UMPI sports update
The University of Maine at Presque Isle men’s and women’s soccer teams are getting ready to play in post-season tournaments in a couple weekends, while the volleyball team competes in a first-round match in their conference tourney this Saturday.
In other UMPI athletic news, track and field teams will compete for the first time during the 2017-18 school year and a major athletic department fundraiser is coming up soon.
Owls to host post-season tourneys
The University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletics Department has announced that it will host a post-season tournament for men’s and women’s soccer Nov. 5 and 6.
The tournament will represent a proposed conference that is currently seeking final approval from the NCAA. The proposed American Collegiate Athletic Association currently consists of UMPI, Finlandia University, SUNY-Canton, Mills College, Valley Forge, Pine Manor and Alfred State. Those seven schools have agreed to include their teams, if available, in a conference tournament to be hosted by UMPI and to be held at Scarborough High School.
The top four men’s and women’s teams will compete in a single-elimination format tournament that will include consolation games for first-round losers. Final seeding and participants have yet to be determined, but the tournament will begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 5, with the women’s championship set for 2 p.m. and the men’s championship at 4 p.m. on Nov. 6.
All games will be webcast live and links to those games, as well as any updates, will be found on the UMPI Athletics website, www.owls.umpi.edu.
Track team to form
Men’s and women’s track and field will be a new program offered by the university, beginning competition during the 2017-18 school year.
“Track and field is the next logical step in the growth of our athletics at University of Maine at Presque Isle,” said Athletic Director Mike Holmes. “It will help with the recruiting of other sports like soccer and cross country, and most importantly bring additional quality UMPI student athletes to our campus.”
The addition of men’s and women’s track and field will pur Owls athletics at 14 NCAA sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s Nordic skiing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, baseball and volleyball.
Major fundraiser planned Nov. 11
Mike Holmes
The University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Department will once again hold its major annual fundraiser in early November.
The Owls Action Auction will be held on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center and will include a dinner and raffle/auction similar to last year.
The program will kick-off with a social gathering at 6:30 p.m. followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m. The program will include talks from head coaches and random raffle drawings and will conclude with a live auction.
Raffle and auction items will include but are not limited to sports memorabilia, gift certificates to local Presque Isle businesses, team gift baskets and larger big-ticket items.
Funds from last year’s inaugural event aided in the enhancement of UMPI’s multi-media presence including upgrading components necessary to webcast athletic competitions. Funds were also used for improvements within Wieden Hall, the main structure housing the Owl’s athletic offices and facilities.
As participation and teams continue to grow, the Owls Action Auction will continue to be instrumental in raising the funds necessary to aid in continued promotion and development of varsity athletic programs.
Athletic Director Mike Holmes stated, “Like most places, funding is crucial for the advancement of our athletic teams. In addition, we think a fundraiser can reach out and involve a few of our best untapped sources; our tremendous athletic alumni base and surrounding community members.”
This event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased through the athletic department for $25. For more information on ticket purchases, contact Sandra McDougal at 768-9506. For more information about the event or donations, contact Sara Shaw at 768-9556.
Women’s soccer team ends season with loss
The UMPI women’s soccer team, ranked 16th in the USCAA, closed out their regular season by dropping a 10-0 decision to undefeated UM-Fort Kent in a road contest held Saturday.
With the loss, the Owls finished regular season play with a 5-7-2 mark.
UMFK dominated the game throughout. The Bengals scored six goals in the first half and added four more in the second half to cruise to victory. Eight different UMFK players scored goals in the blowout.
The Association of Division III Independents has honored one of the team’s senior players, naming Carla Halvorson (SR, Easton, ME) as the women’s soccer Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 16.
Halvorson helped lead the Owls to a 2-1 record the previous week with six goals and an assist for a total of 13 points. She began the week with the game-winning goal in the Owls’ 4-3 win at Daniel Webster Oct. 10. The forward followed that up with three goals and an assist at Hampshire on Oct. 15 before netting two goals at Fisher Oct. 16. The senior is second in the association with 12 goals and 26 points on the year.
This is the first AD3I award for the Easton native this year. Earlier this season she was named player of the week by the USCAA for the week ending Sept. 18.
Men fall at UM-Fort Kent
The University of Maine at Presque Isle Men’s Soccer team ended its regular season on the road, dropping a 10-0 decision Saturday to top-ranked team in the USCAA, the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
The Bengals dominated possession throughout, scoring five goals in each half, and rolled to the win. The Owls finish their regular season at 4-11-1.
Volleyball team prepares for playoffs
Despite a pair of losses over the weekend at New London, N.H., the UMPI volleyball team is heading to a post-season tourney.
The Owls earned the sixth seed in the North Atlantic Conference with their 2-5 league record. They are 5-26 overall on the season after losses to Colby-Sawyer and Maine Maritime Academy in weekend action.
MMA and Colby-Sawyer are the top seeds in the tourney. No. 6 UMPI will take on No. 3 Husson in the quarterfinals, to be played Saturday at 1 p.m. in Bangor. The winner will take on Colby-Sawyer in the semifinals Nov. 4 in Castine.
A live video feed will be available for the Owls’ matchup with Husson and can be found on the volleyball schedule page of owls.umpi.edu.
The match scores against Colby-Sawyer and MMA were both 3-0. Abby Jewett had 11 kills and 10 digs in the 25-18, 25-22, 25-11 loss to Colby-Sawyer. She had five kills and teammate Hannah Williams eight digs in the 25-11, 25-14, 25-21 loss to the Mariners.
