Summer 2003

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– Charles Creekmore, Matt Despres ’03

THREE-YEAR HIGH: WHEN THE FIFTH--RANKED men’s lacrosse team played in the NCAA Championship Quarter-finals on May 17, the guys hit a brick wall. It was the third-ranked Maryland Terrapins. The game proved an old axiom: “There’s no offense against a great defense.” Maryland, it seems, boasts the nation’s best D. The fallout was a 13-7 UMass loss. Coach Greg Cannella’s UMass squad draped itself in glory, however, ending the season with a 13-3 record and tying a school mark for most wins in a season. UMass also leads the nation with 37 victories since 2001. FUTURE SHOCK: Coach Carrie Bolduc’s women’s lacrosse team shocked, rocked and blocked its way into the future with its first appearance at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships since 1998. The team’s fine season came to an abrupt end when 13th-ranked Cornell eliminated it by a score of 14-8. The UMass women finished with an 11-8 record for the season after advancing to the ECAC for the fourth time. THE ICEMAN COMETH: The men’s hockey team iced its first winning season (19-17-1) since joining the Hockey East conference. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. The high point was whipping the University of Maine, a team that hadn’t lost a tourney game in 21 face-offs since 1994, and body-checking the Black Bears out of the Hockey East quarterfinals. The team’s coming-out party came to an untimely end in the semifinals, when UMass ended up a couple of stick passes short against the University of New Hampshire. UMass went down to a gutsy 5-4 defeat after twice storming back from two-goal deficits. Still, it was the squad’s best season since the hockey program was reinstated a decade ago. For his team’s heroics, head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon was named Hockey East Coach of the Year in just his third season, while defenseman Thomas Pöck and forward Stephen Werner were named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team. Pöck also received the Paul Hines Award, given annually by the New England Hockey Writers Association to the region’s most improved player. With all but two skaters returning, we’ll anxiously wait till next year, as the icemen come on in fine style. NO CHEAP SKATES: When last we checked on the women’s ice hockey club, the team had raced through its first year in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The squad was ranked second in the East and hoping for an invitation to the national tournament. Put that goal on ice. The Minutewomen proved themselves no cheap skates, finishing their year with a luxurious 18-8-2 record, including a 2-2 split in national tournament play. Their puckish performance vexing the opposition earned UMass a number four national ranking. Not bad for league newcomers who climbed a slippery slope, even finding enough games to qualify for postseason play. “This season was our first in the ACHA, and we were just excited to have something to play for,” says Anne-Marie Plain, who will serve as the team’s president next season. TOUCHE: The men’s and women’s fencing club foiled many an opponent while winning the national championships at the University of Florida in April. They out-dueled all comers to take top overall team honors, while the men’s foil squad, the women’s épée squad and the overall six-weapon team all won championships. KEEP ON TRUCKEE-NG: The women’s ski team went downhill fast – clear to Truckee, California, in the Sierras – to win the United States Collegiate Skiing Association (USCSA) Championships. While waxing athletic, the team also slashed to the league and Eastern Regional championships. UMass skiers were a model of consistency at the nationals, with a team victory in the giant slalom and third place in the slalom. Seven members won USCSA All-American honors. BIG BOARD WORK: Senior center Jen Butler will be going into the construction business. That’s board work, we mean: She became the first Minutewoman ever drafted by the Women’s National Basketball Association. Two good reasons for her second-round pick by the Cleveland Rockers were her UMass-record 1,328 rebounds and her selection as A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. MAGNIFICENT IN DEFEAT: The women’s softball team ended another star-studded season the hard way, with a 6-2 defeat to Southern Illinois in the NCAA Regional Tournament at the University of Alabama. Even with the loss, though, there were plenty of honors to go around for the 39-15 Minutewomen. They won their 16th Atlantic-10 title and placed a league-high six players on the All-Conference team. Also, this year, UMass mentor Elaine Sortino became the 16th softball coach in NCAA history to reach the 800-win mark in a career. PLAYING HARDBALL: The men’s baseball team played hardball with the rest of the conference to reach the Atlantic 10 Championship Final Series, but whiffed against Richmond in the deciding game, losing 7-4. UMass finished with a 26-19 record and the A-10 East Division title. The Minutemen also socked a triple by placing three ballplayers on the 2003 All-Atlantic 10 Championship Team.

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