Athletics Recap and USCAA Nationals Send-Off!
In what might very well be the busiest week of the year for the University of Maine at Fort Kent athletic teams, four of the six varsity teams were in action throughout the week, and they represented UMFK and Bengal Pride to the best of their ability despite mixed results.
In a late season trip for the Women’s Soccer team, they struggled against tough opponents, dropping games to Ramapo College of New Jersey and Delaware State University, an NCAA Division 1 opponent. The ladies are looking at the game as a learning experience to find areas of growth before they take the field at the USCAA National Championship tournament later this week.
The Women’s Volleyball team took part in some late season tune-up matches in Bangor over the weekend as they took on Husson University and Maine Maritime Academy; unfortunately, despite pushing each match to the full five sets, the Bengals were unable to come away with the victory in either match. They, too, are en route to Virginia Beach, Virginia, for the USCAA National Championship tournament later this week.
Maine Maritime Academy was a common opponent of UMFK teams this weekend as the Women’s Basketball team took part in an early season exhibition match against the Mariners in Castine on Sunday. Despite being down as many as 11 points in the second half, the Bengals battled back and tied the game at 60 points apiece with two minutes to go, but were never able to get over the hump and lost 70-63.
The highlight of the weekend was the Men’s Basketball victory over Husson University in a rare visit to Fort Kent by the Eagles. The Bengals got up early in the first half with full-court pressure but continuously tried to keep Husson in the game with costly turnovers down the stretch of the second half. Julian Hymes shined with 12 points in a very efficient shooting performance. Zeke McMurtry led the Bengals in scoring with 15 points, Jacob Powell contributed 12, and Logan Miller came off the bench with 11 points.
Both basketball teams are taking on U-Maine Machias tomorrow night (Tuesday 11/5), with the Women’s game tipping off at 5 PM and the Men’s game following. Hopefully, we see you there to support our student-athletes.
The biggest news of the week was the announcement of the seeding of our Fall sports teams at the USCAA National Championships. Women’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball and Men’s soccer all finished the season ranked number two overall in the nation, respectively. This is a testament of the hard work of Coach Castro, Coach Samuels, Coach Smith, and the young men and women that make up these teams. On behalf of the UMFK Campus community we are rooting for you to bring back some trophies!