Tuesday afternoon, University of Maine President Susan Hunter and Chancellor James Page held a “One University Discussion” to go over more details and inform the public of the One University plan announced last January.

“From my perspective, and I’m sure from the Chancellor’s, it is very important to engage the campus on the initiative now and going forward,” Hunter said.

The plan is a multi-faceted effort to cut down the UMaine system deficit by the year 2020. A large part of this plan is to create “mission-differentiated campuses” to cut down on system-wide overlap and save money going forward.

Hunter went on to stress the idea of One University as a set of guidelines for discussion and progress as a system, providing groundwork for debate and development.

“The end state is envisioned as being a fully-integrated university with mission-differentiated campus,” Hunter said. “Campus differentiation is one aspect of this…but at the same time an integrated administrative structure.”

The importance of UMaine’s flagship university as a leader in change and discussion was highlighted by Hunter, as well as the opportunities that it offers as Maine’s sole land grant university.

“We do what we do very well, but what we now do we can actually do better,” Hunter said. “And we can do it better by being more formal and being more mindful about how we partner across the state. That will bring us to more people and bring more people in contact with us.”

Page echoed many of Hunter’s sentiments on the plan and their vision for the system going forward. He also introduced his one-sentence view for One University.

“In principle, all of our resources, wherever they may be throughout our system, can be brought to bear in coordinated support of every Maine student, business, and community,” Page said.

Page addressed concerns over the clarity and direction of One University, which has been a point of concern for students and faculty. He stressed the importance of the system-wide cooperation that went into developing the plan.

“These are not decisions that I make in a vacuum,” he said. “Those are decisions that are made by the campuses, by the deans, by the presidents and by others.”

The budget was one of the main focuses of Page’s speech, as he discussed the finer points of how they were going to ensure responsible spending and foster communication between the campuses on the topic.

“What we are looking for is a process by which the budgets are assembled on the campuses earlier and brought to the common table at a much earlier time, so that we can look across and see what are the challenges, what are the opportunities, how do we work together and how do we allocate resources,” he said.

In this plan, the budget would then be sent back to the campus with “some restrictions” for the campus to put to use.

A short question and answer section in which attendees were given the opportunity to raise concerns and ask questions about the plan followed Page’s portion of the discussion. The afternoon concluded with a group work portion, at which point most guests left.

Students donned large bubbles for a game of the second annual game of Black Bear Battle Ball soccer in the dome Saturday afternoon to benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children.

The event, put on by the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, featured teams of five in single-elimination 7 minute games. It was full contact, as with the bubbles, players simply bounced off of each other.

“We switched BBBB from the spring to the fall but out of nowhere we ended up with 38 teams,” ATO brother Connor Scott said. “We filled it up, which is really good this year.”

The event was funded by student government and free for students to sign up and play, a major factor in the 190 students that the event drew.

ATO raised $501 for Shriner’s, a hospital that holds a special place in Scott’s heart.

“Last year, one of our senior’s, when he was a kid, had a surgery that cost $600,000, which he could not have afforded,” he said. “The Shiner’s took him in an they paid for his surgery and all the recovery he needed and to this day if he needs anything associated with that, they take care of him.”

Students embraced the event and its competitive nature, while at the same time keeping it light.

“Even though we lost, it was still fun,” said one participant. “Just the concept of Battle Ball is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done.”

While the event raised a good amount of money, Scott and the other brothers involved are looking to the future. They are looking to raise more money next year by adding another field to meet their new goal of $2,000.

“We want it to become a UMaine tradition and something we can grow every year,” Scott said in an email. “We will have a much bigger event and raise a lot more money.”

Samantha Bradley hasn’t taken the most direct path to where she is now, but it is a part of who she is and, largely, where she is going.

Bradley, who is in her final semester at UMaine, was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia at a young age and struggled early academically. She was placed in special education classes, where she ended up helping her classmates understand some of the more difficult concepts.

“When I graduated from the learning center, I was really heartbroken because I really enjoyed helping the kids with the same issues that I have,” she said. “I felt like I was making a difference.”

Instead of letting her difficulties at a young age define her, she made the best of it and out of it came her life’s passion.

“In learning center when I was teaching my classmates, I realized, ‘this is what I want to do.’”

When Bradley was young, she felt pressured, like many of us do, to pick a career and have an idea of what she wanted to do from a young age. Although she realized what she wanted early, the idea still irked her.

“Even when you’re young, they ask you ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Like, you’re asking a four-year-old what they want to be when they grow up,” Bradley said. “I feel like this question of what you’re going to do for your life are always on your shoulders.”

Bradley felt expectations were high in high school, when many of her classmates were pursuing degrees at schools such as Harvard and Yale. She took a different route when she fell in love with UMaine on an impromptu visit with her mom.

Her first two years at school were another challenge for her, as she had a boyfriend back in Boston that kept her from spreading her wings socially. When they broke up the summer after freshman year, it left her in a difficult place.

“Sophomore year I didn’t have any friends,” she said. “Freshman year I kind of secluded myself because I had a boyfriend in Boston.”

A year after the breakup, Bradley knew that it was time to try something new, so when she decided against transferring, she joined a sorority.

“I said, ‘if I make friends out of it, I make friends out of it. I want to see how it goes,” she said.

As is the luck of Samantha Bradley, joining the sorority of her dreams didn’t take the path she would have preferred. She was not initially selected to join the sorority that she had set her sights on, instead being invited to join Phi Mu. Devastated, she decided to make the best of it.

“I decided to stick it out and it became the sorority I’m in now and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said.

She certainly did not realize when she was stuck in that relationship freshman year how much it was holding her back.

“I did not realize I was the person I am now when I broke up with him,” Bradley said. “Now, I’m just my own person and I’m doing my own thing.”

Now in her last semester at UMaine, Bradley is looking ahead toward what looks like an adventurous future.

“I want to travel,” she said of her plans before attending graduate school. “I’ve always had an obsession with Australia and New Zealand. I’ve always daydreamed about travelling everywhere.”

While her future, much like her past, may not take the path she envisions, her positive attitude and perseverance will get her where she wants to go.

A new music app called Trebel is looking to work it’s way into the cell phones of University of Maine students.

Trebel began with five schools and has since looked to expand, integrating their app into 20 new campuses.

Trebel Music, part of M&M Media, is gearing its content towards college students and encouraging interconnectivity among its users by allowing them to see the most popular songs and albums being played in their regions, as well as playlists made by friends.

“Trebel is for the college student that can’t afford to pay but wants total control over what they listen to,” Chief of Product Corey Jones said. “It’s the best free music download app out there that lets users pick and play their songs.”

Users pay for songs by watching ads that play when songs are downloaded. Users are required to watch for the duration of the ad, but will have the songs downloaded onto their phone upon completion. They earn coins that can be used to skip ads.

The app’s interface was designed by the daughters of CEO Gary Mekikan, Juliette and Grace. They wanted to make the app appeal to college students by giving it a new-age feel that would attract the younger generation.

“Trebel is built for millennials, by millenials,” Mekikian said. “It was important for us to put young people in charge of the design and function.”

Trebel’s parent company, M&M Media, began striking deals with major indie labels in 2014. This served as the beginning of Trebel Music and allowed them to release the initial wave of the app.

Trebel will be released to University of Maine students next week. Mekikian and Jones are both hopeful about the app’s adoption at UMaine and elsewhere.

“Maine is one of the larger and most socially active campuses in the region,” said Gary Mekikian said.  “If you look at the profile of students here and compare it to schools where the app has already had success, we think adoption and engagement are likely to be high.”

The founders of Trebel Music will be working with Greek organizations and student life to spread the word about their app and encourage students to download it. They will be incentivizing the download of their app with a code for $20 off Lyft, a popular ridesharing service featured in large cities.

Trebel will be available to students at the University of Maine the week of Sept. 21.

The University of Maine baseball team was able to build some confidence last week, taking down the University of Maine Presque Isle (UMPI) on Tuesday before winning two of their three games against America East conference rival University at Hartford. The Black Bears improve their record to 14-20 overall and 4-7 in conference play.

Black Bears blank Owls

The Black Bears hosted UMPI on Tuesday, taking down the Owls 6-0 for their first victory of the week. Third-year reliever Charlie Butler was awarded the win after pitching four shutout innings while striking out seven.

Second-year Maine starter Jeff Gelinas was wild in the first, loading the bases with two down before getting first-year outfielder Matt Curry to fly out to shallow right field neutralizing the threat.

The Black Bears got on the board early with some old-fashioned small ball. Fourth-year outfielder Sam Balzano reached first and then stole second and third on two straight pitches. He reached home on a groundout fielder’s choice from third-year second baseman Shane Bussey, giving the Black Bears an 1-0 advantage.

Third-year Maine catcher Kevin Stypulkowski was locked in defensively, throwing out two separate runners with perfect strikes to second base, bailing the Black Bears out of a couple of jams.

Maine tagged UMPI starter Ghazaleh Sailors, the only female NCAA baseball player, for two more runs in the second. Third-year first baseman Brenden Geary singled to left field and soon after scored on a sacrifice fly from first-year infielder Alex Cabrera. Stypulkowski scored the second run of the inning for the Black Bears, reaching on a fielder’s choice for a 3-0 advantage.

Sailors received the loss Tuesday, going six innings and giving up four earned runs with a strikeout and two walks.

Maine scored another pair of runs, this time unearned, in the bottom of the fourth. Geary reached on an error by the right fielder and was scored by a single to right field from Stypulkowski.

Stypulkowski scored thanks to some heads-up baserunning, taking second on a steal and advancing to third on a passed ball. Fourth-year outfielder Brian Doran singled him home for the fifth run of the game.

The Black Bears attained an insurance run in the fifth when third-year infielder Brett Chappell singled to left and scored on another Stypulkowski RBI for UMaine’s final run.

Stypulkowski powered the Black Bears’ offense, going 3-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Black bears take down Hawks in doubleheader

Maine built off their big win against UMPI on Saturday when they took a pair a games from Hartford, winning both games by a score 4-3

Early defensive lapses set the Black Bears back in the first inning and led to a quick 3-0 Hartford advantage. Chappell bobbled a ball at shortstop before Bussey botched an easy double play ball to put runners at first and second. First-year Hartford shortstop Ben Bengston walked to load the bases, setting up a fourth-year outfielder Ryan Lukach two-run single, with both runs scored unearned. Maine fourth-year starter Scott Heath induced a ground ball double play, though another run scored to give the Hawks a 3-0 advantage.

The Black Bears struggled stringing hits together against third-year starter Kyle Gauthier, who allowed seven hits and one earned run in 7.1 innings.

Third-year catcher Jonathan Salcedo singled to lead off the third inning and advanced to second on first-year left fielder Steven Adam’s single to left field, the first hit of his collegiate career. Balzano laid down a successful bunt to load the bases and Bussey grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to drive in the first Maine run of the game, cutting the Hartford lead down to only two runs.

Heath settled down after the first inning, tossing seven strong innings while fanning two and giving up no earned runs.

The Black Bears were held scoreless until the bottom of the eighth. Adam reached for the second time on an error, Bussey singled and Heath walked to load the bases with one out. The Hawks brought in third-year Jacob Mellin in relief, but it was too late. Chappell launched a sacrifice fly to right-center field to bring the score to 3-2 and Doran ripped a double, scoring two and giving Maine the 4-3 advantage.

Third-year Maine reliever Charlie Butler got the win, throwing two shutout innings to ensure the victory.

The Black Bears took the second game by an identical score in a similar game.

Fourth-year Hartford shortstop Trey Stover reached on an error and was batted around by a single from Mackinnon and a fielder’s choice for a 1-0 Hawks advantage.

The Black Bears jumped on Hartford third-year starter Sam McKay in the bottom of the fourth. Adam continued to produce with a leadoff single and Heath singled to center, putting runners at first and third. Chappell grounded to the infield but reached as Adam was thrown out at the plate. Morrill and Doran hit back-to-back singles, driving in three runs. McKay was tagged with the loss for the Hawks.

Bussey led off the next inning with a walk and scored when Adam knocked a double down the right field line.

The Black Bears endured a sixth inning rally when first-year starter Justin Courtney was relieved by third-year reliever Logan Fullmer. Fullmer struggled, giving up two runs in the sixth but was able to earn the save and a 4-3 win.

Courtney earned the win, going five innings and giving up just one unearned run.

Hawks outlast Black Bears

It was an outright duel on Sunday afternoon at the Mahaney Diamond as nine innings was not enough to decide game three of the series. Maine fell to the Hawks by a score of 6-3 in a 12 inning bout. Black Bears coach Steve Trimper decided to start fourth-year captain Jacob Gosselin-Deschesnes. Hartford went with third-year starter Bryan Murphy. Both pitchers pitched extremely well.

Gosselin-Deschesnes could not be solved by anyone except for Hartford’s second-year first baseman David Mackinnon. Hartford had just two hits through the first five innings, both coming from Mackinnon on singles to right and center field. After Mackinnon’s first single he was retired instantly from a textbook inning-ending double play turned by Chappell and Bussey. The second time that Mackinnon reached base in the fourth inning he slipped his way around the base path to score and give Hartford a 1-0 lead. He stole second base, reached third on a ground ball and then scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Hartford’s fourth-year right fielder Ryan Lukach.

Murphy had a no hitter going until the fourth inning when fourth-year left fielder Steven Adam cracked the code with a line-drive single to right field for the Black Bears. The next batter up was Maine’s fourth-year captain Scott Heath who walked, putting two men aboard with Chappell at bat next. Chappell took the first pitch he could hit for an absolute ride over the center fielder’s head, knocking in Adam to tie the game at 1-1 after four innings.

Maine struck again in the fifth inning when third-year catcher Jonathan Salcedo crossed the plate on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze play to give the Black Bears a 2-1 lead.  Salcedo got on with a four-pitch walk and then reached third on a hot hit, ground ball single up the first base line by Bussey. With runners on the corner for Maine, fourth-year centerfielder Sam Balzano laid down an excellent bunt for the suicide squeeze play to score Salcedo to give Maine the 2-1 advantage.

Chappell started Maine off with a leadoff double into the gap in left-centerfield in the sixth inning. Chappell’s double was followed up by a single to right field hit by fourth-year third baseman Luke Morrill, advancing Chappell to third. Next up was third-year first baseman Brenden Geary who wore a fastball off of his shoulder, which loaded the bases for Bussey.  Luckily for the Black Bears, Bryan Murphy threw a wild past ball allowing Chappell to score from third with ease increasing Maine’s lead to 3-1.

Hartford called in third-year side-arm pitcher Jeremy Charles to relieve in the seventh inning.  Charles did a great job retiring Black Bear hitters in the latter half of the game.  He was keeping Maine batters completely honest by changing up his pitches all afternoon. Charles was mixing in obscene breaking balls, change-ups, bringing his heat all over the strike zone.

The Black Bears decided to make a call to the bullpen in the eighth inning to Fullmer for relief.  Fullmer leads the Maine pitching staff with the lowest earned run average on the season, but unfortunately Fullmer had a poor outing. He struggled in this game, finishing his one inning of work having allowed two earned runs and Hartford tied the game at 3-3. Lukach smacked a two run RBI double to left for his second and third RBI on the day to tie the contest.

Fourth-year closing pitcher Charlie Butler got the call for the Black Bears to come in and give Maine a chance to win in walk-off fashion. He did all he could, pitching three excellent innings keeping Hartford shut down. The Black Bears couldn’t find any offense in extra innings and Hartford eventually got to Butler in the 12th. They put the game away in the 12th inning scoring three runs on five hits, running away with the win 6-3.

University of Maine third-year defensive end Michael Kozlakowski still remembers exactly how his shoulder felt when he tore a muscle at the beginning of last season, an injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the second straight season.

While the physical pain was taxing, the emotional toll was difficult on the hard-working business student.

That’s where head athletic trainer Ryan Taylor stepped in.

“As an athlete who hadn’t been injured before, Ryan Taylor took me under his wing and told me everything was going to be alright and just took it day by day,” Kozlakowski recalls.

Taylor’s life in athletic training started at his alma mater, the University of Toledo. He earned his master’s in administration and sports management before teaching high school and serving as the head athletic trainer for the St. Louis Attack arena football team.

On Sundays, Taylor would make his way to the St. Louis Rams’ stadium to help out as a volunteer athletic trainer.

“I’d get there Sunday morning and make sure the opposing team had water and ice and those kind of things,” Taylor said. “I didn’t really do much there other than taking care of amenities and whatever they needed.”

After 10 years of work in St. Louis, Taylor and his wife made their way to the University of Maine Presque Isle where he oversaw the men’s football team for three years before making the move to UMaine in 2007.

Now, Taylor is the head athletic trainer and oversees football.

“We have 450 athletes. I oversee the six other AT’s,” Taylor said. “We split it up so, for example, my main charge is football, which is 100 athletes.”

The responsibility of an athletic trainer lays heavy, especially when dealing with athletes who want more to push through and play rather than sit out, or even end their career, due to an injury.

“We don’t do that very often but you’re going to have one or two times a year that an athlete’s career comes to an end due to an injury,” he said. “They can be in some cases as young as a sophomore.”

“The hardest thing to do in my position is to disqualify somebody,” Taylor continued. “I tell people all the time: imagine you’re at work and you’re doing your job and somebody walks in the door and says, ‘because of this reason, you’re done.’”

Taylor’s job is made even more difficult by the fact that he has a personal relationship with most, if not all, UMaine athletes and genuinely wants to see each of them succeed.

“The one thing about Ryan is that he knows everyone through in and through out every sport,” Kozlakowski said. “You’re not just another number or another athlete to him. Everyone has a different relationship with him and that’s what brings out the best in him.”

When it comes to player safety, Taylor explains that there is a fine line between allowing a player to push through the pain and “tough it out” and sending them down a path where they will end up re-injured.

“We always err on the side of safety and always air on the side of caution, but that doesn’t mean we give players days off,” he said. “These athletes do have a responsibility to the University, to their team to get out there and perform. We try and push the envelop. We try and be aggressive and conservative at the same time. We are cautiously aggressive, which doesn’t make sense, but we’re going to push it but the as the athletes want to play and we go along with it but we aren’t going to let them go into that gray area where they’re in danger.”

Taylor takes the responsibility of his position very seriously, though that responsibility and the results that come from working with players are what keep Taylor going even when he sees players out with injuries.

“I like keeping people on the field,” he said. “I like seeing our quarterback get hit, have to leave the game, and work hard with him so he can play the next week.”

Taylor is well-liked by the players that he works with, which they show by the steady stream of visitors making funny faces and waving to him through the windows of his office.

As the person who can hold the career of a student-athlete in his hands, Taylor has a knack for making them feel comfortable even in their darkest times.

“Ryan was always calm and his emotions never got the best of him,” Kozlakowski said. “Sometimes when you get injured people get emotional too and it kind of brings you down but he was always there to support me throughout.”

It had been nearly three weeks since the University of Maine softball team was able to take the field after six games were cancelled due to weather.

They finally returned to the field Sunday, when they travelled to the University at Albany for a doubleheader that was shortened to a single contest. The Black Bears came out on top 2-0.  The series was supposed to take place in Maine but had to be moved due to weather, meaning that even though the game took place in Albany, they were still considered home games for the Black Bears.

The Black Bears improved their record to 12-13 on the year with a 1-0 conference mark.

Fourth-year pitcher Alexis Bogdonavich was nearly perfect Sunday, throwing a complete game two-hitter and striking out 10 batters. Bogdonavich improved her record to 7-3 on the season with 81 strikeouts.

The game was a pitcher’s duel that featured the league leading pitcher in Bogdonavich and its third best statistical pitcher in first-year Albany starter Devin Durando.

Bogdonavich is a large reason the Black Bears lead the America East Conference in earned run average with a 2.96 ERA, nearly a point lower than second place University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

The Black Bears drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning. First-year utility player Erica Leonard launched a solo homer off of Durando for her third home run of the year, which ties her for first on the team with third-year catcher Janelle Bouchard and fourth-year infielder Nikki Byron

Leonard was the most successful hitter for Maine on the day, recording two of the three hits that the Black Bears had on the day.

Durando played well, pitching six innings and giving up just one earned run but was outdueled by Bogdanavich. Durando now sits at 7-2 on the year with a miniscule 2.79 earned run average.

The Black Bears scored again in the sixth, though this time the run was unearned. Fourth-year outfielder Emj Fogel led off the inning with a single and advanced to second when third-year catcher Janelle Bouchard walked. They both advanced thanks to a sacrifice bunt and Fogel came up with a heads-up play when she was able to score on a passed ball to give the Black Bears a 2-0 lead.

The error was a rare fielding miscue for the Great Danes, who lead the league in team fielding.

The Black Bears will finish up their series against Albany Monday with a doubleheader. The games will start at 11:30 a.m.

Spring came for just a day last week, but that was enough for the University of Maine baseball team to play their season opener, a double-header Friday afternoon against Stony Brook University. The Black Bears dropped both games, the first one 3-1 and the second 8-5 in thirteen innings.

UMaine fell to 1-3 in conference play, while the Seawolves improved their America East-best mark to 6-2.

UMaine falls in extras

Friday’s first game was a slugfest that saw a combined 36 hits between the two teams. The Seawolves outlasted the Black Bears thanks to three runs in the thirteenth inning.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the second when third-year catcher Kevin Stypulkowski and third-year first baseman Brendan Geary both scored on singles for an early 2-0 advantage.

The Black Bears scored again when fourth-year pitcher and infielder Scott Heath doubled to left field and was advanced on a fielder’s choice, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly that was hit by fourth-year outfielder Brian Doran to extend the UMaine lead to three.

The Seawolves got on the board in the top of the fifth after an odd sequence. First-year infielder Andruw Gazzola reached first singled to left field and advanced on a wild pitch and then a balk. Gazzola scored on a fielder’s choice to put the Seawolves on the board.

Maine would add a run in the sixth, but knotted things up with three runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Gazzola scored on an error by Stypulski. Two batters later first-year infielder Bobby Honeyman scored unearned on a a single by second-year Jeremy Giles.

Stony Brook tied the game in the next inning when the Seawolves rattled off three straight singles. Second-year infielder Toby Handley scored on a sacrifice bunt, sending the game into extra innings.

Each team scored in the 12th inning, setting the stage for a three-run 13th inning from Stony Brook. They jumped on third-year pitcher Charlie Butler. Honeyman singled to right field and was advanced to second on a Peragine walk. Handey singled him in before third-year outfielder Jeff Parenty doubled in two more for the three-run advantage.

Butler got the loss for the Black Bears, giving up three runs in one inning of work. First-year starter Justin Courtney pitched well, going 6.2 innings and giving up one earned run.

The win went to first-year Teddy Rodliff, who gave up one run in five innings of relief.

Black Bears drop tight contest

The Black Bears scored in the first inning of the first game, but were held in check for the rest of the contest. First-year Stony Brook starter Kevin Kernan gave up the early one but settled down, throwing four strong innings in which he struck out two and gave up four hits.

Fourth-year outfielder Sam Balzano singled to lead off the game for the Black Bears, increasing his batting average to .345 on the year.

Third-year infielder Shane Bussey advanced him to third on a bloop single to left field and Balzano scored on a sacrifice fly from fourth-year pitcher Scott Heath for the Black Bears’ lone run.

The Seawolves jumped on Heath early, posting a run in the top of the second. Fourth-year infielder Robert Chavarria opened the inning with a double and advanced to third on an error by Bussey. Third-year third baseman Johnny Caputo knocked him in with a single up the middle, tying things at one run apiece.

Stony Brook scored again in the fourth by using some small ball. Chavarria walked to lead things off and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. He scored his second run of the game on a single by first-year Malcolm Nachmanoff for a 2-1 Seawolves advantage.

The Seawolves tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Fourth-year infielder Cole Pelagrine singled to right field and was scored when second-year outfielder Toby Handley ripped a triple to right, ensuring Stony Brook a 3-1 victory.

Heath pitched a solid game, throwing seven innings and giving up three runs and striking out four batters. Kernan got the win for the Seawolves, while second-year pitcher Cameron Stone picked up his first save of the year, throwing three scoreless innings of work.

The Black Bears will take the field again when they host Thomas College Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Natural Born Leader

It has been a long road for the University of Maine women’s basketball team in the last four

years. A coaching change four seasons ago and a couple of years near the bottom of their conference preceded where they are now, atop the America East Conference.

The one on-court presence that has been there through it all has been fourth-year guard Courtney Anderson, who took on a leadership role from day one.

“I’ve felt that responsibility since I got here,” Anderson said. “I had to grow up quickly and I fill that position naturally. I’m very vocal and I try to take advantage of knowing what coach is saying and what he’s looking for.”

With the team in the midst of a 13-game winning streak, it is easy to forget the struggles that the program has gone through for the last few years. In her first two years as a Black Bear, the team went a combined 12-48.

Anderson was recruited by former head coach Cindy Blodgett, who was fired before Anderson had the chance to play for her. Instead, she has played her four years under the leadership of current head coach Richard Barron.

Out of the five players that came in Anderson’s recruiting class, she is the lone senior left on the team. Throughout the adversity in adjusting to a coach that didn’t recruit her and a youthful team in her early years, Anderson has persevered.

“I think I fit in well with what coach was looking for in that I’m a hard-working person who controls the two things that we can control: attitude and effort,” Anderson said.

Though he didn’t recruit her himself, Baron had high expectations of Anderson from the get-go. Though she is a natural born leader, it didn’t all come easy.

“It was difficult in the way that Coach Barron wanted me to lead,” Anderson said. “Pieces like holding people accountable wasn’t easy for me because I’m not much of a person that likes conflict whatsoever, so that was a big problem for me.”

The women’s basketball team has drawn some of their larger crowds in the last month or so, making for some loud playing environments. Through the noise, Anderson’s voice can be heard barking orders and calling plays.

That leadership starts in practice, where the team breaks up into white and blue teams. The blue team is composed of starters and players who are on the court for the majority of the game, while the white is largely underclassmen. Anderson heads the white team and takes pride taking underclassmen such as second-year Sheraton Jones under her wing.

“I thoroughly enjoy playing with them every single day,” Anderson said. “They’re a really good group of young kids that are working really hard to make this program better.”

Growing up around the game

Anderson grew up watching Maine High School basketball, falling in love with the game during school breaks at the Augusta Civic Center and Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

“Down in Portland I would just sit there and watch,” Anderson said. “There were plenty of teams growing up that had people that I thought were great.”

Anderson’s attitude towards team basketball stems from her time watching those games from a young age and seeing teams that played together succeed.

“I liked watching the game and understanding the game. It was never just one player,” Anderson said. “Those weeks spent at the Augusta Civic Center were definitely part of it and just my family background too.”

The Anderson family is big on athletics, with Anderson’s younger sister Kristen playing for rival University of New Hampshire (UNH). Their mother played basketball for the University of Southern Maine and their father played football for Norwich University.

When the younger Anderson sister was looking at schools, her family was supportive of her choice, even if it meant going to a rival school

“Did I want to play with my sister again? Of course,” Anderson said. “But I wanted her to go to a place where she was happy.”

“I am a UNH women’s basketball fan on every day of the week besides the one we play them,” Anderson confessed.

“I know I said UNH women’s basketball, but UNH nothing else,” she clarified. “Just women’s basketball.”

Brighter days

In the second half of Anderson’s time at UMaine, the women’s basketball team has seen a stark contrast in results. The Black Bears are sitting atop the America East and playing with a confidence that they haven’t before.

“I think a lot of experience plays into it,” Anderson said. “We’ve been together for three years now, at least the majority of us. Eight of us have been together for three years now so that’s a huge piece of it.”

A major turning point for Anderson was a talk she had with Coach Barron on the bus coming back from a tough road loss. The conversation changed the way she looked at basketball and her life.

“He used to call people up to the front of the bus and it was really the turning point in me starting to hold people accountable and things of that nature,” Anderson said. “He just asked me, ‘What do you believe in that you would stand up for no matter what?”

“That to me was one of one of the strongest questions when I was moving into my faith and my love of God and even my teammates,” she continued. “Taking that question within the basketball realm and then the outside world, it really changed me.”

Barron, a fiery competitor, means a lot more to Anderson and the team than his passionate exterior.

“To us, he has a strong attitude about making us the best people that we can be and the best students we can be, the best basketball players we can be,” Anderson said. “Obviously that’s his job but he takes so much pride in just loving us and making us the best people we can be.”

Courtney Anderson Night

Thursday Feb. 26 is Senior Night for the team, but with Anderson the last standing senior, Coach Barron has dubbed it “Courtney Anderson Night.”

Anderson, an elementary education major, is looking to become a coach in the future. She was recently accepted into the “So You Want To Be A Coach” program that helps develop collegiate basketball players to be future coaches.

“I knew it coming in,” Anderson said. “I’ve known it for a while. You can get a degree in anything, but you can’t get a degree in coaching so the teaching degree kind of goes hand in hand with coaching.”

With the ending of the season and graduation looming, it looks like Anderson won’t be away from the hardwood for long.

The University of Maine women’s basketball continued to roll last week, starting Wednesday night when they dominated their trip to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell before taking down Stony Brook University at home.

Black Bears blow out Lowell

UMaine ran an efficient offense all night, shooting just under 60 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc. They also locked down on the Riverhawks defensively, who shot 29.4 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Third-year forward Liz Wood led all scorers with 21 points on the night, adding six boards and five assists. Third-year guard Chantel Charles continued her hot streak, chipping in 12 points.

Both teams came out of the gate firing offensively, with the score tied at 16-16 halfway through the first frame.

Charles was able to put the Black Bears ahead, converting an and-one layup before nailing a three-pointer on the following possession. Third-year guard Lauren Bodine chipped in a pair of three-pointers before the end of the half, which ended in a 45-26 UMaine advantage.

Bodine, who has been quiet so far this season, connected on all four of her three-point attempts for 12 points on the night.

UMass Lowell third-year guard Jasmine McRoy hit a pair of three-pointers to cut into the UMaine lead to start off the second half, but good team offense from the Black Bears kept the Riverhawks at arms length.

McRoy scored a team-high 14 assists with three boards.

UMaine showed their depth in the second half with the game in hand, as 34 of their points came from the bench.

The Black Bears dominated the undersized Riverhawks on the boards, outrebounding them 36-22.

UMaine second-year guard Sigi Koizar was the main facilitator for the Black Bears offensively, dishing out five assists and grabbing four boards.

UMaine outlasts Stony Brook

The Black Bears played their first tightly contested game on Saturday since Feb. 1, upending Stony Brook 57-49.

Liz Wood was the player of the game, scoring 17 points and recording 10 boards. Koizar was the leading scorer with 21 points.

“We got punched in mouth the beginning of the first half,” Wood said. “But we responded well and I think that’s important for us, especially when we head into tournament time.”

The Black Bears got out to a rocky start, finding themselves in a 20-12 hole halfway through the first frame.
Fourth-year guard Courtney Anderson cut the lead to five with a big three-pointer that Wood followed up with a three of her own. Third-year forward Bella Swan and Koizar hit back-to-back layups to take a slim advantage.

Stony Brook second-year guard Christa Scognamiglio had 11 first-half points for the Seawolves and would go on to lead the team with 14 points and three boards.

The Seawolves would fight back to take a two point lead but a layup from Wood and three-pointer from Koizar before the half would give the Black Bears a 30-28 advantage at the half.

The Black Bears had some issues keeping the ball offensively, turning the ball over 14 times. This allowed Stony Brook 18 points off of turnovers, while the Black Bears had just four.

“I can put different players in different positions and that causes some mismatch problems,” Stony Brook head coach Caroline McCombs said.

Koizar started the second half off on a familiar note, hitting a three-pointer to spark a quick 7-0 UMaine run.

Stony Brook had a strong performance from fourth-year guard Jessica Ogunnorin, who chipped in nine points with seven rebounds.

The Black Bears switched from their matchup zone defense to a man defense and were successful in the man, holding the Seawolves to 36 percent shooting from the field for the game.

Free throw shooting down the stretch won the game for the Black Bears, who did not score a basket in the last 7:37 due to the amount of free throws they took. Koizar lead the way with nine of her 21 points coming from the charity stripe.

“It’s just another free throw,” Koizar said. “It’s the same distance as practice, it’s the same ball. Just a routine play.”

The large crowd at the Cross Insurance Center was buzzing near the end of the game, urged on by an excited Barron.

“Towards the end of the game we needed the crowd,” Barron said. “We needed the crowd to get behind us so I was trying to implore them to get up and cheer.”