UNH will honor five inductees and the Joan Leitzel Award recipient on Saturday, June 11th
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire Department of Athletics announced the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The inductees include Mike Ayers '04, Steve Doig '82, Whitney Frates '12, Amanda (Hall) Dunn '06, Lauren (McCandless) Pepi '14 and the recipient of the Joan Leitzel Award, Cathy Coakley '72 '75 G.
The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, June 11 (3:30-5:30pm) in the Squamscott Room at Holloway Commons on UNH's campus. Tickets are $35 per person and are available by CLICKING HERE.
"We are delighted to re-convene our Hall of Fame after a three-year hiatus; this is always a wonderful event that celebrates UNH's best of the best," said UNH Director of Athletics Marty Scarano. "This year's honorees are some of the all-time leaders in their disciplines who made significant contributions to their teams' successes and are wonderful representatives of UNH. Additionally, we also will celebrate one of our beloved staff members in Cathy Coakley, who left us too early. She made an enormous impact here with our student-athletes and is missed to this day. We can't wait to honor the Hall of Fame Class of 2022."
Ayers was a four-year goaltender (2000-04) for the men's hockey program who helped lead the Wildcats to two Hockey East tournament championships and two Frozen Fours in 2002 and 2003 under head coach Dick Umile. Ayers was a Second Team All-America selection and Hockey East Player of the Year in 2003. The native of Hingham, Mass., played in 101 career games and posted a 58-28-12 record to go along with a 2.49 goals against average (GAA) and a .914 save percentage. Ayers' 13 career shutouts are still a school record, and his 2,532 saves rank sixth all-time in program history; the 101 career games ranks fourth among UNH goalies. His 2.49 GAA and his .914 save percentage, which both rank fifth all-time. His 27 wins during the 2002-03 season, along with seven shutouts and 2,499 minutes that year, are single-season school records, while his 1,139 saves are second-most in a single season, and his 2.18 GAA is the fourth-best mark of any Wildcat netminder. Mike Ayers, Men's Ice Hockey (2000-2004)
Doig (1978-81) was a linebacker on the football team under College Football Hall of Fame Coach Bill Bowes. Doig ranks second all-time in program history with 434 career tackles. He registered a school single-season record 195 tackles in 1981 when he earned Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Yankee Conference First Team All-Conference and team MVP honors. Doig served as the defensive captain in the Blue-Grey Bowl game in 1981. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1982 in the third round of the NFL draft and remains the highest draftee in team history. The Melrose, Mass., native played five seasons (1982-84 and1986-87) in the NFL for the Lions and New England Patriots. Steve Doig, Football (1978-81)
Frates (2008-11) was one of the most decorated field hockey players in school history under the direction of head coach Robin Balducci. She served as team captain in her senior season and led the team to the 2011 America East tournament title, a berth in the NCAA tournament and the 17 wins matched a single-season program record. Frates was an NFHCA First Team All-America selection, NFHCA Northeast Regional Player of the Year and America East Offensive Player of the Year, as well as ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and an ECAC All-Star First Team honoree. As a junior, she garnered Second Team All-American honors. The Woodstock, Vt., native was a three-time Northeast Regional FirstTeam honoree and a three-time America East First Team All-Conference player (2009-11). Frates started all 81 games that she played in for the Wildcats. Her 139 career points rank second in program history, her 35 assists are tied for most all-time, while her 52 goals are third in team history. Frates' 23 goals in 2011 are tied for third on UNH's single-season list, and her 57 points that same season are tied for second in team history. Whitey Frates, Field Hockey (2008-11)
Hall (2003-06), a four-year standout gymnast for head coach Gail Goodspeed, holds the all-time UNH points record with 2,066.600 and posted six of the top 10 All-Around scores, two of the top 10 vault scores and five of the top 10 floor routine scores. She was honored in 2006 as the Jim Urquhart Female Student-Athlete of the Year and was the 2005 EAGL Gymnast of the Year as the conference's vault champion. The native of Bremerton, Wash. was a four-time EAGL All-League selection and was a member of the EAGL All-Championship Team in 2003. In 2006, she was the NCAA Regional floor champion and competed at the NCAA National Championship in the all-around. She also served as team captain of the Wildcats in 2006 and was a two-time team MVP. She was also a member of the Wildcats' EAGL championship squad in her freshman season (2003). Amanda Hall, Women's Gymnastics (2003-06)
McCandless (2010-14) was a swimmer for longtime head coach Josh Willman on the women's swimming and diving team. She was a five-time individual America East champion, two-time individual ECAC champion in the 200 butterfly and 1650 freestyle and was part of two America East team championships with the Wildcats in 2013 and 2014. McCandless is a three-time school record holder in the 500 free, 1000 free and the 1650 free. The native of Macungie, Pa., was honored in 2014 as the recipient of the Jim Urquhart Female Student-Athlete of the Year. In her freshman season in 2010-11, McCandless earned America East Rookie of the Year honors. McCandless was honored as the America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2012 and 2014. She earned NCAA provisional times in the 200 butterfly in 2013 and 2014. Lauren McCandless, Women's Swimming and Diving (2010-14)
Coakley was a member of UNH's support staff as coordinator of student-athlete development for more than a decade, before her passing in 2019. The Dover, N.H., native spearheaded a comprehensive educational program to enhance the personal development and welfare of the University's student-athletes. Coakley worked with several other areas of student-athlete development, including the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), first-year student-athlete life skills education, community service activities involving UNH student-athletes, and four-year leadership curriculum for the student-athletes. In addition, she established and served as a liaison with campus departments and constituencies. Coakley had an extensive career in both athletics and higher education. Before her return to UNH, she was an instructor of sports marketing in the Kinesiology Department at James Madison University and coordinated all practicum and internships required of sport management majors. In that position, Coakley taught personal and professional development as well as life skills to the students within the major. While at JMU, she served as assistant field hockey coach from 2005-07 and helped guide the Dukes to the CAA championship and NCAA tournament appearance in 2007. She started her collegiate coaching career at UNH as an women's basketball assistant under Cecelia DeMarco from 1977-79 and later became the head coach at Fordham University (1980-83) and also served as an assistant coach at Northeastern University. Cathy Coakley (also pictured on right, VB alum Madison Lightfoot)
