University of New Hampshire Athletics
UNH Athletics Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2026
6/8/2026 4:00:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Soccer, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Ice Hockey, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Track & Field, Men's Cross Country, Skiing
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire Department of Athletics' eight-member 2026 Hall of Fame class was announced Monday. The induction ceremony will be held Sunday, Oct. 4 as part of Homecoming Weekend.
The Class of 2026 is comprised of six student-athletes and two head coaches:
Tickets for the 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and brunch reception (10am) at UNH's Granite State Room (located in UNH's Memorial Union Building) will go on sale soon.
The UNH Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, as well as current members, will also be honored during halftime of the UNH vs. Elon University football game Oct. 3 (1pm), which is also Homecoming weekend.
As a two-time UNH Athletics Hall of Fame member herself, longtime field hockey head coach and current committee member Robin Balducci '85 knows what it takes to reach this pinnacle.
"It is a true honor to welcome this outstanding group of student-athletes and coaches to the Hall of Fame," Balducci said. "Every year, I am blown away by the talent we recognize, and the Class of 2026 is no exception. I've personally admired these Wildcats – and even looked up to several of them as mentors. Congratulations to a truly phenomenal group of inductees."
Josh Bauer '20 elevated UNH men's soccer to national prominence and is one of the most decorated players in UNH men's soccer history. He received 10 awards in his 2019 senior season that included United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America, USC First Team Scholar All-America and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist as the national player of the year.
Overall, Bauer was a two-time All-American and First Team selection in All-Region, ECAC and America East who was also named the Defender of the Year twice by both the ECAC and America East. He garnered America East Championship Most Outstanding Player in back-to-back years as Bauer led the Wildcats the first two of three consecutive conference tournament titles in '18 and '19 and the first two of six consecutive regular-season crowns.
Bauer started all 60 matches in three seasons and played 5,585 of a possible 5,654 minutes (98.8 percent), including all 2,106 as a freshman and all 1,673 as a sophomore. He anchored a defensive unit that recorded a 0.54 GAA spanning the 2017-19 seasons and that included 12 shutouts in the 2019 season.
He also contributed offensively with 10 goals and 10 assists for 30 points. As a sophomore in 2018, Bauer ranked second on the team in goals and tied for third in points, and then in his final year as a Wildcat he was second in goals, assists and points.
Bauer led the 'Cats to the NCAA tournament all three years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017. New Hampshire had a 29-1-4 home record as part of an overall mark of 40-10-10. The Wildcats recorded 15 wins in 2019 to tie for the second-most wins in program history.
Bauer was drafted by Atlanta FC in the second round of the 2021 MLS Super Draft and is a fifth-year pro in the league who is playing for Nashville SC in 2026.
Ryan Day '02 is a Granite State native who became a three-year starting quarterback for the Wildcats and team captain as a senior in 2001.
In his tenure as UNH's signal caller, Day set nine UNH records, including career marks for pass completions (653), touchdown passes (53), completion percentage (59.9 percent) and total offense (8,492 yards).
He passed for a total of 7,670 yards, which ranked second in the UNH record book at the time and is currently fifth best in program history. Day completed 653 of 1,089 pass attempts. His 653 completions was a school record and is now No. 5. Day was the first UNH quarterback to attempt more than 1,000 career passes and his total is currently fourth most in program history.
Day's benchmark of 53 career touchdown passes is currently fifth on the career leaderboard.
Day still holds the UNH record for pass attempts in a game. He set the benchmark of 65 in the Nov. 4, 2000 game at the University of Delaware. Day completed 42 of those attempts to help rally the 'Cats from a 31-3 third quarter deficit to a 45-44 overtime win.
At the time of his graduation, Day held the No. 3 single-season mark of 2,605 passing yards in a season (2001) and No. 4 with 2,573 in 1999. He was also No. 2 in both completions (233) and pass attempts (379) in a season, both of which were in 2001. In the 1999 season, his marks of 221 completions and 364 pass attempts both ranked No. 3 (as of 2001).
Day has been head coach at The Ohio State University for eight seasons (2018-25). He led the Buckeyes to the 2024 national championship and has an overall record of 82-12 (.872 winning percentage).
Rosie Donegan '16 '17G epitomized the word student-athlete as she recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA both as an undergraduate and graduate while pursuing degrees in Political Science and was a three-time All-American while competing on the UNH women's cross country and track & field teams.
Donegan became UNH's first recipient of the America East Woman of the Year award in 2017 and went on to become an NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honoree, which is the furthest a 'Cat has ever advanced in the Woman of the Year selection process since the award's inception in 1991.
The native of Melbourne, Australia, was a three-time All-American with finishes of sixth place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, 11th place in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2015 NCAAs and 30th place at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Donegan won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for cross country in 2015 for recording the top GPA among all competitors at that year's NCAA championship race. Other national academic awards included CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team and three-time USTFCCA All-America Academic Team.
She was named the 2015 America East Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 2016 Women's Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year en route to being selected the 2015-16 America East Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Donegan also earned two America East Elite 18 awards.
Donegan still holds the school indoor track & field record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:17.12 that was established in 2016. She won the 3,000m steeplechase title at the 2017 New England Championships and 2016 America East Championships. Donegan also raced to the 5,000m crown at the 2016 conference indoor meet.
Donegan received UNH's Jim Urquhart Female Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2017 in recognition of excellence in athletics, academics, leadership and community service. She was also named recipient of the athletic department's Senior Academic Recognition and Academic Excellence Award.
Aileen Farrell Terrien '10 was already in an exclusive club: UNH skiers who are four-time All-Americans. The alpine skier had a split of two All-America honors in both slalom and giant slalom.
In 2009, she was a double All-American by garnering First Team in slalom with a fifth-place finish at the NCAAs and Second Team in giant slalom with eighth place. She raced to sixth place in the slalom in '08 to earn Second Team All-America and was also Second Team in 2007 with a seventh-place finish in the giant slalom.
As a senior in 2010, the native of Ottawa, Ontario received team co-MVP honors and recorded nine top 10 finishes – more than any other Wildcat – and was the top point scorer during the EISA season in women's alpine.
Farrell Terrien earned team MVP in 2009 as the top EISA point scorer. She finished in the top 10 in 11 of 12 races during the '09 EISA carnival circuit and that other race was a 12th-place effort.
In the 2008 season, Farrell Terrien ranked ninth in the East in the slalom with three top 10 finishes in that discipline.
Farrell Terrien's consistency in excellence helped make UNH one of the top ski teams in the East and nation. The Wildcats finished ninth at the NCAA Ski Championships in both 2009 and 2010 after placing 11th in both 2007 and 2008.
Amy Perrault Perkins '11 is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of the UNH women's swimming & diving program. She was the 2010 America East Swimmer of the Year, a five-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and six-time NCAA provisional qualifier. Her other accolades included America East Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Perrault Perkins won eight individual America East titles and received the America East Senior High Point Award in 2011 for recording the highest career point total at the conference championship meets.
She was the conference's 100 backstroke champion three consecutive years (2008-09-10) and the 200 back winner three consecutive years (2009-10-11), as well as the 200 individual medley champion twice (2010-11).
Perrault Perkins helped UNH win the 200 medley relay at the conference meet all four years. The Wildcats also won the 400 medley relay three times (2009-10-11) and 800 freestyle relay twice (2010-11).
The native of Kirkland Lake, Ontario was also a four-time ECAC champion and was feted as ECAC Swimmer of the Year in 2011. In that meet, she won the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM, and was part of four winning relays.
Perrault Perkins still holds the UNH record in the 100 back with a time of 54.34 seconds at the 2011 America East Championships. That time also stood as the conference meet record until 2024.
She broke two other UNH records with a time of 1:57.98 in the 200 back at the 2011 America East Championships – that time is currently No. 4 in program history – and a mark of 54.71 seconds in the 100 butterfly in 2010 that now ranks third.
Carisa Zaban Wahlig '00 is the most prolific point scorer in the storied history of the UNH women's ice hockey program with 263 career points in 129 games for an average of 2.04 points per game. She is tied for the all-time lead with 145 assists and ranks second with 118 goals. Zaban Wahlig also holds the school record for both goals in a period (three) and points in a period (five).
Zaban Wahlig led the team in both assists and points all four seasons. She is the only Wildcat who has led the team in assists all four years and is one of two 'Cats in program history to lead the team in points all four years. Additionally, she was the team's leading goal scorer twice.
Zaban Wahlig is a two-time All-America honoree as she was named First Team in 2000 and Second Team in 1999. She was named a Top 3 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which annually recognizes the most outstanding player in women's college hockey, in 2000 and was a nominee in '99.
As a senior in 2000, Zaban Wahlig was named to the All-New England Team and ECAC All-League First Team. She was an All-ECAC Second Team selection in 1996, 1997 and 1999.
Zaban Wahlig holds three of UNH's top 10 single-season marks in both assists and points. On the assist leaderboard, she is #4 (40 in 1997), #6 (38 in 1999) and #8 (37 in 2000). She holds the #3 (72 in 2000), #7 (68 in 1997) and #8 (67 in 1999) in points. Zaban Wahlig scored 35 goals in the 2000 season and that ranks third on the Wildcats' list of single-season superlatives.
She averaged a personal-best 2.27 points per game in 1997 with 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) in 30 games. She also averaged more than two points per game in 2000 at 2.12 (72 points in 34 games).
Zaban Wahlig led UNH to an overall record of 94-31-20 for a .733 winning percentage with a national runner-up finish in 1999 and ECAC title in 1996.
Sean McDonnell '79 is a two-time Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (2005, 2014) who retired as New Hampshire head coach in December 2021 as the CAA's active leader in conference victories (100), which is No. 3 on the league's all-time leaderboard. His 157 career wins rank second in UNH history.
Coach Mac elevated the football program to great heights. The Wildcats rose to national prominence through a remarkable 14-year run of NCAA playoff berths and 14 playoff victories from 2004-17. Highlighting that stretch of excellence were three conference championships (2005, 2012, 2014), back-to-back national semifinal game appearances (2013-14), and an incredible stretch of 162 consecutive weeks ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 (Sept. 6, 2004 – Oct. 12, 2015).
McDonnell's other significant coaching accolades include AFCA District Coach of the Year (4x, 2004-05-12-14), CAA Coach of the Year (2x, 2004-14), New England Football Writers Coach of the Year (6x, 2005-08-10-12-14-16) and Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Head Coach of the Year (4x, 2000-04-09-12).
UNH football became an FBS giant killer with five straight victories against higher-level competition from 2004-09, which featured defeats of Rutgers ('04), Northwestern ('06), Marshall ('07), Army ('08) and Ball State ('09); McDonnell's Wildcats added another FBS victory vs. Georgia Southern to their ledger in 2017.
McDonnell, a standout defensive back for the Wildcats from 1975-78, served eight seasons as an assistant coach at UNH, including five years as offensive coordinator, before being promoted to head coach in April 1999.
Jim Boulanger '75 served as the men's and women's track and field/cross country head coach for an impressive 37 seasons. Ascending to the position of head coach in 1982 after three years as an assistant, Boulanger left an indelible mark on UNH athletics before retiring at the conclusion of the 2021 outdoor season.
Throughout his storied career, Coach Boulanger boasted seven All-Americans under his tutelage – 11 Wildcat All-Americans across all the men's and women's programs, including two-time Olympian and UNH Athletics Hall of Famer Elle Purrier and fellow Class of 2026 inductee Rosie Donegan (both directly with coach Robert Hoppler).
Coach Boulanger received a total of 21 men's America East Coach of the Year awards with a breakdown of eight in outdoor track & field, seven in cross country and six in indoor. He won nine of a possible 15 Coach of the Year awards spanning 1995-99.
For outdoor, he was feted in 1990, 1996-99, 2006, 2008, and 2009. His seven cross country accolades were in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2008. Boulanger's indoor Coach of the Year honors were in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2019.
The three men's teams amassed a total of 15 America East titles. The men's track & field teams dominated the late 1990's as the Wildcats won four consecutive outdoor titles spanning the 1996-99 seasons and three indoor titles in a four-year span of 1995, 1997 and 1998. UNH men's cross country captured eight titles as the 'Cats went back-to-back (1997, 1998) and recorded three-peats in 2001-02-03 and again in 2006-07-08.
Boulanger mentored Wildcats to a total of 149 America East individual titles with four men's cross country champions, 58 men's indoor track & field and 87 men's outdoor track & field.
In recognition of his legacy, in 2024 UNH established the first outdoor track & field home meet every year as the Jim Boulanger Invitational.
About UNH Athletics
UNH Athletics is committed to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience and fostering NCAA Division I teams that are a source of pride for the University community, the State of New Hampshire, and UNH alumni across the globe. UNH Athletics creates and sustains a culture of Competitive Excellence, Leadership and Service, Engagement, Academic Success, and Respect, Integrity, and Inclusion. UNH Athletics is dedicated to supporting an environment in which student-athletes can thrive competing for conference and national championships, pursuing their academic, athletic, and personal goals, and becoming Wildcats for Life.
GoCatsTravel
When you travel to cheer the Wildcats – or attend the Hall of Fame ceremony – book your hotel at GoCatsTravel.com — it is the same rate as anywhere else, and 50 percent of proceeds go back to Wildcat Athletics. CLICK HERE to pick your team and book your stay.
The Class of 2026 is comprised of six student-athletes and two head coaches:
- Josh Bauer '20 – men's soccer
- Ryan Day '02 – football
- Rosie Donegan '16 '17G – women's cross country/track & field
- Aileen Farrell Terrien '10 – skiing
- Amy Perrault Perkins '11 – women's swimming
- Carisa Zaban Wahlig '00 – women's hockey
- Coach Sean McDonnell – football
- Coach Jim Boulanger – cross country/track & field
Tickets for the 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and brunch reception (10am) at UNH's Granite State Room (located in UNH's Memorial Union Building) will go on sale soon.
The UNH Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, as well as current members, will also be honored during halftime of the UNH vs. Elon University football game Oct. 3 (1pm), which is also Homecoming weekend.
As a two-time UNH Athletics Hall of Fame member herself, longtime field hockey head coach and current committee member Robin Balducci '85 knows what it takes to reach this pinnacle.
"It is a true honor to welcome this outstanding group of student-athletes and coaches to the Hall of Fame," Balducci said. "Every year, I am blown away by the talent we recognize, and the Class of 2026 is no exception. I've personally admired these Wildcats – and even looked up to several of them as mentors. Congratulations to a truly phenomenal group of inductees."
Josh Bauer '20 elevated UNH men's soccer to national prominence and is one of the most decorated players in UNH men's soccer history. He received 10 awards in his 2019 senior season that included United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America, USC First Team Scholar All-America and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist as the national player of the year.
Overall, Bauer was a two-time All-American and First Team selection in All-Region, ECAC and America East who was also named the Defender of the Year twice by both the ECAC and America East. He garnered America East Championship Most Outstanding Player in back-to-back years as Bauer led the Wildcats the first two of three consecutive conference tournament titles in '18 and '19 and the first two of six consecutive regular-season crowns.
Bauer started all 60 matches in three seasons and played 5,585 of a possible 5,654 minutes (98.8 percent), including all 2,106 as a freshman and all 1,673 as a sophomore. He anchored a defensive unit that recorded a 0.54 GAA spanning the 2017-19 seasons and that included 12 shutouts in the 2019 season.
He also contributed offensively with 10 goals and 10 assists for 30 points. As a sophomore in 2018, Bauer ranked second on the team in goals and tied for third in points, and then in his final year as a Wildcat he was second in goals, assists and points.
Bauer led the 'Cats to the NCAA tournament all three years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017. New Hampshire had a 29-1-4 home record as part of an overall mark of 40-10-10. The Wildcats recorded 15 wins in 2019 to tie for the second-most wins in program history.
Bauer was drafted by Atlanta FC in the second round of the 2021 MLS Super Draft and is a fifth-year pro in the league who is playing for Nashville SC in 2026.
Ryan Day '02 is a Granite State native who became a three-year starting quarterback for the Wildcats and team captain as a senior in 2001.
In his tenure as UNH's signal caller, Day set nine UNH records, including career marks for pass completions (653), touchdown passes (53), completion percentage (59.9 percent) and total offense (8,492 yards).
He passed for a total of 7,670 yards, which ranked second in the UNH record book at the time and is currently fifth best in program history. Day completed 653 of 1,089 pass attempts. His 653 completions was a school record and is now No. 5. Day was the first UNH quarterback to attempt more than 1,000 career passes and his total is currently fourth most in program history.
Day's benchmark of 53 career touchdown passes is currently fifth on the career leaderboard.
Day still holds the UNH record for pass attempts in a game. He set the benchmark of 65 in the Nov. 4, 2000 game at the University of Delaware. Day completed 42 of those attempts to help rally the 'Cats from a 31-3 third quarter deficit to a 45-44 overtime win.
At the time of his graduation, Day held the No. 3 single-season mark of 2,605 passing yards in a season (2001) and No. 4 with 2,573 in 1999. He was also No. 2 in both completions (233) and pass attempts (379) in a season, both of which were in 2001. In the 1999 season, his marks of 221 completions and 364 pass attempts both ranked No. 3 (as of 2001).
Day has been head coach at The Ohio State University for eight seasons (2018-25). He led the Buckeyes to the 2024 national championship and has an overall record of 82-12 (.872 winning percentage).
Rosie Donegan '16 '17G epitomized the word student-athlete as she recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA both as an undergraduate and graduate while pursuing degrees in Political Science and was a three-time All-American while competing on the UNH women's cross country and track & field teams.
Donegan became UNH's first recipient of the America East Woman of the Year award in 2017 and went on to become an NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honoree, which is the furthest a 'Cat has ever advanced in the Woman of the Year selection process since the award's inception in 1991.
The native of Melbourne, Australia, was a three-time All-American with finishes of sixth place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, 11th place in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2015 NCAAs and 30th place at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Donegan won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for cross country in 2015 for recording the top GPA among all competitors at that year's NCAA championship race. Other national academic awards included CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team and three-time USTFCCA All-America Academic Team.
She was named the 2015 America East Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 2016 Women's Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year en route to being selected the 2015-16 America East Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Donegan also earned two America East Elite 18 awards.
Donegan still holds the school indoor track & field record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:17.12 that was established in 2016. She won the 3,000m steeplechase title at the 2017 New England Championships and 2016 America East Championships. Donegan also raced to the 5,000m crown at the 2016 conference indoor meet.
Donegan received UNH's Jim Urquhart Female Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2017 in recognition of excellence in athletics, academics, leadership and community service. She was also named recipient of the athletic department's Senior Academic Recognition and Academic Excellence Award.
Aileen Farrell Terrien '10 was already in an exclusive club: UNH skiers who are four-time All-Americans. The alpine skier had a split of two All-America honors in both slalom and giant slalom.
In 2009, she was a double All-American by garnering First Team in slalom with a fifth-place finish at the NCAAs and Second Team in giant slalom with eighth place. She raced to sixth place in the slalom in '08 to earn Second Team All-America and was also Second Team in 2007 with a seventh-place finish in the giant slalom.
As a senior in 2010, the native of Ottawa, Ontario received team co-MVP honors and recorded nine top 10 finishes – more than any other Wildcat – and was the top point scorer during the EISA season in women's alpine.
Farrell Terrien earned team MVP in 2009 as the top EISA point scorer. She finished in the top 10 in 11 of 12 races during the '09 EISA carnival circuit and that other race was a 12th-place effort.
In the 2008 season, Farrell Terrien ranked ninth in the East in the slalom with three top 10 finishes in that discipline.
Farrell Terrien's consistency in excellence helped make UNH one of the top ski teams in the East and nation. The Wildcats finished ninth at the NCAA Ski Championships in both 2009 and 2010 after placing 11th in both 2007 and 2008.
Amy Perrault Perkins '11 is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of the UNH women's swimming & diving program. She was the 2010 America East Swimmer of the Year, a five-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and six-time NCAA provisional qualifier. Her other accolades included America East Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Perrault Perkins won eight individual America East titles and received the America East Senior High Point Award in 2011 for recording the highest career point total at the conference championship meets.
She was the conference's 100 backstroke champion three consecutive years (2008-09-10) and the 200 back winner three consecutive years (2009-10-11), as well as the 200 individual medley champion twice (2010-11).
Perrault Perkins helped UNH win the 200 medley relay at the conference meet all four years. The Wildcats also won the 400 medley relay three times (2009-10-11) and 800 freestyle relay twice (2010-11).
The native of Kirkland Lake, Ontario was also a four-time ECAC champion and was feted as ECAC Swimmer of the Year in 2011. In that meet, she won the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM, and was part of four winning relays.
Perrault Perkins still holds the UNH record in the 100 back with a time of 54.34 seconds at the 2011 America East Championships. That time also stood as the conference meet record until 2024.
She broke two other UNH records with a time of 1:57.98 in the 200 back at the 2011 America East Championships – that time is currently No. 4 in program history – and a mark of 54.71 seconds in the 100 butterfly in 2010 that now ranks third.
Carisa Zaban Wahlig '00 is the most prolific point scorer in the storied history of the UNH women's ice hockey program with 263 career points in 129 games for an average of 2.04 points per game. She is tied for the all-time lead with 145 assists and ranks second with 118 goals. Zaban Wahlig also holds the school record for both goals in a period (three) and points in a period (five).
Zaban Wahlig led the team in both assists and points all four seasons. She is the only Wildcat who has led the team in assists all four years and is one of two 'Cats in program history to lead the team in points all four years. Additionally, she was the team's leading goal scorer twice.
Zaban Wahlig is a two-time All-America honoree as she was named First Team in 2000 and Second Team in 1999. She was named a Top 3 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which annually recognizes the most outstanding player in women's college hockey, in 2000 and was a nominee in '99.
As a senior in 2000, Zaban Wahlig was named to the All-New England Team and ECAC All-League First Team. She was an All-ECAC Second Team selection in 1996, 1997 and 1999.
Zaban Wahlig holds three of UNH's top 10 single-season marks in both assists and points. On the assist leaderboard, she is #4 (40 in 1997), #6 (38 in 1999) and #8 (37 in 2000). She holds the #3 (72 in 2000), #7 (68 in 1997) and #8 (67 in 1999) in points. Zaban Wahlig scored 35 goals in the 2000 season and that ranks third on the Wildcats' list of single-season superlatives.
She averaged a personal-best 2.27 points per game in 1997 with 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) in 30 games. She also averaged more than two points per game in 2000 at 2.12 (72 points in 34 games).
Zaban Wahlig led UNH to an overall record of 94-31-20 for a .733 winning percentage with a national runner-up finish in 1999 and ECAC title in 1996.
Sean McDonnell '79 is a two-time Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year (2005, 2014) who retired as New Hampshire head coach in December 2021 as the CAA's active leader in conference victories (100), which is No. 3 on the league's all-time leaderboard. His 157 career wins rank second in UNH history.
Coach Mac elevated the football program to great heights. The Wildcats rose to national prominence through a remarkable 14-year run of NCAA playoff berths and 14 playoff victories from 2004-17. Highlighting that stretch of excellence were three conference championships (2005, 2012, 2014), back-to-back national semifinal game appearances (2013-14), and an incredible stretch of 162 consecutive weeks ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 (Sept. 6, 2004 – Oct. 12, 2015).
McDonnell's other significant coaching accolades include AFCA District Coach of the Year (4x, 2004-05-12-14), CAA Coach of the Year (2x, 2004-14), New England Football Writers Coach of the Year (6x, 2005-08-10-12-14-16) and Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Head Coach of the Year (4x, 2000-04-09-12).
UNH football became an FBS giant killer with five straight victories against higher-level competition from 2004-09, which featured defeats of Rutgers ('04), Northwestern ('06), Marshall ('07), Army ('08) and Ball State ('09); McDonnell's Wildcats added another FBS victory vs. Georgia Southern to their ledger in 2017.
McDonnell, a standout defensive back for the Wildcats from 1975-78, served eight seasons as an assistant coach at UNH, including five years as offensive coordinator, before being promoted to head coach in April 1999.
Jim Boulanger '75 served as the men's and women's track and field/cross country head coach for an impressive 37 seasons. Ascending to the position of head coach in 1982 after three years as an assistant, Boulanger left an indelible mark on UNH athletics before retiring at the conclusion of the 2021 outdoor season.
Throughout his storied career, Coach Boulanger boasted seven All-Americans under his tutelage – 11 Wildcat All-Americans across all the men's and women's programs, including two-time Olympian and UNH Athletics Hall of Famer Elle Purrier and fellow Class of 2026 inductee Rosie Donegan (both directly with coach Robert Hoppler).
Coach Boulanger received a total of 21 men's America East Coach of the Year awards with a breakdown of eight in outdoor track & field, seven in cross country and six in indoor. He won nine of a possible 15 Coach of the Year awards spanning 1995-99.
For outdoor, he was feted in 1990, 1996-99, 2006, 2008, and 2009. His seven cross country accolades were in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2008. Boulanger's indoor Coach of the Year honors were in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2019.
The three men's teams amassed a total of 15 America East titles. The men's track & field teams dominated the late 1990's as the Wildcats won four consecutive outdoor titles spanning the 1996-99 seasons and three indoor titles in a four-year span of 1995, 1997 and 1998. UNH men's cross country captured eight titles as the 'Cats went back-to-back (1997, 1998) and recorded three-peats in 2001-02-03 and again in 2006-07-08.
Boulanger mentored Wildcats to a total of 149 America East individual titles with four men's cross country champions, 58 men's indoor track & field and 87 men's outdoor track & field.
In recognition of his legacy, in 2024 UNH established the first outdoor track & field home meet every year as the Jim Boulanger Invitational.
About UNH Athletics
UNH Athletics is committed to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience and fostering NCAA Division I teams that are a source of pride for the University community, the State of New Hampshire, and UNH alumni across the globe. UNH Athletics creates and sustains a culture of Competitive Excellence, Leadership and Service, Engagement, Academic Success, and Respect, Integrity, and Inclusion. UNH Athletics is dedicated to supporting an environment in which student-athletes can thrive competing for conference and national championships, pursuing their academic, athletic, and personal goals, and becoming Wildcats for Life.
GoCatsTravel
When you travel to cheer the Wildcats – or attend the Hall of Fame ceremony – book your hotel at GoCatsTravel.com — it is the same rate as anywhere else, and 50 percent of proceeds go back to Wildcat Athletics. CLICK HERE to pick your team and book your stay.
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