Posted: Feb 20, 2018

From the desk of the Director of Athletics

From the desk of the Director of Athletics

I am extremely excited that the spring season for MMA Athletics is finally here. After a successful fall season and a very busy winter, our student athletes, coaches and staff are ready to leap into a great season of competition for all of our teams. With the mild winter to this date, many of our student athletes have been able to get outside on their own to prepare for their seasons. Those returning from Sea Term who will compete in the spring season, have also been preparing for their respective sport.

I have put together a review of the activities that have been happening here on campus since the fall. As you can see, our student athletes, coaches and staff have been busy. We work as a family and our focus is all on making MMA and MMA Athletics the very best we can be. We of course could not be as successful with the help of so many alumni and friends of MMA. We are laying a foundation for many more improvements over the next five years and beyond. Your support is appreciated and we hope you will find a way to help us in our quest to provide for the very best for our young men and women at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. GO BUCS!

MMA VARSITY SPRING SPORTS

We are expecting a great season of athletic competition from our varsity sports teams this spring semester. Here are number of student athletes we are expecting to compete on each spring team:

Baseball: 36
Softball: 19
Outdoor Track:
Sailing: 24
M. Crew: 15
M. Crew: 7
M. Lacrosse: 41
W. Lacrosse: 16

The MMA Baseball team will depart for Ft. Pierce, Florida for approximately 10 days of spring training. An MMA Athletics luncheon will be held in Ft. Pierce, FL on Friday, March 2 for MMA Alumni to meet the current team and staff.

NEW BASEBALL FIELD

Progress continues on the new MMA Baseball Field (Commodore Hendy Field). The entire field has been replaced with a green and brown artificial surface. Six new light poles have been installed and we hope to have the transformer in place by the end of March to provide lighting. New fencing around the entire field is nearly complete. The Grand Opening will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 beginning at 1:15 pm. MMA Board of Trustees will be given a personal invitation to this special day. Members of Commodore William Hendy's family will be in attendance with longtime MMA Baseball Coach and Administrator Bob Corradi and Boston Red Sox Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg will throw out the ceremonial first pitches. A reception will be held prior to the start of the game against Wentworth Institute of Technology.

CLEAN HARBORS ATHLETIC CENTER RENOVATIONS

The main MMA Athletics Hall of Fame display has been modified. All MMA Hall of Fame plaques have been moved to the wall displays on the left and on the right of the main lobby to Clean Harbors Athletic Center. The renovated main wall display is now home to a large 8' x 4 ½' monitor, consisting of 4 separate smaller monitors. This display is a great showpiece that welcomes all who enter Clean Harbors Athletic Center. All content will be controlled by the Athletic Department staff.
We are renovating offices for the senior administrative staff on the second floor of Clean Harbors Athletic Center. Four offices will be renovated and will be equipped with air conditioning.
Four banks of bleachers will be installed on the floor of the main gymnasium. Each bank of bleachers will contain 5-6 rows of seating with a capacity of approximately 500 people. The bleachers will provide a better atmosphere for our volleyball team and their home games. The bleachers are electronically retractable.
Two drop-down baseball batting cages are being installed in the small gymnasium.
New cardiovascular area (100' x 30') will be equipped with new flooring. Cardiovascular workout machines will be transferred from the south side of Clean Harbors AC to the new cardiovascular area. Televisions will be installed on the walls of the new area.
A new television monitor has been installed in the women's conference/film room to make it convenient for the study of practice and game film. This will help our female varsity programs prepare for their seasons and increase the time to study the competition in a comfortable and easily accessible manner.

SPORTS INFORMATION ASSOCIATE

A new Sports Information Associate will be hired before the start of the spring semester. We had over 30 applicants and we narrowed the search to a final four who were interviewed on campus. An offer will be made soon.

MMA DIRECTOR OF SAILING

George "Twice" Tougas was hired to be the new Director of Sailing. Twice will become the Director of Sailing and will oversee the MMA Sailing program and MMA Summer Sailing Program. He will also lead the offshore sailing program. He is a graduate of Tabor Academy and Curry College. He has been a sailing coach at MMA since 2009. MMA is seeking to purchase new F-7 dinghy boats for the fall season.

YOUTH CLINICS

MMA Baseball held a youth clinic in late December and had 25 attend the clinic at Clean Harbors AC.
MMA Women's Lacrosse held a youth clinic in January and had 22 attend the clinic at Clean Harbors AC.
MMA Women's Soccer held a youth clinic in February and had 25 attend the clinic at Clean Harbors AC.

GOLF TOURNAMENT/FUNDRAISERS

MMA Women's Athletics Golf Tournament (Monday, May 7) 10:00 AM Tee Time
MMA Football Golf Tournament (Friday, June 1) 8:00 AM Tee Time
MMA Baseball/M. Soccer Golf Tournament (Friday, July 13) 9:00 AM Tee Time

COMMUNITY / SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

MITO Energy Action Walk and 5K

Members of men's soccer and men's lacrosse student-athletes participated in the 13^th Annual MitoAction Energy Walk and 5K on September 17, 2017 that occurred in South Boston at DCR's Mother's Rest where $82,000 was raised to help fight against mitochondrial disease. Moreover, nearly 80% of current and former student-athletes participated in the race that was, ultimately, won by men's soccer freshman student-athlete Ben Paine (who along with teammates ran as 'Team Thomas' in honor of teammate Thomas Schmid). Also, men's lacrosse participants ran in support of 'McGowan's Mito Laxers' that is in honor of their teammate Teddy McGowan.

SAAC Food Drive

To help those in need during the Thanksgiving holiday, SAAC collected over 1200 lbs of canned food and other perishable donations to help benefit the Bourne Food Pantry that the athletics department delivered to the Pantry before the Thursday holiday.

SAAC Sportsmanship Speaker

On October 16, 2017 Former Stonehill College student-athlete and current Braintree High School (MA) girls' varsity basketball coach spoke to MMA student-athletes and the campus community about the importance and value of working together alongside teammates and coaches alike while emphasizing that each of their experience as student-athletes are their own and nobody else has ownership of their college experience at MMA (but each student-athlete). Moreover, understanding how important they are to their teammates, their community, and how each student-athlete balances their academic, regiment, and athletic responsibilities should be applauded and recognized.

Sexual Assault and Education Speaker

Noted speaker Elaine Pasqua provided an effective, spirited, and educational presentation to the MMA student-athletes about: alcohol, high-risk alcohol drinking, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual health, bystander intervention, and drug abuse. The student-athletes were engaged throughout the interactive presentation that provided an environment for healthy discussion, question and answer, and real-life examples/anecdotes to illustrate the importance of such topics.

Riverview School

SAAC and MMA Athletics welcomed Riverview School students for a special day at the institution that included a tour of the simulator and a cross country race at Clean Harbors Stadium. This second annual event of fun, competition, and learning provided students with an up-close look at the simulator followed-by a pizza party. The Riverview School is an independent coeducational boarding/day school for students (aged 11-22), with complex language, learning, and cognitive challenges located on Cape Cod. Since 1957, Riverview has been recognized as a leader in the field of special education. The School is committed to developing student competence and confidence in academic, social and independent living skills as the students hail from every region of the United States as well as from other countries.

Team Impact Draft Day

With an on-going partnership with Team IMPACT (a non-profit organization based in Quincy that partners with higher education institutions across the country that improve the quality of life for children that face adverse issues). The organization provides events and vibrant, team-based support networks in which the higher education institutions and accompanied athletic teams participate. This year, MMA Athletics welcomed Mashpee-native Nicolette and Chrissy Silva (as well as the rest of their family) who were drafted onto our women's soccer team. The special event commenced with a special campus police escort to campus and as Nicolette and Chrissy entered Clean Harbors Athletic Center, they were greeted by over 150 student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, and campus community members. Moreover, Nicolette and Chrissy signed keepsake National Letters of Intent, wore team jerseys and MMA Bucs memorabilia as pictures were taken to commemorate the partnership as the special guests were surrounded by the Women's Soccer team, coaches, and athletics staff. The event was capped-off with a pizza party for the family with the Women's Soccer team, coaches, and athletics staff. Nicolette and Christiana became the fifth and sixth members of the Massachusetts Maritime Team IMPACT family with their draft today, joining Teddy McGowan of men's lacrosse, Tyler Smith of baseball, Michael Hebert of football and Thomas Schmid of men's soccer.

Pat Tillman Scholars Program

SAAC welcomed Ellen McElligott (the Director of Development) of the Pat Tillman Foundation where she talked about the Tillman Scholars Program. MMA has partnered with The Tillman Foundation over three years and raised over $11,000 that supports military families.

Children's Cove

The annual Children's Cover toy drive capped-off the winter holiday season with SAAC and community members donating toys to the Cape and Islands Child Advocacy Center to ensure a positive and enjoyable holiday season experience for all children/families. Children's Cove was established in 1997 as a safe and welcoming place where children who have been sexually or physically abused can begin their journey of healing within a safe, respectful, and compassionate environment.

Hurricane Relief Efforts

As a part of the Hurricane Relief efforts in Houston on September 2, 2017, football student-athletes and coaches helped load boxed packages and other necessities onto the T.S. Kennedy that was headed down to Houston to help those in-need.

We hope to see you on the MMA campus to help support our spring teams. GO BUCS!