Published: March 9, 2026
LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS. A deserving title to cap off a stellar season for the Nationally Ranked Southern Maine Women’s Basketball side. In the Conference Championship game on Sunday March 1, the Huskies came out hungry when it mattered and defeated Rhode Island College 71-54. A home court advantage meant everything to the Dawgs. They were playing with a burning passion, eager to give the (‘excited’ would be an understatement) student section something to cheer about. Sophomore Dakota Shipley was named 2026 Little East Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Lucy Wiles (21 points), Jaycie Christopher (12 points with another double-double), Liz Cote (9 points), and Avah Ingalls (6 points) were again the standout starters. The game was tied up at halftime, with the RIC Anchormen leaving it all on the court; but the Huskies came back out at full throttle and scored the first seven points of the third quarter. USM outscored RIC 26-14 in the third, and despite a slow start to the final quarter, back-to-back threes from Cote and Wiles kicked the Huskies into gear to end the game in peak form. Another milestone in this historic season for Coach Chadbourne’s side, they finish their season 25-2 and claim their 21st LEC title in programme history. But the Huskies aren’t looking to end it there – the NCAA tournament will be an opportunity for them to prove themselves as a real threat amongst some of the best teams in the country.
The Men’s Track and Field team also continued their success this past weekend, off the back of a massive Little East Conference Championship weekend. With Christian Burke claiming 1st in pole vault, Michael Cyr standing second on the 5km podium, and Freshman Ryker Paradis securing LEC Field Rookie of the Year with a shotput score to put him at 18th in the country, the team was fairly confident heading into the first weekend of the Division III New England Championships, and it was nothing short of entertaining. The team entered the weekend with 18 points following the first day of the Heptathlon; Seniors Christian Burke and Michael D’Amico placed first and second. Paradis shattered his own programme record in shot put with a killer 17.41m – and became the first Husky to win a shotput title in the New England’s. He finishes inside the top 15 in Division III this season. In track, the 4x800m relay team of Michael Cyr, Conner Smith, Camden Bessey and Aiden Pecoraro placed 12th with a season best time of 8:13:25. The team also placed 15th in the distance medley relay. Pashalis Pashalidis placed 16th in the 600m with a time of 1:25:94. To field, Freshman Tyler Bryant came 17th in high jump with 1.85m and Tim Bowler placed 13th in weight throw with 15.4m. Freshman Dylan Courtney earnt points matching his own PB in pole vault, placing 6th with 4.60m. The men’s team finished with 31 points, finishing 10th.
Women’s Track and Field also finished 10th with a total of 24 points. Fifth-year Zoe Barnes again the headliner, she is the first Husky to win the Division III New England title, placing first in shot put with 13.83m. She also placed fifth in weight throw with a 15.61m mark. Other track successes came from Gwen Catalano, placing 22nd in the 5km. Freshman Addy Burkhardt placed 22nd in the 400m. Seniors Alexis Karantza clocked the second-fastest 600m time in programme history at 1:36:88; Jaigan Boudreau placed fourth in shot put, and Janiah Young recorded a top five 200m time in programme history with 25.08 seconds. To relays, the 4×400 team of Young, Burkhardt, Karantza and sophomore Mya Austin hit a season best time of 4:02:65 and placed 12th. The 4x800m team of Megan Pryzbilla, AnnMarie Limberger, Whitney Davenport, and Anabel Melanson also clocked a season best 10:05:80 to finish 17th. In the field, Khalysa Hammith placed 20th in long jump (5.01m). In pole vault, Freshman Emma O’Brien and Riley Reitchel both cleared 3.20m.
In the Northeast Regional, Wrestlers Jake Craig and Kyle Moore secured their golden ticket to the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship tournament from March 13 in Iowa. Winning the 133lbs bracket, Craig became the third Husky in programme history to claim the ‘NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Champion’ title. As a senior following an extremely successful college career, he secures his fourth consecutive bid to the national tournament, this time returning as a two-time All-American (honoured in 2023 and 2025). Already the fifth winningest Husky wrestler of all time, his perfect 4-0 record in the championships so far puts him in good stead for NCAAs. His teammate, Kyle Moore, is heading to the National Championships for the first time in his career. Moore narrowly missed out on the tournament in 2025, but his ruthless 9-0 win in his semi final made sure he secured his spot this time around. A bracket release comes out March 9th.
To the rink, we say goodbye to our Ice Hockey seniors as both teams came up shorthanded in their respective semi finals on the 28th of February. A goal in the remaining 90 seconds of the semifinal game from UMass Boston saw the Women’s Hockey conclude their season in a heartbreaking manner (2-1). A powerplay goal in the last quarter also saw UMB slip past the Men’s team (3-2) in the quarterfinal. Both teams have shown promise from their younger players and will soon be turning focus to their upcoming season in 2026/27.
Men’s basketball suffered a nail-biting defeat to Eastern Connecticut at home in their quarterfinal as well. They showed heart to fight back several times throughout the game – scoring nine straight in the late second half to leave the scoreboard at 57-55 with 9:14 on the clock. Whilst the East Conn Warriors fought back hard to secure their win 83-93 , the Huskies walk away from their season with their heads held high. Their 16-10 overall record and 11 conference wins are the most in programme history.
Up next, qualified members of the Indoor Track and Field teams will turn to the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships in Boston the weekend starting Friday March 6. Following an LEC title, Women’s Basketball will next play Johnson & Wales University at Bowdoin College on the 6th at 5:15pm. This immensely talented team has everything to play for in the knockout rounds of their exciting NCAA Division III National Championship opportunity.
