Story Links CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Athletics and the Harvard Varsity Club celebrated the Class of 2025 on Wednesday, at the annual Cory Thabit Family Senior Letterwinners’ Dinner, which took place inside the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. The event honored the standout achievements of this year’s graduating student-athletes. Established in 1966 in […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Athletics and the Harvard Varsity Club celebrated the Class of 2025 on Wednesday, at the annual Cory Thabit Family Senior Letterwinners’ Dinner, which took place inside the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. The event honored the standout achievements of this year’s graduating student-athletes.
Established in 1966 in honor of the late John P. Fadden’s service as an athletic trainer and friend to Harvard athletes for many years, the John P. Fadden Award is given annually to a senior student (Varsity, JV or Intramural) who has overcome physical adversity to make a contribution to an eligible program. This year featured two honorees – Ben Abercrombie of football and Grace Taylor of women’s lacrosse.
Abercrombie has overcome a life-altering injury while playing in his first career game as a first-year at Harvard in 2017 which left him paralyzed. He returned to Harvard in 2019 and has demonstrated remarkable resilience to complete his degree this spring. Abercrombie has become an integral part of the football team and has had the team’s Badger Award named in his honor, given to the player who best exemplifies his work ethic, resilience, and deep love for the game.
During her sophomore year, Taylor was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer. After completing her treatment, she has dedicated her time to bridging the gap between age-specific resources to help build a better young adult and adolescent cancer program at Mass General Hospital. To date, Taylor has raised over $12,000 for the MGH AYA Program, funding free therapies for young people in the program. A four-year member of the women’s lacrosse team, Taylor earned selection as a finalist for the Honda Inspiration Award and acts as a major part of the team’s Team IMPACT Program.
The Carroll F. Getchell Manager of the Year Award is given annually to the manager in the senior class “who has best displayed integrity, courage, leadership, and ability” while an undergraduate manager. This year’s honoree was Noah Janfaza of men’s ice hockey, who served the Crimson as a four-year manager and played a critical role in the team’s logistical operations and on-ice success, including a pair of NCAA tournament appearances and an ECAC championship. As part of his duties, Janfaza helped facilitate team travel, meals, lodging, ticketing, analytics, and video coordination. Known for his work ethic, attention to detail, and high character, Janfaza distinguished himself as a team leader and also served as the program’s first-ever Team IMPACT fellow.
The Director’s Award recognizes the person (or persons) who, through their pursuit of excellence and service to Harvard Athletics, has displayed exceptional leadership, personal character, integrity, and commitment to education through athletics. This year’s award winner, as selected by Erin McDermott, The John D. Nichols ’53 Family Director of Athletics, was Lauren Scruggs of women’s fencing. Scruggs won a pair of medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA, capturing gold in the women’s foil team competition and silver in the women’s foil individual event. She became the first Black female U.S. fencer to win a medal in an individual fencing event at the Olympics. In collegiate competition, she won the NCAA women’s foil event in 2023 and helped the Crimson win a national championship in 2024. Among her many other accolades, she has captured USFCA First Team All-America, First Team All-Ivy, and an outright Ivy League women’s fencing title in 2025.
Women’s volleyball’s Corinne Furey was the recipient of the Francis J. Toland Community Service Award, which is presented to the senior student-athlete who has made the most outstanding contribution to Harvard and its neighboring communities. A two-time team captain, Furey has served as a student leader on the Dean of Student’s “Mattering Working Group” – a group that focuses on two fundamental experiences: feeling valued by self and others and adding value to self and others. Furey has served as a mentor to youth in the local community, acted as a Bible study leader for female athletes, and earned selection as a United States Military Academic McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character Fellowship.
The Mary G. Paget Prize was first established in 1975 and is awarded each year to the senior student who has contributed the most to women’s athletics. Honored with the award earlier tonight was Reese Morgan of women’s rugby. Morgan helped Harvard win national titles during the 15s season in 2023 and 2024 alongside a national championship during the 7s season in 2024. A team captain and All-NIRA selection, Morgan has played an integral role in growing women’s sports on campus and beyond, organizing a youth clinic for National Girls and Women in Sports Day and helping develop a marketing revenue generation strategy to support all athletic programs at Harvard.
The 2024-25 recipient of the Arthur L. Boland Award was Robin Cruz-Abrams of women’s swimming and diving. Annually given to the senior varsity athlete who will be attending medical school and best exemplifies those characteristics and qualities which have been the hallmark of Dr. Boland’s care for Harvard athletes, Cruz-Abrams trained and served in the Civil Air Patrol, has acted as a campus EMT through Crimson EMS, and has competed as a four-year member of the women’s swimming and diving team after joining the program as a walk-on as a first-year.
The Francis H. Burr ’09 Scholarship is awarded to a pair of seniors, one from a men’s team and one from a women’s program, who combine as nearly as possible Burr’s remarkable qualities of character, leadership, scholarship and athletic ability. This year’s recipients were Gabriel Obholzer of men’s heavyweight rowing and Carly Lehman of women’s rugby.
An Empacher IRCA First Team All-American, Obholzer has played a critical role in the success of the first varsity eight over the last two seasons, helping the boat win at the Head of the Charles in 2023 and 2024, capture the Harvard-Yale Regatta in 2024 for the first time in 10 years, and recently claim the title at the 2025 Eastern Sprints. Rowing internationally for Great Britain, he won gold at the 2024 U23 World Rowing Championships in the men’s eight.
A team captain for Harvard, Lehman helped the Crimson win national titles during the 15s season in both 2023 and 2024 alongside a national championship during the 7s season in 2024. A Second Team All-America selection, she also captured All-Academic accolades three times. She earned selection as a nominee for the Sorensen Award as the nation’s top student-athlete in collegiate rugby. Off the field, Lehman has left her mark in the ROTC program, acting as the first student-athlete to serve as Battalion Commander of the Paul Rever Battalion, leading over 100 cadets. She is also the President of Harvard Athlete Ally.
The Harvard-Radcliffe Foundation for Women’s Athletics Prize was established by the Harvard-Radcliffe Foundation for Women’s Athletics (HRFWA) and first presented in 1986. The honor is awarded yearly to Harvard’s top scholar-athlete from a women’s team, with the nominees coming solely from Faculty Deans, Senior Tutors or Resident Deans. This year’s recipient is Emily Vermeule of women’s fencing. Vermeule helped the Crimson win the 2024 national championship, captured the 2024 NCAA women’s epee title, and earned selection as a three-time First Team All-American. A team captain, Vermeule plans to attend law school and work as a law clerk following graduation.
The John P. Reardon ’60 Men’s Award went to Jan Riecke of men’s soccer. Presented annually to the Crimson’s top scholar-athlete from a men’s team, and nominated solely from Faculty Deans, Senior Tutors or Resident Deans, Riecke earned All-Ivy honors in all four of his seasons, while also garnering CSC Academic All-District accolades three times. On the field, Riecke started all 65 of the team’s games from 2021-24 as a center back, playing 5,905 of a possible 5,393 minutes (99.4 percent). Off the pitch, Riecke wrote a senior thesis entitled “The Disparate Rates of National AI Innovation,” earned selection as a John Harvard Scholar, and served as a research intern at the Centre for Trustworthy Technology at the World Economic Forum.
Harvard’s most outstanding athlete from a men’s team is presented with the William J. Bingham ’16 Award. The 2024-25 recipient was Graham Blanks of men’s cross country and track & field. Blanks captured back-to-back NCAA national championships, winning the individual title at the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships in both 2023 and 2024 and becoming the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to win the NCAA men’s cross country individual title. On the international stage, Blanks represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing ninth in the final of the 5000m. A four-time USTFCCCA Cross Country All-American, he distinguished himself as the only student-athlete in program history to earn the honor in all four years of his career. A two-time Ivy League cross country individual champion, Blanks also captured Ivy titles in the indoor 3000m (2022), indoor 5000m (2022), outdoor 5000m (2023, 2024), and outdoor 10,000m (2023). A three-time CSC Academic All-American, Blanks captured USTFCCCA Men’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.
The Radcliffe Prize was handed out to the athletic department’s most outstanding athlete from a women’s team. This year’s honoree was Harmoni Turner of women’s basketball. The 35th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces, Turner became just the second student-athlete in program history to earn Honorable Mention AP All-America accolades. The 2025 Ivy League Player of the Year, Turner also captured Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors in 2022. Turner won the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award as the first Ivy League player to capture the award. A unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection, Turner garnered Most Outstanding Player laurels at the 2025 Ivy League Tournament, leading the Crimson to a berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Harvard Varsity Club has been instrumental to the success of Harvard Athletics since it was founded in 1886. The Varsity Club preserves the traditions, fosters the ideals, and advances the interests of Harvard Athletics through a wide range of activities for our 20,000+ members. The annual Cory Thabit Family Senior Letterwinners’ Dinner, established in 1967 to honor the contributions of the outgoing senior class, is one example of the many functions provided by the Varsity Club.
And these are a few of Olivia “Livvy” Dunne’s favorite things. While cheering on her beloved Tigers Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, the former LSU gymnast-turned-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model rocked a custom jersey that paid tribute to her alma mater and her boyfriend, fellow LSU alum and reigning NL Rookie […]
And these are a few of Olivia “Livvy” Dunne’s favorite things.
While cheering on her beloved Tigers Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, the former LSU gymnast-turned-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model rocked a custom jersey that paid tribute to her alma mater and her boyfriend, fellow LSU alum and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Dunne — who boasts more than 13 million followers across Instagram and TikTok — showed off her split jersey that recognized the Tigers on the front and Skenes’ Pirates on the back.
“Party in the front business in the back,” the 22-year-old New Jersey native captioned a selfie, which highlighted the star pitcher’s No. 30 jersey number.
Dunne — whose relationship with Skenes, 23, was revealed in 2023, the same year he and the Tigers captured the College World Series title — had one of the best views in the house at Charles Schwab Field, where LSU defeated Arkansas, 4-1.
LSU advanced in the winner’s bracket with the victory and will face UCLA on Monday night.
“I am so happy geaux tigers,” Dunne exclaimed in a separate Instagram Story on Saturday.
It’s certainly been a spring to remember for Dunne, who was announced as one of the four Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover stars for the 2025 edition of the iconic publication, along with Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actress Salma Hayek and entrepreneur Lauren Chan.
Dunne, just two years removed from her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut, shot what became the cover photo in Bermuda while nursing a knee injury.
“Fun fact, I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so poses like this and the cover shot kind of hurt, but it was honestly so worth it,” Dunne said in an Instagram video recapping the whirlwind shoot.
Elsewhere this year, Dunne bid farewell to gymnastics after her collegiate career came to an end in April. She won a national championship with LSU last year.
“You will always be my first love,” Dunne said in an emotional tribute video.
“Time did fly by, and I will cherish every memory for the rest of my life.”
As Dunne chases new dreams in this next chapter, she’s also supporting Skenes as he lives out his.
The Pirates’ first-overall pick in 2023, Skenes was officially called up to the majors in May 2024 and struck out seven in his debut.
Although Skenes has posted an ERA of 1.78 across 15 games, the Pirates sit in last place in the NL Central at 29-43.
Skenes is slated to pitch Sunday to close out Pittsburgh’s four-game series against the Cubs.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University’s bold experiment in women’s gymnastics is coming to an end. The school has announced it is shuttering the program at the end of the 2026 season. Fisk made history in 2023 when it became the first historically Black college or university to launch a women’s artistic gymnastics team. Fisk’s ambitious […]
NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University’s bold experiment in women’s gymnastics is coming to an end.
The school has announced it is shuttering the program at the end of the 2026 season. Fisk made history in 2023 when it became the first historically Black college or university to launch a women’s artistic gymnastics team.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
9 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp 17Shares Samara Buchanan, Bella Miller, Kielyn McCright, Jessica Naranjo and Haylen Zarbowski. Parkland has become a hot spot for another sport, with five gymnastics stars competing in college. Kielyn McCright is a 2020 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She began her college career at Utah State before transferring to […]
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Samara Buchanan, Bella Miller, Kielyn McCright, Jessica Naranjo and Haylen Zarbowski.
Parkland has become a hot spot for another sport, with five gymnastics stars competing in college.
Kielyn McCright is a 2020 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She began her college career at Utah State before transferring to Clemson University. She finished her senior year by making the ACC All-Tournament Team (Beam). McCright previously competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and set a season-high 9.875 at the ACC Championships earlier this year after missing six matches due to injury.
Bella Miller also graduated from MSD in 2020 and did not compete her first two years, but did get named to the EAGL All-Scholastic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll at the University of North Carolina. She has a career best of 9.875 on the floor and 9.725
Jessica Naranjo, who also attends UNC, was named to the All-ACC Championship Team on beam as a freshman, competing in 11 beats and three bar lineups. She was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team and a WCGA Scholastic All-American. She ranks fourth all-time with a score of 9.825 on the beam and also earned scores of 9.85 against Kentucky and 9.925 against LSU.
Haylen Zarbowski graduated from MSD in 2022 and has been competing for the University of Michigan. During her Freshman season, she set a career best on the uneven bars with a 9.825 at Oklahoma. Zarbowski went on to compete in seven meets as a sophomore, with six appearances on uneven bars and two on the floor, setting a personal record with a score of .9775 on the floor at Michigan State.
Samara Buchanan attends Ohio State University and made her Buckeye debut on the uneven bars, recording a GA score of 9.725. She competed in three meets for Ohio State as a freshman after being a 2022 Florida State Champion on beam, vault, uneven bars, and all-around.
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Justin Cousin is back at Graham, this time as the basketball coach. By Bob Sutton Special to The Alamance News Justin Cousin was bothered when he heard about the decline in fortunes for many of Graham’s sports teams, particularly boys’ basketball. Now the school’s all-time leading scorer will have a chance to do something about […]
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Justin Cousin was bothered when he heard about the decline in fortunes for many of Graham’s sports teams, particularly boys’ basketball.
Now the school’s all-time leading scorer will have a chance to do something about that.
Cousin, a 2012 graduate, has been hired as the school’s next coach.
“The timing was perfect,” he said. “It’s good that I can be the one to get the ball rolling and turn the tide around here. Graham hasn’t had the success that we’ve had in the past, so I want to be the one to come help change that.”
Earlier this century, Graham had some powerhouse teams playing in front of capacity crowds. Those are what Cousin remembers fondly.
“It still smells the same. It still looks the same,” he said during an interview in the gym lobby. “Full-circle moment for sure.”
Cousin played under coach Mike Williams at Graham, racking up 1,997 points in high school and then spent a season in the Air Force Academy’s prep school before five seasons in Radford’s program. His final college game was in the 2018 NCAA Tournament against Villanova in Pittsburgh. From there, he played professionally in New Zealand.
“I had been running from coaching for a long time because I knew once I got into coaching that would mean my playing career was over,” he said.
He didn’t return overseas because of the pandemic. Instead, he helped coach with his father’s Mid-State Magic travel program, reconnecting with college coaches who were recruiting at those tournaments.
That led to a graduate assistant position at Radford and from there he spent two seasons in a similar role at Georgia, where he earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership. During the 2024-25 season, he was the assistant coach with Wabash Valley College, a two-year school in Mount Carmel, Illinois.
He learned about the opening at Graham, which had multiple coaches the past few seasons.
“When I was out in Illinois, one of the parents of one of the guys on the team reached out to me,” he said. “I had been praying for an opportunity to come closer to home. I guess that was the answer to my prayer.
“It doesn’t get closer to home than home.”
His hiring at Graham was approved earlier this spring, but he needed to finish commitments at Wabash Valley College through May. He also mourned for his grandmother, Joann Cousin, who died May 27.
“She was my biggest fan here back when I played,” he said.
Looking for a turnaround
Graham’s basketball troubles included a 2-20 record during the past season. That marked the seventh season in a row that the Red Devils haven’t exceeded the eight-win level.
“Every time I come home and talk about high school sports, we’ve been at the bottom,” Cousin said. “And I don’t like that for my alma mater.”
Graham athletics director Kyle Ward, a former girls’ and boys’ basketball coach, said Cousin’s deep roots in the program should be a plus.
“We’re hoping he can turn it around,” Ward said.
The new coach’s father, Rod Cousin, has been recovering from a stroke, but he wants to lend a hand with the Red Devils.
Further, Justin Cousin said it would be ideal for past Graham basketball players to become involved with the program and help boost morale and connections with players.
“I feel like it’s a great time for greats from the past to come through and impart their knowledge on to the next generation,” he said.
Cousin, 31, will take a to-be-determined teaching position at Graham. He said he wants players to see him at times when they’re not in the gym to cultivate relationships.
“I would like to be super hands-on, and I would like to see the guys during the day,” he said. “I feel like as a coach it’s important for your players to see your duality. If they only saw how intense I was and how demanding I was on the court, it would be harder for them to accept me and to know that I really have their best interests at heart and that I care for them. It’s important for them to see that second side of me.”
Jake Gustafson has a pretty typical hockey origin story. His father grew up in Canada and was a hockey player. After retiring, Jon Gustafson settled in San Jose and built a post-playing career in the sport, rising to Vice President of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and one of the largest hockey-focused facilities in the […]
Jake Gustafson has a pretty typical hockey origin story.
His father grew up in Canada and was a hockey player. After retiring, Jon Gustafson settled in San Jose and built a post-playing career in the sport, rising to Vice President of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and one of the largest hockey-focused facilities in the country — Sharks Ice.
The younger Gustafson developed as a youth hockey player in San Jose and committed to play at his dad’s alma mater, Colorado College. Then, last month, something happened that, until now, would have signaled the end of his future as a college hockey player.
On May 13, Gustafson signed with the Portland WinterHawks of the Western Hockey League. And he did so with the blessing of Colorado College’s hockey staff. Gustafson will join the WinterHawks for this coming season and the next, but he’s still committed to arrive in Colorado Springs in the fall of 2027.
College athletics has seen massive changes across all sports in recent years — a temporary extra year of eligibility for athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of the transfer portal, and Name, Image and Likeness financial commitments. Revenue sharing is coming in just a few weeks.
But the college hockey landscape felt another seismic event in November. The NCAA Division I council voted to make Canadian Hockey League players eligible, effective Aug. 1.
“We have more really good hockey players available to us,” Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte said. “With an influx of talent — I mean, college hockey is going to be more talented than it’s ever been, and it’s not even going to be close, I don’t think — how much does it change roster composition in terms of winning championships and being the best team in your league?
“I think that’s what’s still so unknown.”
For decades, players have had to choose between the CHL, which comprises the top three junior leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) in Canada, and NCAA hockey. That decision often had to be made when the player was 14 or 15 years old, even with college 3-4 years away.
Suiting up for a CHL team made a player ineligible for NCAA hockey. That changed with this ruling.
Gustafson is part of the first crop of players who can choose both. When Avalanche star Cale Makar decided to forego playing in the WHL in favor of college hockey at UMass, he spent two seasons with the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL, which is the second tier of Canadian junior hockey.
This ruling will change development paths all over North America. There will be plenty of uncertainty in the short term, which mirrors how the transfer portal and NIL have changed college sports.
But there can be positive long-term benefits as well.
“I think it provides more opportunities for youth players,” said Jordan Pietrus, Hockey Director for the Colorado Thunderbirds youth program. “Now, they don’t have to make a decision at 14 years old in Colorado to say, ‘Yes, I want to go to the Western league or not.’ Now they can say yes to everything and see what opportunities are available. From that perspective, I think it’s really, really positive.”
Players like Gustafson or kids currently in the Thunderbirds program will have more time to see how the new landscape develops, but the November ruling drastically altered how 2025-26 NCAA teams will be constructed.
While college teams have typically earned commitments from youth players years in advance, there was suddenly a flood of new players available and far less time to recruit them.
“It’s playing out in real time, and it’s been a little clunky here and there, but for the most part, I think it’s been pretty smooth,” DU coach David Carle said. “There’s never been more ways or avenues to build your roster. That started with the portal and then obviously the CHL player eligibility. So there’s a lot more players within the marketplace.”
Carle said last month that he expects to have between eight and 10 freshmen on his roster next season. His staff didn’t waste any time dipping into the new player pool.
The captains for Everett (Eric Jamieson) and Swift Current (Clark Caswell) from this past season both committed to join the Pioneers in August — a statement that would’ve read like a foreign language to college hockey fans before eight months ago.
Kyle Chyzowski, who scored 41 goals and 105 points in 66 regular-season games for Portland, is committed to joining them. The two goalies who will compete to replace program legend Matt Davis? Both have CHL experience.
Down I-25, Mayotte and the Tigers are excited for their incoming group of newcomers as well. The leading scorer for Prince Albert this past season, Tomas Mrsic, is one of multiple NHL draft picks in CC’s incoming class.
How this influx of older, more accomplished freshmen will affect college hockey remains a mystery. This ruling could open the door for a few more first-round picks who chose the CHL to spend a season or two in college, but it goes deeper than that.
“I know we’re getting really good hockey players, and probably as good as we’ve ever gotten type of hockey players, but so is everybody else,” Mayotte said. “What’s that going to look like in terms of, how do you become one of the best teams in college hockey?
“I think the ceiling is going up, but I think the floor is getting closer to the ceiling. I think the floor is rising at a faster rate. If you add 5-10 more of those (high draft picks across college hockey), how much of a difference is that versus the fact that you’re going to add 150 more 19-20-year-olds that are really good hockey players?”
Just like the extra “Covid” year and the transfer portal, the effects of CHL eligibility go beyond just a stream of new talent available to the 64 Division I programs.
Some players who were committed to those programs for next season have had find a new place to play. The USHL has been the top source of NCAA players from the junior ranks, while those tier two leagues in Canada like the AJHL and BCHL have also been strong pipelines.
Now, those leagues will have to compete with the CHL teams for youth players who can still go to college.
“I think you’ll see guys bounce around all over and find the place that they think is best for their development,” Mayotte said. “I think that’s one of the best things that options create, is it allows the player to do what’s best and not just have one option that they feel like they have to take or else their career is in jeopardy.
“I think you’ll see teams in all leagues that know how to develop players, how to resource development — those programs will thrive no matter what league they’re in.”
When the new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins got his first assistant’s job in the National Hockey League, Dan Muse was quick to credit the year he spent at Williams College as the jumping-off-point for his career. “I loved every second of it,” Muse said back in 2017. “That was my first job working in […]
When the new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins got his first assistant’s job in the National Hockey League, Dan Muse was quick to credit the year he spent at Williams College as the jumping-off-point for his career.
“I loved every second of it,” Muse said back in 2017. “That was my first job working in college hockey, period. The opportunity that Bill Kangas gave me was one that I’ll be forever grateful for.”
Muse, whose first coaching job was as an assistant at Williams for the 2007-08 season, was introduced to the Pittsburgh media Wednesday morning as the new coach of the team led by Sidney Crosby.
“I was excited. Obviously happy for him and his family, and well-deserved,” Kangas said in a phone interview with The Eagle this week. “He’s done so many things in the game at all different levels. He’s done very, very well. He’s a driven person and a wonderful human being. He cares about people and I think it shows in how the players feel about him because he’s so good with his time with everyone.
“He’s a true teacher. Your favorite teacher, I guess, and you want to go back to school and say hi when you’re in town. He’s that kind of guy.”
The newest NHL coach graduated from Stonehill College, then a Division III school. He came to Williams after some time as a history teacher at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. Muse spent time at Division I Sacred Heart and Yale, before taking over as the head coach of the Chicago team in the U.S. Hockey League, one of the top junior hockey leagues in America.
Muse joined the Nashville Predators in 2017 and spent three years there working for Peter Laviolette. After Laviolette and his staff were let go, Muse hooked on as an assistant coach and a head coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. There, as the head coach of the U-18 team, he set a record with 15 wins over Division I hockey programs. He also mentored current NHL standout Logan Cooley and Amherst native Ryan Leonard.
The coach rejoined Laviolette for the 2023-24 season, and was with the NHL team until the New York Rangers fired their head coach.
The fact that Muse ended up in Pittsburgh is a bit of a coincidence because Mike Sullivan, who was let go by the Penguins, is the new head coach of the Rangers.
“For me, all these experiences, you take and you work to apply them,” Muse said during his introductory news conference. “I feel extremely fortunate for all the steps along the way. It’s the places I’ve worked, the people I’ve worked with, the people I’ve learned from. It’s having an opportunity to work in pretty close to almost every roll you can imagine — second assistant, first assistant, video coach, head coach — on my way coming up.
“You’re taking all the different things I’ve seen, the different things I’ve learned, the different things I’ve done. Some things that along the way maybe have changed. Now you’re getting an opportunity to apply them in this league.”
Muse’s first boss said he has no doubt that the new Penguins coach will be a success.
“When he was with me, you could tell he really had it,” Kangas told The Eagle. “He was so committed to the group, to his own process. I didn’t know what he wanted and I’m not sure I envisioned him as an NHL head coach. I think he probably envisioned himself being a head coach of some sort. Every opportunity he’s had to be a head coach, he’s been successful.”
Muse spent one year at Williams and helped Kangas lead the Ephs to a 9-12-4 record. They were 7-8-4 in NESCAC play and earned the No. 7 seed in the postseason tournament.
The foundation Kangas and Muse put down in the 07-08 season helped the next year as Williams went 15-9-2 and 12-5-2 in the conference. The Ephs were the No. 3 seed in the NESCAC Tournament and advanced to the tournament semifinal round.
Muse left Williams in 2008 to become an assistant at Division I Sacred Heart. A year later, he went to work for Keith Allain at Yale. Muse stayed at Yale until 2015. He was the associate head coach when he took the job with the U.S.H.L. team in Chicago.
The Bulldogs won the 2013 NCAA Division I hockey championship with Muse on the bench for Allain. Coincidentally, that championship was won at what is now PPG Paints Arena, the home of Muse’s new team.
Several of Kangas’ former assistants have moved to Division I jobs. Nate Skidmore is an assistant at Niagara, Eric Sorenson is an assistant at UMass Lowell while Dana Borges is an assistant coach and handles player development at Arizona State. Another former assistant, Mike Monti, who was the head coach when Kangas took a one-year sabbatical, is the video coach for the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters. The Monsters are the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Muse is now the second person off of a recent Williams roster to reach the NHL. Mark Yanetti, a defenseman who graduated in 1994, and was a second-team All-American, has spent the last 18 years in the Los Angeles Kings’ front office. He is currently the senior director of amateur scouting.
“I tell people now all the time … younger guys getting into coaching, if somebody has any questions for me,” Muse told The Eagle back in 2017. “I’ll always say if you can get an opportunity to coach Division III for a year, it’s one of the best things you can do starting out. It’s a smaller staff and especially at programs like Williams, you get to do everything. You’re forced to do everything.
“You’re forced to jump into the water with both feet.”
has always dreamed in Mercurial. Now his initials are on the boots.
The new Kyl…
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This is poetry in motion.
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'I asked Anderson privately'… UFC legend retells secret sparring session between Jon Jones …
IU basketball recruiting
UFC 316 star storms out of Media Day when asked about bitter feud with Rampage Jackson
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J.W. Craft: Investing in Community Through Sports
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Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton facing DUI charge
