Letter from the AD Showcasing Northeastern University through NU Athletics
Some people travel to Boston for its capstone attractions such as Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, or any number of our fabulous museums. These points of interest lead tourists to a rich tapestry of all that the city has to offer. So, too, can collegiate athletics become such a draw. Indeed, athletics can be a critical marketing component for a university.
President Freeland’s tenacious drive to achieve top-100 status as a university is enhanced by the visibility and success of our top-100 athletics program.
From an academic recruiting standpoint, the drive to improve quality rests with improved recruiting throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, which is bolstered by our visible athletic success in that region. To this end, we have elevated our men's basketball schedule to reflect a more ambitious national drive for exposure.
The men's basketball schedule features non-conference opponents such as Big
East Conference members, West Virginia and Villanova. The Huskies also will play the SEC’s nationally ranked Florida on December 22. This game will be shown on the Sunshine Network. We are also playing tough games against Atlantic 10 Conference members, Rhode Island and Fordham.
This fall, we partnered with Comcast and CN8 in a strategic purchase of television coverage for some key games to help spread the word at the regional level. Televised coverage focused on six of our key sporting events across four sports:
• Football @ Villanova – September 27 All but one of the Northeastern events that Comcast televises has been or will be shown on the full CN8 network, covering 6.2 million households in CN8's eight-state region from New England to Maryland.
We are thrilled to be in a position to add this television broadcast momentum to our charge of serving the Northeastern community by presenting excellence in athletic achievements.
We view each opportunity to excel on and off the playing fields as a means by which to showcase the finest that Northeastern has to offer. We know that we have an important role to play in the University’s growth and development, and have embraced the task of assuming an active role in moving our agenda forward by highlighting quality and also increasing the excitement for fans.
As a collegiate athletics program, our collective performance is held to closer public scrutiny because of the nature of collegiate sports and the media’s keen interest. This is why we work so diligently to ensure the proper balance of the three C’s – Classroom Success, Community Involvement, and Competitive Excellence, which continue to translate into tangible achievements.
Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup
The America East Conference annually awards the Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup to the institution whose teams compile the strongest record during the year in all conference championship programs.
Northeastern ranked third in the 2002-03 America East Conference’s Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup. The Commissioner’s Cup annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in America East as determined by a scoring system that rewards a school for success both during the regular season and at championship competition in the conference’s 21 sports.
Following the fall season, Northeastern ranks second to New Hampshire in the 2003-04 America East Commissioner Cup with 137 points. We are hoping to improve upon this performance throughout the winter and spring seasons.
Fall highlights
The reason we are ranked second in the Commissioners' Cup race is due to the many accomplishments of our fall sports programs.
The field hockey team won the America East regular-season and tournament titles for the third straight year, made its 13th NCAA tournament appearance and finished ranked ninth in the country with a 17-6 record. Head coach Cheryl Murtagh was the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Northeast Region Coach of the Year and junior Mari Creatini, who led the country in points (72) and goals (29), was a first team All-American.
The volleyball squad reached the America East final for the second time in three years. The women's soccer team tied the single-season record for most wins in the program's history (11), while the men's soccer team reached the America East championship game for the third consecutive year.
In addition, the football team went 8-4 in 2003, placed third in the Atlantic 10 and finished ranked 20th in the nation. Junior linebacker Liam Ezekiel was a Sports Network I-AA first team All-American, while junior guard Adam Bourget was a second team honoree.
Our athletics programs serve far more than student-athletes alone. Northeastern Athletics is a community builder. Our programs provide the Northeastern community with a home team for which to cheer, along with a deep sense of pride. In addition, NU Athletics offers a common and unifying goal around which to rally. I am excited at the prospects that lie ahead, and hope you will continue to support these efforts.
On behalf of Northeastern Athletics, I wish you and your families health and happiness in the New Year.
Go Huskies!
Dave O’Brien
Previous letters
December 2003
Hello Huskies Fans!
• Men's Ice Hockey vs UNH – November 21
• Women’s Basketball vs UMASS –December 14
• Men’s Basketball vs Harvard – December 19
• Men's Ice Hockey vs Boston College – January 3, 2004
• Men's Basketball vs Vermont – February 8, 2004
Director of Athletics
• November 2003
• Summer 2003
• June 2003
• May 2003
• April 2003
• March 2003
• February 2003
• Q & A with Dave O'Brien
