Maine to Hold Pep Rally on Thursday

ORONO -- The University of Maine is planning a Thursday, Nov. 10 pep rally in support of the Black Bear football team.  It is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Memorial Union's Maine Marketplace.  The marching band and cheerleaders will perform in the atrium outside the UMaine bookstore, while speakers including President Paul Ferguson and football coach Jack Cosgrove will fire up the crowd as the Black Bears move toward their last home game of the regular season, Saturday Nov. 12 at 12:30 p.m. against UMass.

The Black Bears are 7-2, with a 5-1 record in Colonial Athletic Association play.  They are ranked 13th nationally and moving toward a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision national playoffs.

Thursday's pep rally will also provide an opportunity to recognize some of the other fall sports teams that have had successful seasons, including the field hockey team that finished the season with a 16-4 record and may qualify for the NCAA tournament field, which will be announced Tuesday evening.  The men's and women's cross country teams are also preparing for Saturday's NCAA qualifier competition.  The cross-country season's highlight to date has been the performance of senior Riley Masters, who won the America East men's individual championship for the second consecutive year.

Those competitive successes lie against the backdrop of continuing outstanding academic performances by UMaine student-athletes.  A recent summary of those academic achievements, based on the 2010-2011 academic year, notes that ten Black Bear teams had cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or better while the average for student-athletes in America East sports was 3.11.  Coach Scott Atherley's women's soccer team is set to receive the 2011 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award for its impressive 3.42 2010-2011 team GPA.