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Stonehill Skyhawks

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Stonehill Skyhawks
Logo
UniversityStonehill College
ConferenceNortheast Conference (primary)
independent (men's ice hockey)
New England Women's Hockey Alliance (women's ice hockey)
NCEA (women's equestrian)
NCAADivision I
Athletic directorDean O'Keefe
LocationEaston, Massachusetts
Varsity teams23
Football stadiumW.B. Mason Stadium
Basketball arenaMerkert Gymnasium
Ice hockey arenaBridgewater Ice Arena
Baseball stadiumLou Gorman Field
Softball stadiumFr. Gartland, C.S.C. Field
Soccer stadiumSkyhawk Field
Other venuesCharles Watt Tennis Courts
Foxboro Sports Center
MascotAce the Skyhawk
NicknameSkyhawks
ColorsPurple and white[1]
   
Websitewww.stonehillskyhawks.com

The Stonehill Skyhawks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Stonehill College, located in Easton, Massachusetts, in NCAA sporting competitions. All current Skyhawk athletic teams compete at the Division I level, with most being members of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Stonehill has been a member of the NEC since 2022.

On April 5, 2022, Stonehill announced it was accepting an invitation to join the NEC at the NCAA Division I level, effective in the fall of 2022.[2] Prior to 2022, Stonehill was a founding member of the Northeast-10 Conference in NCAA Division II.

History

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Skyhawks nickname

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In late 2002, The Strategic Planning Committee determined that the previous Stonehill College mascot, the chieftain, was disrespectful to Native Americans and decided that it would be changed. The committee ruled that a new mascot be named as the institution's athletic identity. Therefore, in the following year the college held open forums in which students, alumni, and faculty were asked to submit ideas for the new identity, vote on suggestions, and gauge popularity. Among popular choices were: "Summit"; "Skyhawks"; "Saints"; "Wolfpack"; "Crusaders"; "Mission"; "Shovelmakers"; and "Blizzard".

During the fall semester of the 2005 academic year Stonehill College officially changed the name of its athletic teams to the "Stonehill Skyhawks",[3] with a brand new mascot known as 'Ace', an anthropomorphic purple hawk wearing a scarf, goggles, bomber jacket, and an aviator cap. The actual name 'Skyhawks' is not a reference to either a bird or animal. After the school's property was bought by the Congregation of Holy Cross, the airfield was leased to the Navy during World War II and private companies before and after the war until it was closed in 1955 due to increasing student enrollment. The Navy used the field for training exercises and would employ the Skyhawk aircraft between 1954–1995.

Varsity teams

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Stonehill currently sponsors 23 varsity sports. Most recently, the school has added women's swimming and diving and women's ice hockey as varsity sports. Swimming and diving began in 2020–21 and women's ice hockey will begin in 2022–23. The women's ice hockey team will play in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance.[4]

List of teams

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Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross country Equestrian
Football Field hockey
Ice hockey Golf
Soccer Ice hockey
Tennis Lacrosse
Track and field† Soccer
Softball
Swimming & diving
Tennis
Track and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

National championships

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Team

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Association Division Sport Year Opponent Score
NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse[5] 2003 Longwood 9–8
2005 West Chester 13–10

Facilities

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The Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex is home to the College staff that sponsors eight intercollegiate club teams featuring Ultimate, Rugby, Lacrosse and Golf as well as an extensive intramural sports program offering Basketball, Soccer, Floor Hockey and Flag Football.

W.B. Mason Stadium is a 2,400-seat, multipurpose sports stadium. Opened in 2005 at a cost of $4 million, it is the home of Skyhawk football, lacrosse, field hockey, and track & field.[6] W.B. Mason, an office-supplies dealer based in nearby Brockton, Massachusetts, and its alumni employees contributed $1.5 million toward the project.[7]

The stadium was dedicated on September 10, 2005.[7] The playing field is named Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field, in honor of a 1980 Stonehill alumnus and football captain who was killed when the North Tower of the World Trade Center was destroyed on September 11, 2001.[8][9]

Most of the seating is bleacher-style; the two midfield sections have stadium seating with seat-backs.

After the stadium's formal dedication on September 10, 2005, Stonehill defeated Pace University 17–13 in the first football game played in the new stadium.[10]

Individual sports

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Football

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On Saturday, September 8, 2012, the Skyhawks defeated Southern Connecticut State University for the first time in 15 years, by a score of 13–0. In addition to breaking the losing streak, Stonehill also became the first team to shut out the Owls in 12 years.[11]

On Thursday, October 18, 2012, Stonehill hosted the University of New Haven Chargers in Stonehill's first ever nationally televised football game, broadcast as part of CBS Sports Network's Thursday night Division II game of the week. The game drew an overcapacity crowd that saw heavily favored New Haven win 45–41 on a last-second touchdown pass.[12][13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Stonehill College Skyhawks". Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  2. ^ "Stonehill Announces Transition to NCAA Division I for 2022-23 Academic Year". StonehillSkyhawks.com. Stonehill College. 2022-04-05. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  3. ^ Harber, Paul (May 15, 2005). "Skyhawks replace the Chieftains". The Boston Globe. p. 8.
  4. ^ "Stonehill to Add Women's Ice Hockey; Accepts Invitation to Join NEWHA" (Press release). New England Women's Hockey Alliance. December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  6. ^ Paul Harber, "Stonehill Ready to Unveil New Athletic Facility", The Boston Globe, September 1, 2005.
  7. ^ a b W.B. Mason Stadium, Stonehill College official website.
  8. ^ Alum’s Spirit Lives On Ten Years After 9/11 – News Around Campus – Stonehill College Archived 2013-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Jim Fenton, "College Notes: Stonehill football team hosts American International College in home opener", The Patriot Ledger, September 11, 2009.
  10. ^ "Pace Setters at Stonehill Skyhawks - Sep 10, 2005". Fan Base. Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  11. ^ Stonehill Skyhawks. "Stonehill Shuts Out Southern Connecticut State, 13–0." http://www.stonehillskyhawks.com/sports/fball/2012-13/releases/20120908p2f3wb
  12. ^ Jim Fenton, "Stonehill drops 45–41 shootout to third-ranked New Haven in closing seconds" Archived 2013-02-16 at archive.today, The Enterprise, October 19, 2012.
  13. ^ Stonehill to Host Nationally Televised Football Game- News Around Campus – Stonehill College Archived 2013-02-17 at archive.today
  14. ^ Stonehill : #3/6 New Haven Rallies Late to Top Stonehill, 45–41
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