Letter from the AD
Since my arrival in October 2002, I continue to be impressed by the quality, the tenacity, and the vibrancy of the people who strive to make our athletics programs great. Each time we raise the bar, our coaches, staff, and student-athletes not only rise to the challenge, they surpass it with a competitive spirit that is unique to Northeastern.
The "three C's" of Classroom Success, Community Involvement, and Competitive Excellence are, indeed, in play. The Huskies have shown tremendous improvement across all areas over the past year. And by all accounts, we expect our progress to continue throughout 2003-04.
The strides we have made over the past year have been dramatic. And yet, these accomplishments did not just happen over the course of a year. Rather, a solid foundation has been built for our student-athletes through the efforts of generations of coaches, faculty, staff and student-athletes. Our strong traditions continue to be brought to life with great enthusiasm by each incoming class, and each set of families and friends who pass through our doors.
This first year as Director of Athletics at Northeastern has left me with a tremendous sense of satisfaction. And this year should leave each of you with the same feeling of collective accomplishment. We have much to do in the years ahead, but we have blazed a trail for ourselves during the 2002-03 season. Below is a summary of this championship season.
A Year of Achievements
This has been a record-breaking year on both the academic and athletic fronts. Our comprehensive approach to the student-athlete experience has taken us to new heights.
Championship Season
. . . in the Classroom
National Student-Athlete Day was established in 1988 by Northeastern’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society for the purpose of "honoring student-athletes and the network of parents, coaches, teachers and school systems that makes it possible for young people to strike a balance between academic and athletic achievement."
Northeastern’s National Student-Athlete Day award winners were Katarina Andersson (women’s basketball), Shannon Brooker (volleyball), Cassandra Brown (women’s rowing), Mari Creatini (field hockey), Amber Cullen (women’s track and field), Lori DiGiacomo (women’s ice hockey), Aaron Hill (men’s track and field), Miro Kesic (football), Atha Kirkopoulos (men’s soccer), Brianne Leary (cheerleading), Jon Litchfield (men’s cross country), Eric Ortlip (men’s ice hockey), Adrian Martinez (men’s basketball), Rachel Marullo (swimming and diving), Brendan Ryan (baseball), Rachele Sherblom (men’s rowing), Jeannette Tremblay (women’s soccer), and Emily Watson (women’s cross country).
Much has been written about Northeastern’s championship performance athletically, coupled with its high standards in the classroom and in the community. The graduation rate for NU student-athletes stands at 65 percent, compared to 51 percent for the general student body. In the fall quarter, 153 student-athletes earned a GPA above 3.0 (60 student-athletes GPA above 3.5) and the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes was 2.85. Four student-athletes earned a 4.0: Shannon Brooker (volleyball), Matthew Morizio (baseball), Kara Forgues (women's crew), and Milena Ninkovic (women's basketball), while five NU teams earned cumulative GPAs above 3.0 (baseball, women's crew, swimming, women's soccer, volleyball).
The classroom success continued into the winter when 150 student-athletes earned a GPA above 3.0 (46 student-athletes earned a GPA above 3.5) and the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes increased to 2.94. Six student-athletes earned a 4.0: Dan Belcher (track & field), Shannon Brooker (volleyball), Aaron Hill (track & field), Milena Ninkovic (women's basketball), Cassandra Rossetti (track & field), and Jamie Williams (women's rowing). Eight NU teams earned cumulative GPAs above 3.0 (swimming, field hockey, women's soccer, women's crew, men's soccer, volleyball, women's hockey, women's track).
The athletic teams also have continued to add to their reputation as community leaders, hosting an array of clinics, camps and events. For instance, the men's and women's hockey teams and the National Hockey League hosted an ice hockey clinic with children from S.C.O.R.E. Boston, an NHL Diversity program. The Student-Athlete Advisory Board hosted their second annual auction to raise money for the Home for Little Wanderers, which supports the healthy development for at-risk children. Also the men's and women's cross country/track and field teams organized the Department of Social Services holiday party for foster children and hosted the Annual Turkey Giveaway with the Boston Celtics.
As part of Northeastern’s annual Senior Awards Celebration held at Matthews Arena, our top senior scholar-athletes for the 2002-03 athletic season were Sarah Broderick (Harwich, Mass.) of the baseball team, and Brendan Ryan (Canton, Mass.) of the baseball team.
Broderick, a two-time field hockey All-American with a 3.31 GPA in Finance, won the Jeanne Rowlands Award given to Northeastern’s top female scholar-athlete. Ryan, a two-time captain of the baseball team with a 3.47 GPA in Communications, was awarded the Herbert W. Gallagher Award as the top male scholar-athlete.
Championship Season
. . . on the Playing Fields
The NU athletics program is clearly on the rise as the total of seven conference titles breaks the mark of six set just last season. The 13 championships in the past two years are more than the previous four seasons combined (10).
NU had its most successful fall season ever as three teams advanced to the NCAA playoffs (the most in one season in school history) and the Huskies ended the season ranked 27th in the NACDA Directors' Cup Division I standings. The field hockey team won the America East regular season and tournament titles and then advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, ending the season with a stellar 18-4 record.
The Husky football team won a share of the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time ever and earned its first berth in the NCAA Division IAA postseason. NU ended the season with a 10-3 record, the most wins in school history. The men's soccer team won the America East tournament for the first time and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs. The volleyball team was America East runner-up and the women's soccer team made its first appearance in the America East tournament.
Over the winter, Northeastern continued its athletic success, capturing two conference titles and completing the season with a ranking of 63rd in the NACDA Cup standings. The women's track and field team won the America East and New England titles, and then placed second at the ECAC Championship for its highest finish in school history. Head coach Sherman Hart was named NCAA Northeast Coach of the Year and Zara Northover advanced to the NCAA Championship in the shot put.
The swimming and diving team won its fourth straight America East title and diver Adela Gavozdea qualified for the NCAA meet. Vinny Tortorella of the men's track team was an All-American after placing seventh in the weight throw at the NCAA Championship. The men's basketball team showed a nine-win improvement with its 16-15 record, advancing to the America East tournament semifinals.
The spring season also was memorable. The baseball team became the first fourth-seeded team to win the America East tournament and advanced to the NCAA regionals in Baton Rouge, La. Senior Omar Pena was drafted in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
The men's crew varsity eight finished fifth at the national championship IRA Regatta after compiling a 5-2 regular season record. The women's track team won the America East Championship and qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championship in 10 events. Ahndraea Allen advanced to the NCAA Championship in the 400. The men's track team was runner-up at the America East Championship, qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championship in eight events, and Vinny Tortorella advanced to the NCAA title meet in the hammer throw.
Our teams had some outstanding individuals. In May, we announced the Husky Team MVPs for the 2002-03 athletic season. Click here for a list of these MVPs.
Northeastern achieved its highest-ever ranking in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings in 2002-03. The final standings were announced June 26 and NU placed 81st in a tie with Cal-Santa Barbara with 200 total points. The NACDA Cup was started in 1993-94 and is designed to reflect the overall quality of an institution's athletic program. Points are awarded when a school participates in NCAA Championship events.
Northeastern sent a school-record four teams to NCAA Championship play in the 2002-03 season: football, field hockey, men's soccer and baseball. In addition, NU had individual team members compete at the NCAA Championship in men's and women's indoor track, women's diving, and men's and women's outdoor track.
The Huskies are in great company at No. 81, eight points behind men's basketball national champion Syracuse (76th, 208 points) and ahead of in-state rivals Boston University (93rd) and UMass (143rd). NU also was well ahead of notable powers Kansas, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Houston. The Huskies' previous high finish was 117th in the 1996-97 season.
Championship Alums
McGillis, a Hawkesbury, Ontario native, is 30th on the Northeastern all-time scoring list with 113 points in 141 games (30 goals, 83 assists) from 1992-96. He was a two-time All-Hockey East player (1994-95, 1995-96) and named an All-American following the 1995-96 season. McGillis has played in 517 career NHL games to date with 51 goals and 152 assists for 203 points and 459 penalty minutes in those games.
In April, former Northeastern All-American Jim Fahey was named the San Jose Sharks Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Team USA roster for 2003 IIHF men’s World Hockey Championships, which took place in Finland this past April and May.
Fahey, a Milton, Mass. native, posted 20 points in 43 games with San Jose last season. Despite only playing in half of San Jose’s games, Fahey led all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring. Fahey was also selected to play in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in Portland, Maine. Fahey was selected by the Sharks in the eighth round (212th overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft out of Catholic Memorial High School; Fahey then went on to graduate from Northeastern. Fahey scored his first career goal here in his hometown against the Bruins on Dec. 23.
McGillis and Fahey have both committed support to Northeastern Athletics this past year at the Huntington Society level ($25,000 donation over a five-year period).
Former Northeastern baseball standout Carlos Pena is currently starting at first base for the Detroit Tigers. Carlos had a career night on May 19, hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs against the Cleveland Indians. Carlos was drafted in the first round by the Texas Rangers in the 1998 draft and has also played for the Oakland Athletics before joining the Tigers on July 6, 2002.
Championship Coaching
Coach Brown arrived for the 2000 season, and in just three years he has led a total transformation of Northeastern’s program. Last year, NU was lightly regarded early on, listing 10th of 11 teams in the annual preseason Atlantic 10 poll. But with a 31-0 drubbing of Division IA Ohio in early September, the Huskies started to grab the national spotlight. NU made the Division IAA rankings for the first time since 1997 after the Ohio win and held a spot in both the ESPN/USA Today and Sports Network polls for the rest of the season.
NU went on to set a school record for wins (going 10-3), shared the Atlantic 10 title for the first time, and earned the team’s first NCAA bid as the top seed in the East region. The Huskies finished 10th in the ESPN/USA Today rankings and 11th in the Sports Network poll, their highest season-ending placements ever. The defending A10 champs have been picked as Street & Smith’s preseason No. 1 team in the nation. The Huskies also were selected to defend their A10 title in the conference’s annual preseason poll.
Track and Field Head Coach Sherman Hart was named NCAA Division I Northeast Coach of the Year.
As head coach of the women’s team since 1988, Hart’s success has been unmatched on the conference level and rivaled by few on the New England level. The program was ranked 20th in New England when he arrived on the scene and three years later the team won its first America East title. Since then, the women’s team has won indoor conference titles in 1993, ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’98, while outdoor titles came in 1991, ’92, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99 and again in 2002. In addition to the conference titles, the team has been a force on the New England stage, capturing indoor championships in 1996, ’97 and ’99 while taking outdoor titles in 1996 and ’99. The team was second at New England’s both indoors and outdoors in 2002. He has won America East Coach of the Year honors a total of 11 times in his tenure, five indoors and six outdoors.
In addition to his conference Coach of the Year honors, Hart was named District I Division I indoor and outdoor coach of the year from 1994-97. Under his guidance, Husky athletes have been named All-American four times, All-East 28 times and have won countless individual America East and New England titles.
On the track, the women's team recently had its best season in the history of the program and Hart was named NCAA Division I Northeast Coach of the Year. The men's team has been a contender for the past several years. In the classroom, 39 members of the women's team and 25 members of the men's team have posted grade-point averages above 3.0 since the fall of 2001. While other teams might have similar competitive results, the team's involvement in the community is unmatched by any program.
Facilities
New Academic Center
The construction of the academic center is the latest in a series of renovations to the Cabot Center. The first phase of the Cabot renovation occurred upstairs when the gym was resurfaced and a new lighting system was installed. The gym was then refurbished with new seating and was rededicated to honor benefactors Bernard and Jolane Solomon.
The lower level now features new and improved locker areas, team rooms, offices and meeting space. The athletic training area received a major renovation, and in addition, a new state-of-the-art weight room was built.
The academic center includes a study hall area, a computer lab featuring approximately 20 workstations, offices for NU’s Student Athlete Support Services staff and NCAA compliance and student services personnel, as well as a classroom with a 60-person capacity. This new academic center will become "home base" to our student-athletes, thus fostering an even greater sense of community and camaraderie.
A New Look for the Huskies
Spanning across many months during the latter part of this year, a core team has worked diligently behind the scenes to create updated graphic marks for Northeastern Athletics. After many drafts, alterations, formal and informal reviews, on Aug. 7, the marks were officially released.
At first blush, some might be inclined to believe that the images accompanying our sports programs are merely window dressings. On the contrary, the marks are significant in that they capture the past, present and future of Husky Athletics, and embody who we are as an Athletics department, and the unique place that we hold within Northeastern University and the city of Boston.
Those of you who know me have likely heard me say that an athletics program can be, and often is, one of the most national and visible faces of any university. A university athletics program often finds itself subject to a greater level of public scrutiny than the university as a whole given the public’s penchant for media coverage of athletics achievements, areas of compliance, and professional performance of our former student-athletes. College sports teams often serve as the catalyst for drawing notice to a school, and thus, leading students to all the richness that an institution of higher learning has to offer beyond athletics.
The graphical depictions that we have created retain the tradition of the original Northeastern Husky. This was an important feature to include as we considered designs, because we wanted our alumni and fans to know that we couldn’t have gotten where we are today without the strong foundation each has helped to create. We wanted these designs to reflect the strength and dedication that embodies our student-athletes. And finally, we wanted to create graphic marks that would capture the city of Boston, because Northeastern University and the Boston community are integrally tied in so many ways.
The result is a set of unified yet distinct design elements created to accommodate a wide range of uses, from engaging NU students and families in fan-friendly ways, to presenting our image at the most serious and competitive levels. These marks will be extended through our newly created Husky Athletics Club as well.
Our new graphic marks will be phased in seasonally on our team uniforms, likely beginning with Men’s and Women’s Soccer in the fall. In addition, our updated Husky mascot will soon be appearing at games and events to complete our revitalized look.
The placement of these marks will have tremendous application to merchandising opportunities and the ways in which we market NU Athletics across a variety of venues. Plans are underway to implement an aggressive merchandising strategy that will increase our presence throughout the Boston community and beyond. We will be working closely with our university bookstore to ensure that the latest "Husky-wear" is available to the Northeastern community both on campus, and through a new online store on our web site.
With an understanding that the image of NU Athletics reflects not just a program, but the people who strive to make it great, I am confident that our new graphic marks, with the NU traditions behind them, capture the collective and dynamic spirit of the Northeastern Athletics community.
The Husky Athletics Club
In March, NU Athletics took an exciting step forward by creating the Husky Athletics Club. The Husky Athletics Club is the umbrella organization for six main areas: a booster club, marketing and promotions, special events, corporate sponsorship, merchandising and annual fundraising. The Husky Athletics Club serves as our main arm of support for our student-athletes through marketing and development efforts. It is the entity through which all of our fan-centered initiatives will take place.
The Husky Athletics Club is located within the Cabot Center, which allows that organization the space and resources necessary to become the hub of fan-friendly activity. This visible presence on campus will enable the Husky Athletics Club to better serve our students, alumni, fans and supporters. The primary goal of the Husky Athletics Club is to increase revenue and to increase attendance at our NU Athletics events. To this end, we’ll be developing a series of new promotions designed to draw fans to our sporting events.
The Husky Athletics Club will house each of the great components that we already have in place through coordinated efforts designed to better serve our fans and Husky Athletics Club members.
Membership in the Husky Athletics Club begins at $100 for an annual membership. Those who currently support NU Athletics at this level or above have automatically become charter members!
Fundraising
As I’ve noted since my arrival, Northeastern Athletics enjoys outstanding support from the University in the areas of resources and allocation of funds to support our 19-sport NCAA Division I varsity teams, and the other teams and individuals within our Athletics program.
Our ability to raise funds from sources outside of the University remains critical to our success in offsetting the costs of recruiting and retaining top student-athletes. We have seen a series of historic firsts this year in terms of athletic and academic achievements. The path towards excellence includes the areas of annual cash contributions to the Husky Athletics Annual Fund, along with corporate sponsorship of our teams.
We have been quite fortunate in staffing our fundraising operations. Director of Athletic Development, Jim Madigan, continues to work diligently to support our goals through major gift fundraising.
Our recently named Assistant AD for External Affairs, Brett Burchette, manages the day-to-day operations of our Husky Athletics Club and our corporate sponsorship, thus positioning us well to meet some aggressive fundraising goals for the upcoming year.
In addition, this year we appointed Head Swimming and Diving Coach, Roy Coates, as our first Chairperson for the Husky Athletics Annual Fund Drive.
Right in line with these enhanced human resources, you will soon be receiving our Husky Athletics Club membership application, which includes information on the Husky Athletics Annual Fund Drive, as well as enhanced benefits for supporting our student-athletes.
Husky Athletics Annual Fund Drive
We must continue to set new fundraising goals in an effort to remain competitive with our peer institutions. In line with our far-reaching goals across all areas, our annual fund goal for the 2003-04 year will be set at $500,000. In addition, our corporate sponsorship goal will be set at $250,000. Our goals are attainable provided that our alumni and fan base become actively involved with NU Athletics.
Support of our alumni, such as alumnus, Allen Deary (1982 Business Administration Graduate) have helped to make a difference. As a true model of commitment and service to Northeastern University Athletics, Allen has contributed significantly to the football program, and in this way, continues to make a difference for our Husky football team.
Allen was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 1993 for his outstanding achievements in football. He dominated New England passing lanes from 1977-80 as the region’s premier quarterback. He was the top passer in the ECAC, Division IAA, and the fourth-best in the NCAA. When Allen graduated, he held the NU career records for passes attempted, completions, passing yards and total offense. Currently, Allen is CEO of ArrAy Inc., a software company. He serves on the Athletic Resource Development Committee where he is instrumental in forging and developing relationships with external constituents on behalf of Northeastern Athletics.
Looking Ahead
The Northeastern Athletics program has made some tremendous progress over the past several years. Our stellar performance is the result of dedication from so many, and a commitment to excellence. If you have read the season recap, which appeared in the July 15, 2003 issue of The Northeastern Voice (click here to read article, titled, "That Championship Season") you’ll see one distinct commonality amongst our teams: Not one of these winning teams was satisfied with their performance. Each was determined to excel in the upcoming season; to surpass the achievements of the 2002-03 year. It is this higher-level commitment that makes our Huskies teams such a vital part of the Northeastern community, and why our future is so bright.
Many thanks for your support to date. I look forward to seeing you at the games this year.
Dave O’Brien
Previous letters
Summer 2003
Hello Huskies Fans!
In April the Northeastern community celebrated National Student-Athlete Day, honoring a competitor from each varsity team for their exceptional achievements in academics and athletics. Each student-athlete award recipient was joined by a self-designated faculty or staff member in an awards luncheon at Matthews Arena.
The Northeastern athletic teams had their finest collective performance ever in the 2002-03 season. The Huskies sent four teams to the NCAA playoffs and won a total of seven conference titles, Northeastern's most ever in both categories. NU competes in 14 sports offered by the America East Conference and won six championships, or 43 percent. The Huskies were the runners-up in two other sports. In addition to its America East success, NU won a share of its first Atlantic 10 football title.
In March, Boston Bruins General Manager Mike O'Connell announced that the Bruins had acquired former Northeastern All-American defenseman Dan McGillis from the San Jose Sharks for a second round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
The success of our programs and of our student-athletes begins with great coaches and staff. During the 2002-03 season, we were fortunate to have two coaches receive prestigious and much-deserved recognitions. Football Head Coach Don Brown was named 2002 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. In addition, he received these honors from the New England Football Writers and the AFCA (Region I).
Construction began in early June for an academic center on the second floor of the Cabot Center, adjacent to the gymnasium and Solomon Court. The facility was completed and ready for occupancy Aug. 18. A formal dedication ceremony will be announced at a later date.
• Academic Center photos & info
• New NU athletics marks
In FY'03 the Husky Athletics Annual Fund Drive raised $327,739. Funds raised in FY'03 for athletic scholarship and endowed program support totaled $180,000. We are grateful for the support we have received this year. However, this number has remained relatively unchanged from years past. For those of you who have not yet stepped up to support us through the Husky Athletics Annual Fund Drive, I would ask that you consider this during our upcoming year.
Director of Athletics
• June 2003
• May 2003
• April 2003
• March 2003
• February 2003
• Q & A with Dave O'Brien
