UNE Athletics Introduces Three New Staff Members
Biddeford, ME (PRWEB) July 13, 2015 -- The University of New England held a press conference Monday to formally introduce Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Jack McDonald, Men’s Ice Hockey Coach Kevin Swallow, and Women’s Swimming Coach Rick Hayes.
McDonald comes to UNE after 20 years of distinguished service as director of Athletics at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Prior to his tenure at Quinnipiac, McDonald was director of Athletics at the University of Denver (1990-95) and assistant athletic director for Marketing at Boston College (1987-90).
While at Quinnipiac, McDonald was instrumental in the Bobcats making the transition from being an NCAA Division II institution to its current status as a Division I member. While there, he also successfully gained conference membership to the Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference as well as Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hockey for both the men's and women's ice hockey programs.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Athletics Department at the University of New England,” said McDonald. “The vision and leadership of President Ripich, as well as the rest of the administration, have made an immediate impression on me, while the academic programs and beautiful location of our campuses make UNE a destination for accomplished student-athletes. It is going to be exciting to work with such a talented and dedicated group of coaches and staff.”
Swallow was head coach at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, for the past three seasons. During his tenure at Nichols, he led the Bison to a 55-20-7 record (.713 winning percentage) and consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast championships. Before his arrival in 2012, Nichols had posted an aggregate record of 37-36-6 over a three-year period.
"I am extremely excited to be taking over the University of New England Men's Hockey program,” Swallow said. “The team is on the verge of greatness, and with everything UNE has to offer, I feel like the sky is the limit for the program. I plan to instill the same culture and philosophies we had at Nichols, and our student-athletes will be expected to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives."
Hayes, who served as assistant coach at UNE under Kate Roy from 2005 to 2007, coached 13 All-New England selections and 16 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Academic picks while head coach at Saint Joseph's for the past seven seasons. He was chosen GNAC Coach of the Year in 2012, and under his guidance the Monks have annually earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team honors.
"It is an honor to come back to where I started my college coaching career 10 years ago. This opportunity presents a new set of challenges for me personally and professionally. My goal is to continue, and grow upon, the years of success this program has had in both the classroom and the pool.”
For more information, please contact Curt Smyth at (207) 602-5941, or [email protected].
About The University of New England
The University of New England (UNE) is an innovative health sciences university grounded in the liberal arts. It has two distinctive coastal Maine campuses and a campus in Tangier, Morocco. With internationally recognized scholars in the sciences, health, medicine and the humanities, UNE offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs and is home to Maine’s only medical and dental schools. It is one of a select group of private universities with a comprehensive health education mission that includes medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, nursing and an array of allied health professions. Visit http://www.une.edu.
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Jen Porto, University of New England, http://www.une.edu, +1 (207) 221-4376, [email protected]
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