The field has been announced for the men’s and women’s soccer conference tournament that the University of Maine at Presque Isle will host at Scarborough High School Saturday and Sunday. Three women’s teams and four men’s teams will compete in the American Collegiate Athletic Association tourney.
The tournament, held in cooperation with the Association of Division III Independents, will feature teams from schools that are awaiting approval from the NCAA for the proposed conference. The women’s tournament will include SUNY-Canton, Pine Manor and the Owls. The men’s tournament will feature Alfred State, SUNY-Canton and Pine Manor, along with the Owls.
The women will kick off the tournament with a semifinal game on Saturday. The No. 2 seed Pine Manor will face the No. 3 seed and host UMPI at 11 a.m. The winner of that game will advance to play top seed SUNY-Canton at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the championship game.
On the men’s side, No. 3 Pine Manor will face No. 2 SUNY-Canton at 1 p.m. on Saturday for their semifinal matchup. That game will be followed by fourth-seeded UMPI taking on top-ranked Alfred State at 3 p.m. The losers of those two games will play a consolation game at 11 a.m. on Sunday, while the winners will advance to the title game at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
All games will be webcast. For links to those games, as well as updates throughout the weekend, go to 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
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.
XC teams run in NAC championships
The University of Maine at Presque Isle Owls cross country teams travelled to Johnson State College to compete in the NAC Championships Saturday. The Owl men finished eighth out of 11 teams and the women did not figure in the team standings with only four runners competing.
Wet and muddy conditions plagued the teams as the course had standing water on some points. Despite the challenges, the Owl men all finished with season best times. Sully Jackson set the pace for UMPI with a time of 28:16.8 in the eight-kilometer race, which put him in 12th place.
Junior Trevor Levesque finished 21st with a time of 29:33.4 and Jake Welch ran the course in 31:42., Saul Nunez crossed the line in 32:02.5. Terrance Reidy rounded out the scoring for the Owls in 51st place and a time of 32:49.1. Cameron Mathies, Justin Lopez and James Churchill finalized the team effort for UMPI.
“I am very impressed by all,” said head coach Chris Smith. “[Reidy] ran extremely well in the fifth scoring position.”
The Owls will now prepare for the USCAA National in Virginia Beach, Va. on Nov. 11.
Brianna Lesperance set the pace for the Owl women as she got out fast and held her position, finishing with a time of 24:20.4 on the five-kilometer course. Chenoa Jackson crossed the line in 26:34, while Elise Gudde ended in 29:26.8. Brynn Staples completed the Owls’ effort in 37:35.7.
The Owl women are preparing for an event at Unity College on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Volleyball team eliminated
The UMPI volleyball team visited the Husson Eagles Friday in the opening round of the North Atlantic Conference playoffs. The Eagles swept the match and advanced to the semifinals with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-17) victory.
Abby Jewett paced the Owls’ effort with 14 kills and 10 digs. Hannah Williams and Esmeralda Galvan each finished with 10 digs, while Laura Aroz collected 11 assists.
The Owls finished the season with a 5-27 record in Jonathon Bowman’s first season as the head coach. They had won four matches all of last year.
