giving up just 45 and a quarter points per game.

“We’re forcing teams to commit a lot of turnovers and we’re creating our offense off of that. It’s great for us,” Sutton said.

Maine would finish the game shooting an impressive 42.4 percent from 3-point range, making more three pointers than UMBC would make in combined shots.

“They’re a great three point shooting team. We run their offense, knew that we didn’t want to let in any back door stuff, and unfortunately, that sets up a lot of open three point opportunities.They hit some big threes at times we could not afford it,” UMBC Head Coach Phil Stern said.

The Black Bears can extend their streak to five games on Wednesday, Jan. 31 when they take the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Riverhawks down in Lowell, Mass. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. UMBC will look to avoid their 20th loss of the season when they battle Stony Brook on Wednesday at 7 p.m. from the Retriever Activities Center in Baltimore.