University of New Hampshire Athletics
Photo by: Gil Talbot
Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony Held Oct. 20
10/21/2024 4:56:00 PM | Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Cross Country, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Ice Hockey, Women's Track & Field
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire athletic department held the induction ceremony for the seven-member Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Oct. 20 in the Granite State Room of the Memorial Union Building.
The ceremony was held in conjunction with Homecoming weekend to expand the Hall of Fame experience to the eight home events spanning three days.
The Class of 2024 is comprised of four student-athletes, two coaches and a UNH professor emeritus.
Kacey Bellamy '09, women's ice hockey
Megan Bozek '14, field hockey
Gail Goodspeed, gymnastics coach
R.J. Harris '15, football
Elle Purrier St. Pierre '18, women's cross country and track & field
Dick Umile '72, men's hockey head coach
Joan Leiztel Contribution to UNH Athletics Award: Dr. Steve Hardy
"I am thrilled to honor the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 and celebrate their outstanding accomplishments during their time at UNH and in life beyond," UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich said. "This is a very special class that embodies the spirit, pride and dedication of our Wildcats. They stand out not only for their athletics achievements, but also for the profound impact they have had on the UNH community."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kacey Bellamy '09
Bellamy is a three-time Olympian who amassed 27 goals and 80 assists for 107 points in 143 games during her four seasons as a UNH Wildcat (2006-09). She ranks third on UNH's leaderboard among defensemen in both assists and points – the school benchmark for points is 108.
Bellamy ranked third in the nation in defensemen scoring (0.80 points per game) as a senior captain en route to being named to the RBK All-America First Team. Her Hockey East accolades that season included First Team All-Star, Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team; she was also honored as UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2009.
The native of Westfield, Mass. led the UNH women's hockey team to four consecutive Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament with two trips to the Frozen Four. She returned to her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2010-11 season.
Bellamy ranked 10th in the nation in defenseman scoring as a sophomore and junior and was named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star both of those years. Her other league honors included All-Tournament Team as a freshman and sophomore, in addition to the aforementioned senior season.
Bellamy was a USCHO All-Rookie Team honoree in 2006.
Bellamy became the fifth UNH alum to compete on a U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team in the 2010 Olympiad. She also skated for Team USA at the '14 and '18 Olympics and served as an alternate captain for the gold medal team in 2018; Bellamy wore the 'A" on her sweater for a total of eight U.S. teams.
Bellamy's career with the U.S. Women's National Team began after finishing her freshman campaign at UNH during the 2005-06 season. She was selected as a member of Team USA for the 2006 Four Nations Cup and went on to play in 13 more Four Nations Cups with seven gold medals.
Bellamy also won gold in 7 of 8 IIHF Women's World Championships. She was on the roster of the U.S. Women's National Teams in both 2020 and 2021, but COVID-19 canceled international competitions in '20 and postponed them in '21.
Bellamy played a total of 130 games for the U.S. Women's National Team from 2006-21 with 11 goals and 38 assists for 49 points. In the U.S. record book, she ranks first among blueliners in games played, fourth in assists and tied for fourth in points.
In addition to her time with USA Hockey, Bellamy played 10 seasons of professional hockey, including five with the Boston Blades (2010-15), where she helped the squad capture the Clarkson Cup in 2013. Bellamy also played for the Boston Pride for two seasons and helped the team win the Isobel Cup, then returned to the Canadian Women's Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno, and most recently played in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Megan Bozek '14
Bozek was a two-time All-American and two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year in her four-year career that spanned the 2010-13 seasons on the UNH field hockey team. She was also a three-time NFHCA All-Academic Squad member, two-time NFHCA Northeast Region First Team honoree and Northeast Region Second Team selection.
Bozek was named to the America East All-Conference First Team twice, Second Team once, and also garnered All-Rookie Team recognition. She was also a two-time selection to the conference's All-Academic Team (2011, 2012).
Bozek was named a Longstreth/NFHCA All-America First Team honoree and conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior back in 2013, when she helped UNH win the conference regular season and tournament titles en route to an NCAA tournament appearance. She was named to the America East All-Championship Team for the second consecutive year and was also feted as the tourney's Most Outstanding Player.
One year earlier, Bozek was named to the All-America Third Team after winning her first America East Defensive Player of the Year award.
New Hampshire won the America East regular-season title all four years Bozek was on the roster – including a perfect 5-0 in 2010, 2012 and 2013 – and was the league tourney champion in '11 and '13.
Bozek recorded 29 goals and eight assists for 66 points, as well as 13 defensive saves, in 85 career games as a Wildcat. Her top-scoring season came as a senior, when she ranked third on the team in both goals (seven) and points (17). Bozek also ranked third on the team in both goals and points in her junior season.
The native of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. rejoined the UNH field hockey program as an assistant coach in May 2018 and remained in that position for four seasons (2018-21).
Bozek played at the highest level of competition as a member of the USA Women's National Indoor Team from 2012-14. She participated in the USA Women's High Performance program from 2011-14 and attended the Junior National Camp in '13.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gail Goodspeed
Goodspeed, who started as the women's gymnastics head coach at UNH in the fall semester of 1979, retired at the conclusion of the 2019 season with a career record of 648-327-2 (.665) and seven league championships – four ECAC and three East Atlantic Gymnastics League – which included at least one in each of her four decades.
In her tenure, the Wildcats reached postseason competition 38 times and appeared in the NCAA Regional Championships 36 times. Goodspeed capped her legendary career by leading UNH to the 2019 EAGL championship title at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex and being named the league's co-Coach of the Year.
Goodspeed previously guided the Wildcats to EAGL championships in 2003 and 2014, winning both titles at the Whitt. She won three straight ECAC Championships from 1984-86 and again in 1994.
Her final season at the helm marked the 25-year anniversary of the most successful UNH gymnastics team in program history. The 'Cats won the 1994 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and competed at the NCAA Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. New Hampshire finished that season as the 12th-ranked team in the country.
In addition to the 1994 team's qualification to the national championship, individual gymnasts represented UNH at the national championship 11 different times in the Goodspeed era.
Goodspeed was at the helm for each of the top three team scores in program history with a record score of 196.750 to win the 2003 EAGL title. That '03 Wildcat squad also recorded the second-highest mark of 196.675 that was duplicated in the 2014 season.
The team score of 49.475 on the vault has stood as the New Hampshire record since 2003, and the 2015 Wildcats hold the floor exercise benchmark of 49.475.
In her four decades of mentoring student-athletes, Goodspeed coached one NCAA All-American, four NIT All-Americans, nine NCAA championship gymnasts, 31 ECAC champions, four ECAC Gymnasts of the Year and three EAGL Gymnasts of the Year.
The native of Kohler, Wis., is a six-time recipient of the NCAA Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year (1991-94-2001-03-08-15) and is a two-time EAGL Coach of the Year ('08, '19).
Goodspeed was inducted into the Springfield College Hall of Fame in 2002 for her accomplishments there as a gymnast.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
R.J. Harris '15
Harris etched his name in the UNH football record book as one of the top receivers in program history. In his four years as a Wildcat spanning the 2011-14 seasons, he caught more passes than any 'Cat in history with 310 receptions. Harris ranks second with 4,328 career receiving yards.
His other career statistics include 5,019 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns with a breakdown of 36 receiving TDs and four rushing.
The wide receiver garnered American Football Coaches Association FCS All-America Team recognition as a senior in 2014, when he broke New Hampshire's single-season record for receptions with 100 and tied the program single-season benchmark with a nation-leading 1,551 receiving yards.
In other national stats, Harris was No. 3 in receiving yards per game (110.8), No. 5 in TD receptions (15) and No. 9 in receptions per game (7.1). He was atop CAA Football in receiving yards, TD receptions, receiving yards per game and receptions per game.
Harris has three of UNH's top 10 single-season marks for receptions. In addition to being the record holder, he is also No. 6 with 84 in 2012 and No. 8 with 76 in 2013. And on the Top 10 season leaderboard for receiving yards, Harris is also eighth with 1,059 in 2012.
The native of Odenton, Md. was a three-time selection to both the New England Football Writers Association All-New England Team and CAA All-Conference First Team.
Harris eclipsed 100 receiving yards 20 times in 44 games, including nine in 14 games as a senior with a high of 210 yards (on 11 catches) at Rhode Island in November 2014. Also of note, Harris had 10+ catches in a game eight times with a high of 12 twice – September 2011 at Richmond and August 2012 at Holy Cross.
Harris scored a touchdown in 26 of 44 career games and that included 24 games with a TD reception; he scored multiple touchdowns in a game 13 times, including 11 games with multiple TD receptions. He recorded a personal-best three TD receptions vs. James Madison in 2013 and scored three touchdowns twice in the '14 season.
Harris signed a free agent contract with the NFL's New Orleans Saints in 2015 and had practice squad stints with both the Saints and Atlanta Falcons. He also spent time with British Columbia and Winnipeg of the CFL before making his CFL debut with the Ottawa REDBLACKS in 2018. He retired in 2023 with career numbers of 174 catches for 2,241 yards and four TDs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Elle Purrier St. Pierre '18
Purrier St. Pierre '18 is arguably the most accomplished student-athlete in school history. She is an 11-time All-American – including an NCAA national champion – and 17-time America East champion. She was voted UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2018.
She was honored as the America East Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year consecutive years (2016-17 and 2017-18) and was named an America East Scholar Athlete a total of six times – three times as a junior and three more as a senior – because of excellence both in competition and the classroom, where she compiled a 3.71 cumulative GPA while earning a B.S. in Nutrition.
Purrier St. Pierre won the national championship in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March 2018 to become the first UNH track student-athlete and fourth America East track & field athlete to win a national title
She also raced to 14th place in the 3,000-meter at the 2018 NCAA indoor meet to earn All-America Second Team recognition in that event. Not only was she the first Wildcat to compete in two events at an NCAA Track & Field Championship, she earned All-America status in both.
One month earlier (Feb. '18), she recorded the second-fastest indoor mile time in NCAA history with a time of 4 minutes, 26.55 seconds. That mark remained No. 2 until a year ago and it is currently the fifth fastest.
In cross country, Purrier St. Pierre won three consecutive America East individual titles (2014, 2016, 2017; she redshirted in 2015) and helped New Hampshire win five consecutive conference team titles spanning 2013-17. She was the NCAA Regional individual champion as a junior and senior, and went on to earn All-America recognition each of those years, including seventh place at the 2016 NCAAs.
Following that seventh-place finish, Purrier St. Pierre went on to finish second in the mile at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and fourth in the steeplechase at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Purrier St. Pierre placed third in the steeplechase in '16 and seventh in '15.
Purrier St. Pierre is the record holder of six UNH individual track & field events. She holds the indoor benchmarks for the 800m, 1,000m, mile and 3,000m, as well as the outdoor records in both the 1,500m and steeplechase.
Her name is also included in the record book four times in relay events: distance medley (indoor), sprint medley (outdoor), 4x800m (outdoor) and 4x1,500m (outdoor).
She was an America East All-Academic Team selection three times as a senior to increase her career total to nine.
Purrier St. Pierre has been running professionally since graduating from UNH. She made the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 1,500m finals at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June 2021 with a time of 3:58.03 that broke a 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Purrier St. Pierre advanced from the first round and then semifinals to the 1,500m Olympic Finals, where she finished in 10th place.
Fast forward to 2024, where she became a two-time Olympian and placed eighth in the 1,500m. Earlier in the year, she broke the American record for the women's indoor mile (4:16.41) that had stood for more than 37 years and then won the women's 3,000m run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships with a North American and championship record with her winning time of 8:20.87. It was her first global championship title and first ever for a UNH Wildcat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dick Umile '72
Umile was previously enshrined into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994 for his accomplishments as a student-athlete on the men's hockey team. He is being honored again 30 years later for his achievements as that program's head coach.
In 28 years, Umile guided the Wildcats to 596 victories, two national championship games, four Frozen Fours, 18 NCAA tournament appearances, eight Hockey East regular-season championships and two Hockey East tournament titles. The Wildcats won 20 or more games in a season 20 times during his tenure.
Umile was named Coach of the Year, including the Spencer Penrose Award winner as National Coach of the Year in 1999, a total of 11 times. He was tabbed the top coach in New England four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year six times.
He was honored with the 2018 Parker/York Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to New England collegiate hockey. That year, he was also awarded the Hockey East Founders Medal to become the 12th individual and second coach – first active coach – to receive that prestigious honor.
The 596 wins are more than any head coach in UNH men's hockey history and that total ranked third among active coaches – ninth all-time – when he announced his retirement in 2018. Umile became the eighth Division I men's hockey coach to record 500 wins at one school.
Umile coached 12 Hobey Baker finalists and 31 All-Americans in his 28 years in Durham. His success at the collegiate level helped several UNH alumni continue their careers in the National Hockey League.
In 2015-16, Umile became the 12th coach to be behind the bench for 1,000 games and only the fifth to achieve the feat at one school.
He recorded his 500th career win in the 2012-13 season opener. That year, the 'Cats were ranked No. 1 and reached the NCAA tourney for the 11th time in 12 years.
In 2010-11, the Wildcats made their 23rd straight trip to the Hockey East playoffs, had home-ice advantage for a league best 15th straight season and advanced to the NCAA regional final for the third straight season.
In 2007-08, Umile captured his 400th career win, led UNH to a program-record 19 Hockey East wins and the league regular-season title for the second consecutive season. The 'Cats had four All-Americans for the first time in school history.
In 2002-03, UNH earned its fourth trip to the Frozen Four, second appearance in the national championship game, and took home the Hockey East tournament title for the second straight season.
The Wildcats attained the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history in 1999-2000. The previous year, UNH posted a school-best 31 wins, advanced to the national championship game, and earned UNH's first outright Hockey East regular-season championship.
Following his first season as the Wildcat head coach in 1991, Umile was honored with his first Bob Kullen Award as the Hockey East Coach of the Year. He was also the recipient of the Clark Hodder Award by the New England Hockey Writers Association as the New England Division I Coach of the Year. Also, he was selected the 1991 New England Division I Hockey Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
Umile became the 12th coach in the history of New Hampshire hockey when he was promoted to the position Dec. 6, 1990. He returned to his alma mater before the 1988-89 season as an assistant coach and was named associate head coach one year later.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Joan Leitzel Contribution to Athletics Award
The Joan Leitzel Contribution to UNH Athletics Award is given to a person whose contributions to UNH athletics have enhanced the lives of student-athletes.
Dr. Steve Hardy was a popular UNH professor of kinesiology, advisor and affiliate professor of history for more than a quarter of a century before retiring in 2014. He also served as the UNH NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative for more than 10 years (1998-2011) and advocated for Wildcat athletics profoundly for decades.
In his role as the Faculty Athletic Representative, Hardy served as the liaison between the athletic department and the University administration to ensure academic integrity and quality of student-athlete experiences within the athletic department. He created academic metrics that became part of evaluating student-athlete academic excellence and was the foundation of UNH's future success in the NCAA Academic Performance Rate and NCAA Graduation Success Rate.
Hardy is receiving the Joan Leitzel award in recognition of his exceptional contributions to student success and academic excellence for every student-athlete and varsity athletic program. He was devoted to making UNH a special place, and that included the athletic department.
In the classroom, he brought an academic's rigor to a range of sports studies subjects with an emphasis on primary research and projects that have real-world applicability.
Hardy received UNH's Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010), which recognizes excellence in teaching by a faculty member over the course of a long-term distinguished career at UNH.
He also received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNH's College of Health and Human Services in 2009.
His impact on UNH student-athletes extended far beyond the four walls of a classroom. More than a professor, Hardy was, and still is: a mentor, role model, guiding light, friend and listener who is empathetic and always supportive.
As a beacon of support and guidance, the warmth and genuine care he exhibited was transformative. He shaped many Wildcats' lives by encouraging them to pursue their passions and goals, and strive for excellence in all aspects of life.
Hardy, who played hockey as a youth in Waltham, Mass. and later for Bowdoin College, has written two books and countless articles.
He has worked with UNH and the Operation Hat Trick campaign, which was launched in 2008, to honor military veterans.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The ceremony was held in conjunction with Homecoming weekend to expand the Hall of Fame experience to the eight home events spanning three days.
The Class of 2024 is comprised of four student-athletes, two coaches and a UNH professor emeritus.
Kacey Bellamy '09, women's ice hockey
Megan Bozek '14, field hockey
Gail Goodspeed, gymnastics coach
R.J. Harris '15, football
Elle Purrier St. Pierre '18, women's cross country and track & field
Dick Umile '72, men's hockey head coach
Joan Leiztel Contribution to UNH Athletics Award: Dr. Steve Hardy
"I am thrilled to honor the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 and celebrate their outstanding accomplishments during their time at UNH and in life beyond," UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich said. "This is a very special class that embodies the spirit, pride and dedication of our Wildcats. They stand out not only for their athletics achievements, but also for the profound impact they have had on the UNH community."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kacey Bellamy '09Bellamy is a three-time Olympian who amassed 27 goals and 80 assists for 107 points in 143 games during her four seasons as a UNH Wildcat (2006-09). She ranks third on UNH's leaderboard among defensemen in both assists and points – the school benchmark for points is 108.
Bellamy ranked third in the nation in defensemen scoring (0.80 points per game) as a senior captain en route to being named to the RBK All-America First Team. Her Hockey East accolades that season included First Team All-Star, Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team; she was also honored as UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2009.
The native of Westfield, Mass. led the UNH women's hockey team to four consecutive Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament with two trips to the Frozen Four. She returned to her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2010-11 season.
Bellamy ranked 10th in the nation in defenseman scoring as a sophomore and junior and was named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star both of those years. Her other league honors included All-Tournament Team as a freshman and sophomore, in addition to the aforementioned senior season.
Bellamy was a USCHO All-Rookie Team honoree in 2006.
Bellamy became the fifth UNH alum to compete on a U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team in the 2010 Olympiad. She also skated for Team USA at the '14 and '18 Olympics and served as an alternate captain for the gold medal team in 2018; Bellamy wore the 'A" on her sweater for a total of eight U.S. teams.
Bellamy's career with the U.S. Women's National Team began after finishing her freshman campaign at UNH during the 2005-06 season. She was selected as a member of Team USA for the 2006 Four Nations Cup and went on to play in 13 more Four Nations Cups with seven gold medals.
Bellamy also won gold in 7 of 8 IIHF Women's World Championships. She was on the roster of the U.S. Women's National Teams in both 2020 and 2021, but COVID-19 canceled international competitions in '20 and postponed them in '21.
Bellamy played a total of 130 games for the U.S. Women's National Team from 2006-21 with 11 goals and 38 assists for 49 points. In the U.S. record book, she ranks first among blueliners in games played, fourth in assists and tied for fourth in points.
In addition to her time with USA Hockey, Bellamy played 10 seasons of professional hockey, including five with the Boston Blades (2010-15), where she helped the squad capture the Clarkson Cup in 2013. Bellamy also played for the Boston Pride for two seasons and helped the team win the Isobel Cup, then returned to the Canadian Women's Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno, and most recently played in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Megan Bozek '14Bozek was a two-time All-American and two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year in her four-year career that spanned the 2010-13 seasons on the UNH field hockey team. She was also a three-time NFHCA All-Academic Squad member, two-time NFHCA Northeast Region First Team honoree and Northeast Region Second Team selection.
Bozek was named to the America East All-Conference First Team twice, Second Team once, and also garnered All-Rookie Team recognition. She was also a two-time selection to the conference's All-Academic Team (2011, 2012).
Bozek was named a Longstreth/NFHCA All-America First Team honoree and conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior back in 2013, when she helped UNH win the conference regular season and tournament titles en route to an NCAA tournament appearance. She was named to the America East All-Championship Team for the second consecutive year and was also feted as the tourney's Most Outstanding Player.
One year earlier, Bozek was named to the All-America Third Team after winning her first America East Defensive Player of the Year award.
New Hampshire won the America East regular-season title all four years Bozek was on the roster – including a perfect 5-0 in 2010, 2012 and 2013 – and was the league tourney champion in '11 and '13.
Bozek recorded 29 goals and eight assists for 66 points, as well as 13 defensive saves, in 85 career games as a Wildcat. Her top-scoring season came as a senior, when she ranked third on the team in both goals (seven) and points (17). Bozek also ranked third on the team in both goals and points in her junior season.
The native of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. rejoined the UNH field hockey program as an assistant coach in May 2018 and remained in that position for four seasons (2018-21).
Bozek played at the highest level of competition as a member of the USA Women's National Indoor Team from 2012-14. She participated in the USA Women's High Performance program from 2011-14 and attended the Junior National Camp in '13.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gail GoodspeedGoodspeed, who started as the women's gymnastics head coach at UNH in the fall semester of 1979, retired at the conclusion of the 2019 season with a career record of 648-327-2 (.665) and seven league championships – four ECAC and three East Atlantic Gymnastics League – which included at least one in each of her four decades.
In her tenure, the Wildcats reached postseason competition 38 times and appeared in the NCAA Regional Championships 36 times. Goodspeed capped her legendary career by leading UNH to the 2019 EAGL championship title at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex and being named the league's co-Coach of the Year.
Goodspeed previously guided the Wildcats to EAGL championships in 2003 and 2014, winning both titles at the Whitt. She won three straight ECAC Championships from 1984-86 and again in 1994.
Her final season at the helm marked the 25-year anniversary of the most successful UNH gymnastics team in program history. The 'Cats won the 1994 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and competed at the NCAA Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. New Hampshire finished that season as the 12th-ranked team in the country.
In addition to the 1994 team's qualification to the national championship, individual gymnasts represented UNH at the national championship 11 different times in the Goodspeed era.
Goodspeed was at the helm for each of the top three team scores in program history with a record score of 196.750 to win the 2003 EAGL title. That '03 Wildcat squad also recorded the second-highest mark of 196.675 that was duplicated in the 2014 season.
The team score of 49.475 on the vault has stood as the New Hampshire record since 2003, and the 2015 Wildcats hold the floor exercise benchmark of 49.475.
In her four decades of mentoring student-athletes, Goodspeed coached one NCAA All-American, four NIT All-Americans, nine NCAA championship gymnasts, 31 ECAC champions, four ECAC Gymnasts of the Year and three EAGL Gymnasts of the Year.
The native of Kohler, Wis., is a six-time recipient of the NCAA Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year (1991-94-2001-03-08-15) and is a two-time EAGL Coach of the Year ('08, '19).
Goodspeed was inducted into the Springfield College Hall of Fame in 2002 for her accomplishments there as a gymnast.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
R.J. Harris '15Harris etched his name in the UNH football record book as one of the top receivers in program history. In his four years as a Wildcat spanning the 2011-14 seasons, he caught more passes than any 'Cat in history with 310 receptions. Harris ranks second with 4,328 career receiving yards.
His other career statistics include 5,019 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns with a breakdown of 36 receiving TDs and four rushing.
The wide receiver garnered American Football Coaches Association FCS All-America Team recognition as a senior in 2014, when he broke New Hampshire's single-season record for receptions with 100 and tied the program single-season benchmark with a nation-leading 1,551 receiving yards.
In other national stats, Harris was No. 3 in receiving yards per game (110.8), No. 5 in TD receptions (15) and No. 9 in receptions per game (7.1). He was atop CAA Football in receiving yards, TD receptions, receiving yards per game and receptions per game.
Harris has three of UNH's top 10 single-season marks for receptions. In addition to being the record holder, he is also No. 6 with 84 in 2012 and No. 8 with 76 in 2013. And on the Top 10 season leaderboard for receiving yards, Harris is also eighth with 1,059 in 2012.
The native of Odenton, Md. was a three-time selection to both the New England Football Writers Association All-New England Team and CAA All-Conference First Team.
Harris eclipsed 100 receiving yards 20 times in 44 games, including nine in 14 games as a senior with a high of 210 yards (on 11 catches) at Rhode Island in November 2014. Also of note, Harris had 10+ catches in a game eight times with a high of 12 twice – September 2011 at Richmond and August 2012 at Holy Cross.
Harris scored a touchdown in 26 of 44 career games and that included 24 games with a TD reception; he scored multiple touchdowns in a game 13 times, including 11 games with multiple TD receptions. He recorded a personal-best three TD receptions vs. James Madison in 2013 and scored three touchdowns twice in the '14 season.
Harris signed a free agent contract with the NFL's New Orleans Saints in 2015 and had practice squad stints with both the Saints and Atlanta Falcons. He also spent time with British Columbia and Winnipeg of the CFL before making his CFL debut with the Ottawa REDBLACKS in 2018. He retired in 2023 with career numbers of 174 catches for 2,241 yards and four TDs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Elle Purrier St. Pierre '18Purrier St. Pierre '18 is arguably the most accomplished student-athlete in school history. She is an 11-time All-American – including an NCAA national champion – and 17-time America East champion. She was voted UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year in 2018.
She was honored as the America East Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year consecutive years (2016-17 and 2017-18) and was named an America East Scholar Athlete a total of six times – three times as a junior and three more as a senior – because of excellence both in competition and the classroom, where she compiled a 3.71 cumulative GPA while earning a B.S. in Nutrition.
Purrier St. Pierre won the national championship in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March 2018 to become the first UNH track student-athlete and fourth America East track & field athlete to win a national title
She also raced to 14th place in the 3,000-meter at the 2018 NCAA indoor meet to earn All-America Second Team recognition in that event. Not only was she the first Wildcat to compete in two events at an NCAA Track & Field Championship, she earned All-America status in both.
One month earlier (Feb. '18), she recorded the second-fastest indoor mile time in NCAA history with a time of 4 minutes, 26.55 seconds. That mark remained No. 2 until a year ago and it is currently the fifth fastest.
In cross country, Purrier St. Pierre won three consecutive America East individual titles (2014, 2016, 2017; she redshirted in 2015) and helped New Hampshire win five consecutive conference team titles spanning 2013-17. She was the NCAA Regional individual champion as a junior and senior, and went on to earn All-America recognition each of those years, including seventh place at the 2016 NCAAs.
Following that seventh-place finish, Purrier St. Pierre went on to finish second in the mile at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and fourth in the steeplechase at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Purrier St. Pierre placed third in the steeplechase in '16 and seventh in '15.
Purrier St. Pierre is the record holder of six UNH individual track & field events. She holds the indoor benchmarks for the 800m, 1,000m, mile and 3,000m, as well as the outdoor records in both the 1,500m and steeplechase.
Her name is also included in the record book four times in relay events: distance medley (indoor), sprint medley (outdoor), 4x800m (outdoor) and 4x1,500m (outdoor).
She was an America East All-Academic Team selection three times as a senior to increase her career total to nine.
Purrier St. Pierre has been running professionally since graduating from UNH. She made the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 1,500m finals at the track & field U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June 2021 with a time of 3:58.03 that broke a 33-year old record for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Purrier St. Pierre advanced from the first round and then semifinals to the 1,500m Olympic Finals, where she finished in 10th place.
Fast forward to 2024, where she became a two-time Olympian and placed eighth in the 1,500m. Earlier in the year, she broke the American record for the women's indoor mile (4:16.41) that had stood for more than 37 years and then won the women's 3,000m run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships with a North American and championship record with her winning time of 8:20.87. It was her first global championship title and first ever for a UNH Wildcat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dick Umile '72Umile was previously enshrined into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994 for his accomplishments as a student-athlete on the men's hockey team. He is being honored again 30 years later for his achievements as that program's head coach.
In 28 years, Umile guided the Wildcats to 596 victories, two national championship games, four Frozen Fours, 18 NCAA tournament appearances, eight Hockey East regular-season championships and two Hockey East tournament titles. The Wildcats won 20 or more games in a season 20 times during his tenure.
Umile was named Coach of the Year, including the Spencer Penrose Award winner as National Coach of the Year in 1999, a total of 11 times. He was tabbed the top coach in New England four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year six times.
He was honored with the 2018 Parker/York Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to New England collegiate hockey. That year, he was also awarded the Hockey East Founders Medal to become the 12th individual and second coach – first active coach – to receive that prestigious honor.
The 596 wins are more than any head coach in UNH men's hockey history and that total ranked third among active coaches – ninth all-time – when he announced his retirement in 2018. Umile became the eighth Division I men's hockey coach to record 500 wins at one school.
Umile coached 12 Hobey Baker finalists and 31 All-Americans in his 28 years in Durham. His success at the collegiate level helped several UNH alumni continue their careers in the National Hockey League.
In 2015-16, Umile became the 12th coach to be behind the bench for 1,000 games and only the fifth to achieve the feat at one school.
He recorded his 500th career win in the 2012-13 season opener. That year, the 'Cats were ranked No. 1 and reached the NCAA tourney for the 11th time in 12 years.
In 2010-11, the Wildcats made their 23rd straight trip to the Hockey East playoffs, had home-ice advantage for a league best 15th straight season and advanced to the NCAA regional final for the third straight season.
In 2007-08, Umile captured his 400th career win, led UNH to a program-record 19 Hockey East wins and the league regular-season title for the second consecutive season. The 'Cats had four All-Americans for the first time in school history.
In 2002-03, UNH earned its fourth trip to the Frozen Four, second appearance in the national championship game, and took home the Hockey East tournament title for the second straight season.
The Wildcats attained the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history in 1999-2000. The previous year, UNH posted a school-best 31 wins, advanced to the national championship game, and earned UNH's first outright Hockey East regular-season championship.
Following his first season as the Wildcat head coach in 1991, Umile was honored with his first Bob Kullen Award as the Hockey East Coach of the Year. He was also the recipient of the Clark Hodder Award by the New England Hockey Writers Association as the New England Division I Coach of the Year. Also, he was selected the 1991 New England Division I Hockey Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
Umile became the 12th coach in the history of New Hampshire hockey when he was promoted to the position Dec. 6, 1990. He returned to his alma mater before the 1988-89 season as an assistant coach and was named associate head coach one year later.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Joan Leitzel Contribution to Athletics AwardThe Joan Leitzel Contribution to UNH Athletics Award is given to a person whose contributions to UNH athletics have enhanced the lives of student-athletes.
Dr. Steve Hardy was a popular UNH professor of kinesiology, advisor and affiliate professor of history for more than a quarter of a century before retiring in 2014. He also served as the UNH NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative for more than 10 years (1998-2011) and advocated for Wildcat athletics profoundly for decades.
In his role as the Faculty Athletic Representative, Hardy served as the liaison between the athletic department and the University administration to ensure academic integrity and quality of student-athlete experiences within the athletic department. He created academic metrics that became part of evaluating student-athlete academic excellence and was the foundation of UNH's future success in the NCAA Academic Performance Rate and NCAA Graduation Success Rate.
Hardy is receiving the Joan Leitzel award in recognition of his exceptional contributions to student success and academic excellence for every student-athlete and varsity athletic program. He was devoted to making UNH a special place, and that included the athletic department.
In the classroom, he brought an academic's rigor to a range of sports studies subjects with an emphasis on primary research and projects that have real-world applicability.
Hardy received UNH's Jean Brierley Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010), which recognizes excellence in teaching by a faculty member over the course of a long-term distinguished career at UNH.
He also received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNH's College of Health and Human Services in 2009.
His impact on UNH student-athletes extended far beyond the four walls of a classroom. More than a professor, Hardy was, and still is: a mentor, role model, guiding light, friend and listener who is empathetic and always supportive.
As a beacon of support and guidance, the warmth and genuine care he exhibited was transformative. He shaped many Wildcats' lives by encouraging them to pursue their passions and goals, and strive for excellence in all aspects of life.
Hardy, who played hockey as a youth in Waltham, Mass. and later for Bowdoin College, has written two books and countless articles.
He has worked with UNH and the Operation Hat Trick campaign, which was launched in 2008, to honor military veterans.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UNH Women's Soccer vs Southern Maine Highlights 9 21 25
Sunday, September 21
UNH Men's Soccer vs Dartmouth Highlights 9 20 205
Sunday, September 21
UNH Women's Hockey vs Maine Exhibition Highlights 9 20 2025
Sunday, September 21
UNH Volleyball vs Merrimack Highlights 9-16-25
Wednesday, September 17