July 1, 2011
Dear Terrier Nation,
Thank you for your dedication and support of Boston University Athletics throughout the 2010-11 school year. I am very excited about this year's Terrier accomplishments--it has certainly been a year for the record books!
Another successful year was capped off earlier this month when BU Athletics was awarded the America East Conference Commissioner's Cup for the sixth consecutive year and a record 11th time overall. This trophy annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in the Conference for success during both the regular season and championship competition in the conference's 20 sports.
Our success this past year was perhaps best recognized during our "March Madness on Comm Ave" weekend, when we earned the right to host both America East basketball title games and our women's ice hockey team hosted its first-ever NCAA game. We went on to dominate the Boston air waves when our men's basketball team advanced the NCAA tournament and our women's ice hockey team made an incredible run to the NCAA championship game.
Here is a quick recap of our athletic accomplishments during the 2010-11 school year:
• Four teams (men's basketball, men's cross country, women's soccer, women's tennis) captured America East conference titles
• Four teams (men's basketball, women's ice hockey, women's soccer, women's tennis) and 10 individuals qualified for NCAA postseason competition
• Four teams (women's ice hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball) secured regular-season titles in their respective conferences
• Junior Katie Matthews was named to the All-America First Team in both indoor (5,000m) and outdoor (10,000m) track & field, while Rich Peters was a second-team All-American in the indoor mile
• Women's ice hockey, in only its sixth season as a varsity team, became the first-ever Hockey East program to reach the NCAA Women's Frozen Four championship game
• Women's soccer held opponents scoreless for over 1,350 minutes to secure the second-longest shutout streak in NCAA history
• Men's crew was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation following regatta wins over Brown, Syracuse and Dartmouth
• Men's cross country captured its first America East title in 10 years, while the men's tennis and wrestling teams enjoyed their best seasons in recent memory
• Sophomore Melinda Matyas finished 17th overall in the high dive at the NCAA Championships, marking BU's highest finish ever in the competition
The playing field was not the only place where we enjoyed tremendous success. Each year our student-athletes and coaches focus time, attention and effort towards our primary mission of Excellence in Athletics, Academics, and Community. This past school year, as they always do, the Terriers responded in many meaningful ways.
Great work transpired in the classroom, with student-athletes posting a 3.02 cumulative GPA. We also led the America East with eight teams accomplishing perfect Academic Progress Rates (APR) of 1,000 and we continue to deliver an overall graduation rate that is among the best in the country at 93 percent. Eight Boston University student-athletes received Scarlet Keys at this year's annual ceremony. The Scarlet Key is the highest honor an undergraduate can receive, in recognition of academic and service-based accomplishments.
In the community, our student-athletes and coaches donated over 4,000 hours of community service to assist underprivileged individuals through several non-profit organizations. Some events that we contributed to included Race for the Cure, Making Strides against Breast Cancer, Friends of Jaclyn Fundraising Tournament and Holiday Reading. Our students also helped rebuild homes in New Orleans for the KRUP Alternative Spring Break and mentored Jackson-Mann Middle School students through The College for Every Student Program among many other events.
Our student-athletes and coaches continue to make us very proud!
I'd also like to extend a special thank you to both Carl Adams and Sally Starr, who completed their 30th seasons as head coaches here at BU, and welcome aboard our newest head coach, Joe Jones, who takes over the helm of our America East champion men's basketball team.
Although the recap of this past year is lengthy, I hope it shows you how proud we are at BU of our accomplishments and the direction we are headed. Be sure to follow our annual Terrier Twelve countdown on GoTerriers.com in the coming weeks to further celebrate the year's achievements.
Perhaps you will see one of our top moments here in this link to a highlight video for this past year: http://www.goterriers.com/allaccess/?media=243114?media=243114.
Thank you again for your support.
Go Terriers!
Sincerely,
Michael Lynch
Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics
