"Ace" will make his debut after a summer long makeover process prior to kickoff of Friday night's football home opener. Click here to see his latest workout video. |
New “Ace” mascot ready to make debut prior to Friday night’s football opener
The three day event kicks off on Thursday with the Stonehill men’s soccer team hosting Saint Thomas Aquinas College in a non-conference matchup on Skyhawk Field at 4 p.m. During the second half of the match, there will be a barbeque for Stonehill student-athletes to thank them for their huge role in delivering a third-straight NE-10 Presidents’ Cup for the College.
The celebration continues on Friday with the football team’s home opener at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium against Bloomsburg (Pa.) University, ranked 25th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II preseason poll, at 6 p.m. Prior to kickoff, Student Activities, will be sponsoring its annual carnival in Lot 11 adjacent to the stadium from 2-6 p.m. Friday is also national “College Colors Day,” so be sure to wear your purple and white all day.
Fans are encouraged to arrive at W.B. Mason Stadium early as prior to kickoff, Stonehill will introduce its new “Ace” mascot. “Ace” has undergone a makeover this summer that would make Jillian Michaels proud and is expected to arrive between 5:45 p.m., and kickoff to show off its new look. Stonehill’s last three NE-10 Presidents’ Cup trophies will be on display near the south end zone and at halftime, Julie Ruppert, Commissioner of the NE-10, will formally present Stonehill President Rev. Mark T. Cregan, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brendan Sullivan and all the Skyhawk student-athletes with their third-straight Presidents’ Cup before a new banner is unveiled atop the W.B. Mason Stadium press box.
The three day extravaganza wraps up with a full slate of home events on Saturday starting with the NE-10 Champion Stonehill men’s and women’s cross country teams hosting its annual Skyhawk Relays at the Stonehill Cross Country Course. The collegiate women’s relay starts at 10:30 a.m., with the men’s relay to follow at 11:15. Men’s soccer is back in action at Skyhawk Field when it hosts Concordia (N.Y.) College at 11 a.m. Field hockey opens its 2012 season at W.B. Mason Stadium against Bloomsburg, ranked No. 2 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II preseason poll, at 1 p.m., before women’s soccer caps the day with its season-opener against Concordia at Skyhawk Field at 2 p.m.
“Skyhawk Nation” will be sponsoring a Roving Photo Booth on Saturday, where fans can get their picture taken with the new “Ace.” The booth will be set up at W.B. Mason Stadium from 12:30-2 p.m., before moving to Skyhawk Field from 2-4 p.m.
Stonehill earned its third-straight Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup Trophy for the 2011-12 academic year, marking the eighth-straight year the College has finished in the top three of the final standings. Stonehill has been recognized for its academic performance with regard to graduation rate by earning a 98-percent Academic Success Rating (ASR) for the second-straight year as released by the NCAA receiving an inaugural Presidents’ Award for Academic Achievement from the NCAA. Stonehill is ranked second in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs for the second-straight year.