PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle has hired three new head coaches for the upcoming athletic season.
Women’s softball, women’s soccer and men’s golf will each have new head coaches this season, according to a press release from Gavin Kane, the sports information director of the Athletic Department.
Alissa Edwards, who will serve as head coach of the women’s softball team, is a former UMPI Owl herself. Edwards played softball until her junior year when she suffered an injury that ended her athletic career. During her last two years at UMPI, Edwards was an assistant coach for the women’s softball team. She will replace former coach Sara Shaw, who resigned to become the athletics director at Thomas College.
Edwards said she is pleased to coach the team as they work to secure the championship in the North Atlantic Conference Tournament. This past season, the women’s softball team advanced to the tournament, finishing in third place.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue to be part of the UMPI athletics department and coach such a great group of softball student-athletes,” stated Coach Edwards. “I couldn’t ask for a better place to start my coaching career than the University of Maine at Presque Isle … I look forward to helping the program reach new heights as we continue our quest for our first North Atlantic Conference championship and a berth into the NCAA National Tournament.”
Aaron Marston and Gavin Kane will take over the women’s soccer and men’s golf teams, respectively, according to the UMPI press release.
With the help of his wife, Keli, Marston stepped in to coach the women’s soccer team last year when former coach, Trevor Parent, resigned halfway through the season.
Like Edwards, Marston also played for UMPI. He served as captain for the men’s soccer team for two years and was a four-year starter at center midfield between 1993 and 1996. Marston graduated from UMPI in 1997, then worked as a graduate assistant for the men’s soccer team at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, while pursuing his Master’s Degree.
“We couldn’t be more excited about Coach Marston taking over the women’s soccer program. His enthusiasm for not only soccer, but UMPI soccer is second to none,” said Athletic Director Dan Kane. “When Keli and Aaron took over midway through the season, there was a dramatic change within the culture of the team and we feel the program is heading in the right direction and is in the right hands with Coach Marston.”
Gavin Kane, information director for the athletic department at UMPI, will become the next coach for men’s golf. Kane has served as the head coach for the women’s basketball team for the last two years, and will oversee both the basketball and golf teams this next season.
Kane will replace Joe Zubrick who previously supervised the men’s golf team and is said to have helped restart the program after the department canceled the 2016 season due to a lack of interested players.
“We are extremely appreciative of the work Coach Zubrick did to help us restart the men’s golf program, which has been essential to our athletics department. … We are excited to have Gavin take over the program and help us continue to build the golf program into a competitive team that can compete at the conference level,” said athletics director Dan Kane.
