{"id":1819,"date":"2024-10-23T18:36:18","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T18:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/?p=1819"},"modified":"2024-11-25T14:13:40","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T14:13:40","slug":"great-moments-in-athletics-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/2024\/10\/23\/great-moments-in-athletics-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Moments in Athletics History"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Worcester State has a rich and proud history of student athletics that took off when Al G. Fotiades \u201950 and company formed Worcester State\u2019s first varsity sports team. The university joined the NCAA\u2019s Division III in 1973 and today has 20 Division III sports teams with 471 student-athletes. Here\u2019s a look back at some of those great moments.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1820 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-basketball-1897-300x241.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-basketball-1897-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-basketball-1897-768x616.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-basketball-1897.jpg 961w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Late 1800s-early 1900s<\/h4>\n<p>Students have been playing sports at Worcester State for more than 100 years. The university\u2019s archives contain photos of women\u2019s basketball from 1897 and women\u2019s volleyball from around 1920. In the 1910s, women played in softball tournaments. These early athletics activities began as physical education before expanding into clubs such as the Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Athletics Associations that hosted both weekly and intercollegiate competition.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1828 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-volleyball-c.1920--1024x750.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"644\" height=\"472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-volleyball-c.1920--1024x750.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-volleyball-c.1920--300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-volleyball-c.1920--768x562.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/womens-volleyball-c.1920-.jpg 1470w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 644px) 100vw, 644px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>1940s<\/h4>\n<p>In the 1940s, athletics grew thanks to the efforts of World War II veteran <strong>Al G. Fotiades \u201950<\/strong> and several of his fellow Lancers. As a freshman at Worcester State Teachers College, Fotiades along with nine other students formed the 1946-47 men\u2019s basketball team. The team played their home games in a standing-room-only gymnasium that was located on the first floor of the Shaughnessy Administration Building and went 8-1 in their inaugural season.<\/p>\n<h4>1950s<\/h4>\n<p>Baseball started in 1951, the second varsity team at the college, and has had an impressive record in its nearly 75 years. From 1966 to 2022, the team had 561 wins and, under the leadership of <strong>Coach Dirk Baker<\/strong> (1996-2022), went to the NCAAs six times.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1827 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/First-Lancer-logo.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"133\">By 1953, Worcester State Teachers College was in need of a better logo and identity for the players. At the time, uniforms simply read \u201cState,\u201d but most of the teams they played were also state colleges and had the same word on their uniforms. <strong>John Mockler<\/strong>, the first athletic director and catalyst for most of the men\u2019s sports at Worcester State, studied the Massachusetts state seal for some inspiration and landed on \u201cLancers,\u201d based on the arrow in the state seal. He commissioned an artist at the school newspaper to draw the first Lancer. Everyone loved the horse-mounted lancer, and the first athletics logo was born.<\/p>\n<h4>1960s<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1826 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-1024x818.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-1536x1228.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1980-WBB-National-Championship-Team-01-2048x1637.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/>The 1960s were years of rapid expansion. Men\u2019s ice hockey started in 1966, and women\u2019s basketball followed in 1967. In the late 1960s, the university started indoor and outdoor men\u2019s track, men\u2019s cross country, and a men\u2019s tennis team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Football<\/strong> had been played at Worcester State College since 1969 as a club sport for the first decade and a half of its existence. It was a successful club sport, too; both the 1980 and 1984 club football teams took home the National Collegiate Football Association championship. After an 11-0 season in 1984 that culminated in a dramatic victory against the two-time national champion Bentley College, the team\u2019s continued success could no longer be denied. A varsity football program was established the following year.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1825 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-1024x817.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"651\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-1024x817.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-768x612.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-1536x1225.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Club-Football-01-2048x1633.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>1970s-1990s<\/h4>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1823 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-1024x818.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-1536x1228.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/87-Softball-Team-01-2048x1637.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/>Field hockey<\/strong> at Worcester State first began as a varsity sport in 1970, and the program quickly established a winning culture. In only their second season, the team began a run of three straight Massachusetts State College Tournament titles from 1971 to 1973, the first ever 3-peat in the history of Worcester State athletics. Hall of Fame inductee <strong>Debra (DiPadua) Tambeau \u201974<\/strong> anchored the team as their goalie, with her 15 shutouts in 34 games helping them maintain dominance over that three-season span. The 2023 Worcester State field hockey team holds the honor of winning the sport\u2019s first ever MASCAC post-season championship under the leadership of first-year coach Sophia Monopoli.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1822 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/1971-72-Mens-Ice-Hockey-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px\" \/>Led by legendary head coach <strong>John Coughlin Sr.<\/strong>, men\u2019s hockey went on a historic run in the 1970s that began with the 1971-72 season. The team won the first of three consecutive ECAC championships and set numerous records that have yet to be broken by any Lancer men\u2019s hockey team since. Their single-season record of 21-3 remains the best in program history, as does the team\u2019s win percentage (.875) and total goals scored (252). To commemorate their performance that season, the entire 1971-72 men\u2019s ice hockey team was inducted into the Worcester State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. <em>(Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been updated to correct the print edition which states the team did not win a championship.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1839 alignleft\" style=\"font-size: 14px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/golf-Scott-Fairbanks-204x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/golf-Scott-Fairbanks-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/golf-Scott-Fairbanks-696x1024.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/golf-Scott-Fairbanks.jpg 761w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 154px) 100vw, 154px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Lancer women\u2019s basketball<\/strong> team earned national recognition for their dynamic victory of the 1980 AIAW National Championship. Led by longtime women\u2019s basketball head coach Donna Devlin, the team finished with a record of 24-2 and won the first national championship in Worcester State history. The championship game was a closely contested matchup against Wisconsin-La Crosse that finished with a final score of 76-73. The women\u2019s basketball team returned to the AIAW tournament the following season, falling short in the Final Four.<\/p>\n<p>The 1983-84 <strong>men\u2019s golf<\/strong> team tied for third place in the 1984 NCAA Division III tournament and enjoyed a successful year from start to finish. The <strong>softball<\/strong> team went 21-3 in 1987, capturing the MASCAC Championship and making its first NCAA appearance.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1816 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"152\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-718x1024.jpg 718w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-768x1096.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-1076x1536.jpg 1076w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-1435x2048.jpg 1435w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Al-Pettway-1990s-01-scaled.jpg 1794w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px\" \/>In the 1990s, men\u2019s basketball star <strong>Al Pettway \u201994<\/strong> reached unprecedented scoring heights during his time as a Lancer, leading the Lancers to the NCAA Tournament in 1994. His 2,205 career points are still the most in program history by a wide margin, and he remains high on the list of scoring accolades such as points per game, field goals made, and three-point shots made. In 2024, Worcester State Athletics welcomed Pettway back home as the new men\u2019s basketball coach.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1838 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"138\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-687x1024.jpg 687w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-768x1144.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-1031x1536.jpg 1031w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-1375x2048.jpg 1375w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Elke-Aun-Track-03-scaled.jpg 1718w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 138px) 100vw, 138px\" \/>The 1990s closed out with a remarkable accomplishment for the Lancer history books. Track and field athlete <strong>Elke Aun \u201997<\/strong> was the first Worcester State College athlete to receive an NCAA $5,000 postgraduate scholarship. Considered the best female track and field athlete in Worcester State history, her achievements include the 1996 NCAA Division III National Championship in the heptathlon, four-time All-American, All-ECAC 13 times, All-New England 18 times, ECAC Champion in four events, and New England Champion in two events. She remains the Lancer record holder in the 50-yard hurdle and the 400-meter, 500-meter, 600-meter, 800-meter, and 1,000-meter in running.<\/p>\n<h4>2000s<\/h4>\n<p>The 2001 <strong>men\u2019s soccer<\/strong> team made history by capturing the program\u2019s first-ever MASCAC title before stunning #3 Williams College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The squad tied a program record that season with 15 wins, finishing at 15-3-3.<\/p>\n<p>The mid 2000s were a time of dominance for the <strong>women\u2019s soccer<\/strong> team, which won four straight MASCAC championships from 2004 to 2007. The team\u2019s 16 wins in both the 2006 and 2007 season are tied for most in program history, and several standout players from this era have since been enshrined in the Athletic Hall of Fame. In the final year of this stretch, the team made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament, the farthest postseason run of any Lancer women\u2019s soccer team to date.<\/p>\n<p>Another track and field star followed Elke Aun to became a national champion in 2013. <strong>Terrence Gibson \u201916<\/strong> was the first Worcester State male athlete to win a national championship when he won the 60-meter hurdle at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1824 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Amarai-King-2-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Amarai-King-2-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Amarai-King-2-768x561.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Amarai-King-2.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/>Volleyball player <strong>Amari King \u201919<\/strong> was named 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year after she led the Lancers to a perfect 7-0 mark during conference play. King was a standout player, leading the team to back-to-back MASCAC Championships and NCAA appearances. In 2024, she returned to Worcester State as the assistant volleyball coach.<\/p>\n<p>In the 2021-22 season, Worcester State established its first <strong>women\u2019s ice hockey<\/strong> program. After Becker College closed in 2021, Worcester State recruited 13 members of its women\u2019s ice hockey team, along with head coach <strong>Eliza Kelley<\/strong>, to play in the Lancers\u2019 inaugural season. The team wasted no time making their presence known, winning their first ever game 5-0 and finishing the season as the 2022 ECHA champions. They have now won three straight ECHA crowns.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1817 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"237\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Karen-Tessmer-Big-Island-Classic-WSU_22-12-19_2596-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/>In 2022, during her 28th season as head coach of the women\u2019s basketball team, <strong>Karen Tessmer<\/strong> reached the milestone of 350 games won. Tessmer coached her first season of Lancer women\u2019s basketball in the 1994-95 season, and she still leads the program today. Her 350th victory was an emphatic win against Fitchburg State University that the Lancers won by 36 points.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1818 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Max-Roth-scaled.jpg 1708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 133px) 100vw, 133px\" \/>Worcester State saw two ice hockey athletes selected to represent Team USA in international games between 2022 and 2023. <strong>Max <\/strong><strong>Roth \u201922<\/strong> was selected to represent Team USA at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, an event that runs every four years and is open to participants of Jewish faith from around the world and Israelis of any faith. Israel hosted the 21st games with over 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries, and it was one of the most widely attended sporting events of 2022.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1815 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Clare-Conway-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>In January, Lancer graduate student <strong>Clare Conway \u201922<\/strong> represented Team USA in the 2023 International University Sports Federation World University Game in New York. In addition to playing ice hockey, Conway was an outstanding lacrosse player during her time at Worcester State.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>men\u2019s basketball<\/strong> team, led by Coach Tyler Hundley, finished the 2022-23 season with a conference-best 22-6 record, defeating Westfield State in a rematch to claim the MASCAC title and reach the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1994. The Lancers went on to repeat as MASCAC champions the following year, earning their second straight NCAA tournament berth.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1821 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/71\/2024\/10\/Mens-basketball-champions-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Top image: Worcester Normal School students played softball.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Worcester State has a rich and proud history of student athletics that took off when Al G. Fotiades \u201950 and company formed Worcester State\u2019s first varsity sports team. The university joined the NCAA\u2019s Division III in 1973 and today has 20 Division III sports teams with 471 student-athletes. Here\u2019s a look back at some of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2683,"featured_media":1814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[29,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-notes","category-worcester-state-magazine-150th-anniversary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Great Moments in Athletics History | Worcester State University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/magazine\/2024\/10\/23\/great-moments-in-athletics-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Great Moments in Athletics History | Worcester State University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Worcester State has a rich and proud history of student athletics that took off when Al G. 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