BDN chooses 3 UMaine-related athletic stories as most inspiring of 2018
The Bangor Daily News chose three University of Maine-related accomplishments for its most inspiring stories of 2018. One was that after first-year football player Darius Minor collapsed and died of a heart condition during a supervised July workout, the Black Bears notched a 10–4 record and advanced to a Football Championship Subdivision national semifinal for the first time in school history. A second inspiring story involved Tracy Guerrette, a former UMaine basketball player and coach, who now is a top distance runner. In last spring’s Boston Marathon, Guerrette was the top Maine female finisher and placed 25th overall among all women, in 2 hours, 54 minutes, 2 seconds. She’s training for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. And, in 2018, coach Amy Vachon led the women’s basketball squad to its first trip to the NCAA tourney since 2004. The Black Bears accomplished this after the team sustained heavy graduation and transfer losses and coach Richard Barron left due to a medical issue. Last season, the team also notched a 23–10 record and won the America East championship.