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Colby College, Waterville, Maine
Allison L. Brown '12, editor |
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Dec. 2011 |
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As part of the reorganization of the Colby Alumni Council, the C Club now serves as the council's Athletics Committee. The C Club is Colby's largest alumni affinity group, and one of our goals this year is to integrate our activities into the larger work of the council. We can contribute to the council's work in areas such as admissions, career services, and the Colby Fund.
The Career Center is planning a career networking event in March for athletes who were at away games during the fall career networking event. C Club members, and particularly recent grads, can offer invaluable advice to Colby student athletes as they face the challenges of a difficult job market. I will have more information on this event to share with you soon.
Another area of interest is the Colby Fund. Our goal this year is to get back above the 50-percent participation mark. Full participation from our membership will help us achieve our goal.
As always, thanks for your support, and best holiday wishes!
Arthur Brennan '68 |
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 Earlier this year Julie Veilleux was named head coach of the women's basketball team. Coach Veilleux is an alumna of Cony High School in Augusta, where she helped lead her team to a Maine State Championship under legendary coach Paul Vachon. She then went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Maine, which won the America East Conference and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2004. Veilleux worked as an assistant coach under Stefanie Pemper at Bowdoin for three years, where the duo led the Polar Bears to two conference championships and the NCAA tournament. Veilleux and Pemper then moved on to the Naval Academy and turned its women's basketball program around to win its first Patriot League Conference championship and to advance to the NCAA tournament in 2011.
Veilleux spent summers participating in the Pine Tree Basketball Camp at Colby as a child, and her father, Gary Veilleux '72, played for coach Dick Whitmore.
After a number of years working as an assistant coach, Veilleux is well prepared to take the lead. As part of a successful Division I program at the Naval Academy, she acquired skills in player development, game analysis, and recruitment. That expertise has given her the perspective and confidence to lead Colby's program.
Veilleux's years at Bowdoin played a significant part in her decision to search for a position at a Division III school with strong academics. Veilleux appreciates that there is a healthy balance between academics, athletics, and opportunities to learn leadership and life skills at Colby. She emphasizes to her players the importance of being involved in the community and encourages them to take advantage of all that the school has to offer.
With a motivated roster of student athletes, Veilleux anticipates many successes. The team achieved a 46-11 record over the past two years, and the women are motivated to work together to accomplish great things. Winning the Brandeis Tournament at the start of the 2011-12 season and a victory over a higher-ranked Bowdoin team in early December augured well for her first year at the helm. Veilleux calls her position at Colby a dream job, and fans look forward to seeing many exciting moments in the coming season.
The women's and men's cross country teams posted impressive results during the 2011 season.
Women
First at the State of Maine championships (11 teams)
Fifth at the NESCAC championships (11 teams)
Fourth at the ECAC championships (40 teams)
Ninth at the New England Division III championships (51 teams)
Berol Dewdney '13 of Chester, Vt., was Colby's top runner at the NESCAC championships, finishing sixth and earning NESCAC Women's Cross Country First Team honors. Abigail Cheruiyot '12 of Eldoret, Kenya, finished first for the Mules in 26th place at the ECAC championships.
Men
Fourth at the State of Maine championships (12 teams)
10th at the NESCAC championships (11 teams)
11th at the ECAC championships (44 teams)
14th at the New England Division III championships (48 teams)
Four first-year Mule runners finished in the top 100 at the New England championships: Ben Lester of Medfield, Mass. (77th), Charlie Coffman of Cohasset, Mass. (81st), Will McCarthy of Monroe, Conn. (94th), and Jeff Hale of Waterville, Maine (98th). Also finishing in the top 100 were junior Brian Desmond of Ann Arbor, Mich. (93rd), and senior Matthieu Nadeau of Orono, Maine (97th). |
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Men's Basketball
Dec. 2 vs. UMaine-Fort Kent (Colby Invitational)
Dec. 4 vs. Fisher (Colby Invitational)
Dec. 6 vs. Thomas
Dec. 9 vs. Bowdoin
Dec. 10 vs. Bates
Dec. 29 at Salem State—Salem, Mass. (Salem State Tournament)
Dec. 30 vs. Curry at Salem State (Salem State Tournament)
Women's Basketball
Dec. 3 vs. Bowdoin
Dec. 6 vs. University of New England
Dec. 10 at Emmanuel—Boston, Mass.
Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 2 vs. Bowdoin
Dec. 3 at Bowdoin—Brunswick, Maine
Dec. 9 vs. Connecticut College
Dec. 10 vs. Tufts
Women's Ice Hockey
Dec. 2 at Bowdoin—Brunswick, Maine
Dec. 3 vs. Bowdoin
Dec. 9 vs. University of New England
Dec. 10 vs. University of Southern Maine
Dec. 30 at St. Michael's—Colchester, Vt. (St. Michael's Tournament)
Dec. 31 vs. Nichols at St. Michael's (St. Michael's Tournament)
Men's and Women's Squash
Dec. 3 at Wesleyan—Middletown, Conn.
Dec. 3 vs. TBA at Wesleyan
Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 2 at MIT Invitational—Cambridge, Mass.
Dec. 3 at MIT Invitational—Cambridge, Mass.
Dec. 31 at Deerfield Beach Invitational, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
For further information visit www.colby.edu/athletics_cs/schedule.cfm. |
| Football coach Ed Mestieri announced Dec. 3 that he was resigning, and a national search is being launched to have a new head coach in place for the 2012 season. Mestieri was head coach of the team for the past eight seasons and spent 23 years in all at Colby, including time as offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator. "I felt it was time for a change, for me and for the football program," Mestieri said. The team's record this year was 3-5, and the Mules finished in a three-way tie for the CBB title. |
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 As the women's ice hockey team began its season, assistant coach Mallory Young '05 took a moment to reflect on her journey from player to coach and on changes she has witnessed in the program. Young is returning for her third season as assistant under head coach Dave Venditti.
"It's great to be back at Colby and so easy to talk about Colby to our recruits. I only played for Dave [Venditti] my senior year, but [current women’s soccer coach] Jen Holsten ['90] was my coach for three years. It's been not only helpful but also inspiring to have both of them around to be able to interact with on a different level from when I was a student athlete.
"I don't think the program has changed that much over the years, but certainly each year the new team has a slightly different personality from the previous year's team. I think athletes today are more aware and engaged in other factors that affect athletic performance, such as off-ice workouts, lifting, and nutrition, all of which help them to become better players."
Between graduating in 2005 and returning to Colby in 2009, Young took coaching positions at the New Hampton School [N.H.], Williams College, and University of Massachusetts at Boston.
"Coming back to Colby after working at Williams was great, because I was able to see a first-hand comparison between two NESCAC schools. Although there are many similarities between the two places, they certainly each do have their own unique qualities.
"It was quite a shock (and partially a comfortable relief) to return to the NESCACs (Williams) after a year at UMass-Boston. Many of the student-athletes at UMB come from different backgrounds than the student-athletes at Colby and Williams, and because the school is in the city, their college experience is also very different. It has been great for me to work with a variety of athletes because it has pushed me to expand and tweak my coaching style and has allowed me to learn about other college experiences besides what I had for four years here at Colby."
Young also had the opportunity to spend the fall sports season as interim head coach of Colby's golf team.
"I loved coaching golf this fall. It was fun to work with a completely different group of athletes at Colby and, although it is a coed team, there were only men this year, which was a new experience for me as a coach at this level. They were a great group of guys, and overall it was a great fall. Coaching men as opposed to women isn't all that different. They are equally as competitive, and both groups seem to find a way to make their time together a very positive and fun experience." |
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