Fifteen new honorees were inducted into the Southern New Hampshire University Athletic Hall of Fame in mid-August, with the Class of 2023 being unveiled on the @snhupenmen social media platforms. Joe Collins (men's ice hockey, 2012-17), Jay Dufour (men's basketball assistant coach, 1985-2018), Nacho Hernando-Angulo (men's cross country, 2015-16), Jonathan Lupinelli (men's soccer, 2012-15), Ali Maloof (softball, 2012-15), Junior Mendez (baseball, 2011-13), Al Molin (baseball, 1985-88), Alena Mukdaprakorn (women's tennis, 2009-13), Jake Nutter (men's golf, 2013-16), Dominic Samuel (men's soccer, 2012-15), Rodney Sanders (men's basketball, 2012-16), Stan Spirou (men's basketball head coach, 1985-2018), Derrick Sylvester (baseball, 2010-14), Ariel Teixeira (women's soccer, 2008-11) and the 2013 men's soccer team were the 15 enshrined.
WGIR-AM, based in Manchester, announced Oct. 31 it would broadcast a total of 20 Southern New Hampshire University men's and women's basketball games during the 2023-24 season. For the second straight year, the 11-year relationship between SNHU and WGIR also included games to be carried on Fox Sports 930 WPKX out of Portsmouth. The schedule, which is made up of nine doubleheaders and two single contests, begins with the women's basketball season opener against Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday, Nov. 15 (5:15 p.m.)
The Southern New Hampshire University Department of Athletics & Recreation announced Nov. 1 it has partnered with Advanced-Online, a Follett Company, to launch PenmenShop.com. The official online store of SNHU Athletics carries a wide variety of Penmen merchandise, including a variety apparel from brands such as Under Armour and Columbia, drinkware, license plate frames, business supplies, bags and totes, tailgating necessities, golf gear, miscellaneous accessories, essentials and gifts.
Southern New Hampshire University is in fourth place in the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup standings through the fall season, the league office announced Nov. 30 when it unveiled the first rankings of the year. SNHU, the two-time defending NE10 Presidents' Cup Champions, also sits second in the new Women's Cup.
Southern New Hampshire University was one of 44 athletic departments across the country to earn the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence on Monday. The honor is bestowed upon institutions that achieved an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90 percent or higher in the most recent set of data that was released Dec. 6. Southern New Hampshire registered a department-best ASR of 91 percent for the second second straight year, which tied for 27th best in the country out of 307 institutions. The award, in its 13th year of being given, was collected by a division-high seven NE10 schools. It is the third consecutive year SNHU earned the honor.
The Southern New Hampshire University athletic department is tied for 26th in the initial release of the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings, as it totaled 140.00 points across four of the eight fall sports included in the first release.
The Penmen, who are coming off their highest finish ever in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings when they placed 23rd in the 2022-23 iteration, also submitted their best fall a year ago by slotting in 14th. After the conclusion of the 2023 fall, SNHU is tied with Franklin Pierce University as the second-ranked NE10 institution in the LEARFIELD standings, which include 155 Division II schools to this point. Adelphi University (160.00) leads the way for the NE10 in 23rd.
The Southern New Hampshire University athletic department had 258 of its student-athletes, representing all 18 programs, earn NE10 Fall 2023 Academic Honor Roll status, the league office announced Jan. 18. SNHU slotted in fifth, percentage-wise, at 77 percent (258 of 336). The Penmen also ranked second with 68 perfect 4.0 GPAs.
In a sport-by-sport breakdown, the Penmen women's cross country and women's volleyball teams placed first in the league in their sport with 21 and 17 selections, respectively, while men's ice hockey (23) and men's tennis (8) were second.
The Southern New Hampshire University baseball team officially signed Deanthony Garcia (Manchester, N.H.) to its program Jan. 25 after being matched with the 12-year-old through Team IMPACT. Deanthony, who was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, loves baseball, video games and hanging out with his friends at the mall. He also likes to cook and makes a very good chorizo with eggs. In addition to his friends and family, which includes his parents, Jesina and Odilon, Deanthony now has the support of the 34-member SNHU baseball team and its coaching staff. Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization that improves the quality of life for children facing serious illness and disability by matching them with collegiate athletic teams.
SNHU's head cheerleading coach Michelle McCarty was honored with the Walter A. Smith Award at a reception held at Manchester Country Club on Feb. 4. The award, one of the most prestigious awards handed out by the NHIAA (New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association) and instituted in 1996, recognizes individuals who have overcome special circumstances and contributed significantly and positively to interscholastic athletics.
The Southern New Hampshire University Department of Athletics raised more than $132,000 during Penmen Days of Giving 2024, which ran from Feb. 5-16. The campaign, a joint effort with SNHU's Office of Institutional Advancement, saw 543 donors make gifts to reach 265 percent of the original $50,000 goal. The $132,724 raised sets a new Penmen Days of Giving record. An incredibly generous gift of $80,000 from Ed Daniels to the women's track & field program carried the campaign well past its goal. Daniels, a long-time SNHU librarian and track & field assistant coach, presented the check at halftime of the women's basketball game against Adelphi University on Feb. 10.
The SNHU men's basketball team spent an hour playing basketball alongside children at the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana on March 25. The Penmen were participating in their community engagement day at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
The men's basketball team held a clinic with the grade-school-aged children, teaching them skills, running them through drills and playing in fun games, all while cheering them on with encouraging positivity.
Southern New Hampshire University is in fourth place in the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup standings through the fall season, the league office announced April 2. SNHU, the two-time defending NE10 Presidents' Cup Champions, also sits second in the new Women's Cup.
The New England Revolution II, the MLS Next Pro reserve team of Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, will play eight of their 2024 home games at Southern New Hampshire University's Mark A. Ouellette Stadium.
The SNHU baseball team spent nearly two hours playing alongside children with the Miracle League of the Triangle in Cary, N.C., on June 1. The Penmen were participating in their community engagement day at the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.
The Miracle League of the Triangle is a fully inclusive program. Anyone (age 5+) with a diagnosed disability can participate. Members of the Penmen baseball team and coaching staff helped organize the special exhibition game held at Andy's Foundation Ball Field at Adams Elementary School in Cary, pairing up with one of the two teams, while players and coaches from Catawba College guided the other.
Senior Kelsey Seamans (Methuen, Mass.), a member of both the SNHU cross country and track & field teams, was selected as the 2023-24 NE10 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award was announced June 4 at the NE10 Banquet at the Sheraton Needham.
Seamans, one of three finalists for the honor, earned a 4.00 GPA as an undergraduate Accounting & Finance Major and has also earned a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a Professional Accountancy graduate degree.
The NE10 honored Dr. Sophia Koustas, Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Management at SNHU, with the Dr. Dave Landers Faculty Mentor Award. Dr. Koustas is the first SNHU winner of the award, now in its eighth year. The award was announced at the Northeast-10 banquet June 4 in Needham, Mass.
In her nomination, SNHU volleyball junior Eyleen Dias (Plymouth, Mass.) wrote "Dr. Koustas is deeply committed to ensuring that student-athletes are well-prepared for life beyond their athletic careers. Recognizing the importance of equipping us with the skills and resources necessary for success in the professional world, she takes proactive steps to organize events tailored to our needs. These events, such as the AI Forum and Summit, serve as invaluable opportunities for us to network with industry professionals, gain practical insights, and develop essential skills relevant to our future careers."
SNHU finished third in the NE10 Presidents' Cup standings, the league office announced at its end-of-the-year banquet June 4. The Penmen had won back-to-back Presidents' Cups – the first institution to do so since 2017-18 and 2018-19. SNHU, which posted its third-best finish ever, collected 138.5 points, with Adelphi University capturing the cup with 178.5 points. The Penmen were also second in the Women's Sports Cup and sixth in the Men's Sports Cup.
Sponsoring 18 of the conference's 24 sports, the Penmen, who now have five top-five finishes in the last seven seasons, gathered 71 percent of their possible 194 points – the second highest in the league. The six sports SNHU is not eligible to earn points in are the second most in the conference. Despite that, it was the only school in the league to earn more than 70 percent of its possible points in each of the three seasons, with 71 percent in the fall and winter, and 73 percent in the spring.
