Saint Joseph’s receives NCAA Division III Internship grant

Dunlap named Assistant SID

by Corey McCarthy | photo by David Bates

Saint Joseph’s College was selected this year as a recipient of a two-year NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant, which provides funding for entry-level administrative positions to encourage the long-term success of ethnic minorities and women. Through the grant funding, Megan Dunlap ’18 was named as Assistant Sports Information Director and began her two-year stint in June.

Newly hired Assistant Sports Information Director, Megan Dunlap, poses happily

Megan Dunlap

Dunlap, a graduate of the B.S. in Communications with a focus in New Media program, served as a Sports Information intern for three years under the watch of Corey McCarthy, Assistant Athletics Director for Communication & Game Management.

“I am thrilled to have Megan join the Saint Joseph’s Athletics staff,” adds McCarthy. “Megan is a well-rounded individual who has considerable expertise in the areas of graphic design and videography. She will undoubtedly be a tremendous addition to the athletics department.”

Dunlap also worked as a Design Intern for Portland Magazine during the summer of 2017 and completed an internship at Hot 104.7 FM, a local radio station based out of Scarborough, during the summer months in 2016. She also double-minored in Video Production and Business Administration at Saint Joseph’s.

In her new role, Dunlap serves as the coordinator of the SJC student event staff, manages the Monks’ social media efforts, works with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) to help promote events, and serves as a member of the Academic Athletic Working Group on campus.

The NCAA grant requires the designation of a primary mentor; Patricia Erikson, the Director of Communications & Government Relations at Saint Joseph’s, will serve in this role, meeting with Dunlap on a regular basis and assisting with her professional development.  

Dick Bailey Notches 600th Career Victory

by Corey McCarthy  | photos by David Bates

Dick Bailey focuses on the play in front of him from the dugout

Softball Co-Head Coach Dick Bailey

Softball Co-Head Coach Dick Bailey notched the 600th win of his esteemed career when
the Monks swept Albertus Magnus College with 9-1 and 6-2 triumphs in New Haven, Connecticut this spring.

Bailey, who headed up the Monks for 11 seasons (1985-95), is now 600-380 (.612) during 29 years as a collegiate softball coach. Dick Bailey works with athletes during athletesAppointed as a co-head coach at Saint Joseph’s prior to the 2013 season, Bailey was 244-101 (.707) in his first stint at SJC, added two wins at Westbrook College in 1996, and posted a 197-177 (.527) record in 13 seasons (1997-09) as the head coach at Colby College. In his current role, Bailey has accumulated a 157-84 (.651) record in nearly six full seasons while sharing the coaching duties with fellow Co-Head Coach Jamie Smyth ’92.

In 11 seasons (1985-95) as the SJC head coach, Bailey notched six conference championships, four NAIA New England Championships and one NAIA Northeast Championship, which resulted in the program’s first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 1994. Bailey’s Monks won 20 or more games nine times and broke the single-season wins mark six times while he was at the helm.

Saint Joseph’s follows the NCAA guidelines on co-head coach won-loss records, guidelines that clarify when and how individuals designated with the “co” title earn credit for results (NCAA Statistics Policies and Guidelines: 5).  

Will Sanborn Joins 700-Victory Club

Becomes sixth New England baseball coach to reach milestone

by Corey McCarthy  | photos by David Bates

Baseball Head Coach Will Sanborn encourages his team

Baseball Head Coach Will Sanborn

With a 4-3 walk-off win over Rivier University this spring, Saint Joseph’s College Baseball Head Coach Will Sanborn ’86 notched the 700th victory of his collegiate career.

Sanborn, who recently completed his 26th season as the Monks’ skipper, is the winningest head coach in Saint Joseph’s College Athletics history and the first to reach the 700-victory mark. 

Now 715-377-5 (.655) over the course of his career, Sanborn is just the 37th individual to record 700 or more victories in the history of NCAA DIII Baseball.

Sanborn talks to his team during a meeting on the pitcher's mound

Sanborn during a meeting at the mound

He is the sixth New England coach to hit the milestone and joins Ed Flaherty (Southern Maine) and John Casey (Tufts) as one of three active DIII Baseball coaches who have surpassed the 700-victory mark. Sanborn holds the third-highest winning percentage (.655) among the eight New England coaching legends and is the only skipper on the list to have coached fewer than 30 seasons.

During his 25 years as the Monks’ skipper, Sanborn has won 20 championships, including 15 conference crowns and five NAIA New England titles, with 23 winning seasons. Saint Joseph’s has reached the 25-victory plateau in 19 of Sanborn’s 26 years and posted 30 or more wins on 12 occasions.   

Jamie Smyth Registers 500th Career Victory

Becomes winningest coach in Monks softball history

by Corey McCarthy | photos by David Bates

Softball Co-Head Coach Jamie Smyth instructs his team during a game

Softball Co-Head Coach Jamie Smyth

With a 9-0 win at Lasell College this spring, Saint Joseph’s College Softball Head Coach Jamie Smyth ’92 registered the 500th victory of his collegiate career.

Smyth, who just finished his 21st season at the helm for the Monks, is the winningest coach in Monks Softball history and the fourth skipper in the 48-year history of Saint Joseph’s College Athletics to record 500 career wins. 

Smyth joins baseball Head Coach Will Sanborn ’86 (715), women’s basketball Head Coach Mike McDevitt ’83 (603), and former men’s basketball Head Coach Rick Simonds (504) on the exclusive 500-victory list.

Smyth and members of the softball team huddle

Smyth at work with the team

In 21 years as the SJC clipboard carrier,
Smyth has won eight championships with
17 winning seasons and seventeen 20-win
campaigns. His teams have reached the
30-win plateau in six different seasons and
won four-consecutive Great Northeast
Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships
(2011-14) with NCAA Tournament berths following each title run.

Smyth, who has also served as the head coach of the Monks’ golf program for the last 14 seasons, reached the 400-win plateau when his Monks defeated Suffolk University, 5-4, on March 29th, 2014.  

Jon Roberts Named Head Volleyball Coach

One of the most respected volleyball coaches in the region joins SJC

Coach Jon Roberts talks with his team during a break in the action

Volleyball Head Coach Jon Roberts huddles with his team

by Corey McCarthy  | photos by David Bates

Senior Director of Athletics Brian Curtin announced in July the hiring of Jon Roberts as the Monks’ head women’s volleyball coach.

One of the most respected high school and club volleyball coaches in the region, Roberts is the first full-time head coach in the 38-year history of the SJC women’s volleyball program.

Roberts comes to Saint Joseph’s after serving as the head coach of the Scarborough High School girls volleyball program for the last eight years. Roberts also coached for the Maine Juniors Volleyball Club for eight years and took on the role of Volleyball Technical Director for the club in 2015.

On the sidelines, Jon Roberts coaches during a volleyball match

Head Coach Jon Roberts coaches on his team

“Saint Joseph’s has made a significant commitment to the success of the volleyball program with the creation of this new position,” added Roberts. “There is a great history of successful sports teams on campus and I am excited to build the volleyball program up to that level.”

At Scarborough, Roberts led the Red Storm to a pair of Class A Maine State Championships, five State Championship appearances, and trips to the postseason on eight occasions in as many years. He was recognized as the Maine Volleyball Coaches Association Class A Coach of the Year twice with a pair of Portland Press Herald High School Volleyball Coach of the Year honors.

“We are excited to have Jon join our staff,” adds Curtin. “He brings a thoughtful, professional approach to his coaching and has a genuine desire to help students grow and help the sport grow.”

A Swinging Success

Golfers bring their A game to the Annual Golf Classic

by Stephanie Feyler  | photos by Ashlee Maloney

One hundred and nineteen players teed off for the 2018 SJC Alumni and Friends Golf Classic at the Spring Meadows Golf Club in Gray, Maine, on September 14. 

Sunny weather and blue skies offered ideal conditions for a Friday round on the green. Players took advantage of on-course contests such as the ball cannon, corn hole, and putting. An awards ceremony and buffet lunch followed.

This golf classic is one of the Athletics Department’s largest and longest-running annual fundraisers. Proceeds from past golf classics have supported enhancements such as outdoor scoreboards, collapsible bleachers on the pool deck, and a graduate assistantship in the athletic training room.

Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s event and congratulations to our award winners!

Home Field Advantage

Alumni athletes return to campus for friendly competition

by Stephanie Feyler | photos by Stephanie Feyler and Corey McCarthy

SJC alumni laced up cleats, filled water bottles, and jogged out onto grass and turf fields to rekindle their love of the game. Baseball alumni gathered on Saturday, September 15 for nine innings of pop flies and grounders, followed by a BBQ social prepared by this year’s senior players. On Sunday, September 23 the men’s lacrosse alumni enjoyed battling against this year’s team, and later that afternoon, almost 40 softball alumni formed two full teams for a game that was also followed by a delicious BBQ social.

Hall of Fame

The 2018 Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony was held on Saturday, September 15, 2018. This event honors past athletes, faculty, staff, and friends who have brought distinction through athletics to themselves and to the College. Consideration is also given to good sportsmanship, academic achievement, and citizenship.

by Corey McCarthy  | photos by Megan Dunlap ’18

This year’s inductees included:

Charles Warren ’88

Hall of Fame inductee Charles Warren poses with fellow alumni Matthew Nelson and Thomas Ollman

L-R: Matthew Nelson '91, Thomas Ollman '88, and Charles Warren '88

A two-time All-Conference basketball honoree, Warren enters the hall ranked third in team history in games (118), fifth in free throws made (387), eighth infield goal percentage (.552), 12th in rebounds (637), and 17th in points (1,287). Warren is best remembered for converting a three-point play with two seconds left to lift the Monks past Castleton, 75-74, in the 1987 District 5 Championship, a win that launched Saint Joseph’s into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes National Tournament for the first time. In a first-round national tournament matchup versus #3 Biola on March 12, 1987, Warren scored 14 points with seven rebounds in a huge upset victory, the College’s first on the national stage.  During his four years, the Monks posted a 94-27 (.777) overall record with a 30-4 (.882) mark in Western Maine Athletic Conference (WMAC) play and four WMAC Championships.

Derek McIntosh ’05

An outstanding catcher for the Monks’ baseball team for three seasons, McIntosh hit .368 (136-370) with 99 runs, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 95 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 116 career games. At the time of his induction, he ranks fifth in career on-base percentage (.473) and eighth in batting average. As a senior, McIntosh enjoyed one of the finest offensive seasons in SJC baseball history when he hit .453 (58-128) with 47 runs, six doubles, 10 home runs, and 41 RBI in helping lead the Monks to the 2005 North Atlantic Conference Championship. In 2005, he ranked ninth in the country in batting average and earned Conference Co-Player of the Year, First Team New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-New England, and First Team All-Conference honors and started in the NEIBA Senior All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

Hall of Fame inductee Derek McIntosh, class of '05, poses with Father John Tokaz and Coach Will Sanborn

L-R: Derek McIntosh ’05, Father John Tokaz, Coach Will Sanborn.

Father John Tokaz, OFM 

Cap. Father John came to Saint Joseph’s in September 1997 and quickly became entrenched in SJC Athletics, offering pre-game prayers and being present on the bench for all of the Monks’ teams. As an honorary member of the baseball team, Father John played a major role in changing the culture and image of the program and established a series of team retreats. Many of the tenets Father John helped implement within the athletic department remain to this date and have been important elements in the sustained success of the Monks Athletic programs.

1991-1992 Women’s Basketball Team

The 1991-1992 Women's Basketball team poses for their hall of fame induction

From L-R: Sheri McCarthy Piers ’93, Melinda Stenberg Blumetti ’92, Cheryl Hartman, Neile Joler Nelson ’95, Sharon Rines Tracy ’94, Karen Rogers-Campbell ’95, Stephanie Minott Carter ’97, Danielle Bouchard Santucci ’95, Melissa Crowley Jipson ’95, Katherine Hartley Littleton ’92, Stephanie Clark Sullivan ’95, Karen Hartman ’92, Denise Treadwell Smith ’95 and Jill Bourget Kelly ’94.

Led by Head Coach Mike McDevitt ’83, the team went 23-8 (.742) overall, won the Western maine Athletic Conference Championship, and advanced to the NAIA national Tournament, where the Monks recorded the first NAIA tourney win in program history, a 94-78 victory over Concordia (NE). The victory was also the first on the national stage for any New England NAIA institution, in any sport. When the season commenced, the 1991-1992 team had established new program records for games, field goals attempted (2,340), three-pointers made (90) and attempted (316), and free throws attempted (744). The team featured six players — Jill Bourget ’94, Sharon Rines ’94, Sheri McCarthy ’93, Danielle Bouchard ’95, Neile Joler ’95, and Karen Rogers ’95 — who were
previously inducted into the SJC Hall
of Fame.