35|35 #1: Quincy Soccer's Field of Dreams
Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Jeff Smith, Assistant Commissioner
35|35 Anniversary Website
This is the first installment of a series of 35 moments, milestones, and facts that will be featured throughout the 2013-14 academic year to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Quincy University has quite the storied tradition in men’s and women’s soccer, despite having claimed only two Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. Prior to joining the GLVC in 1994, the Hawks earned 11 NAIA National Championships, with nine of those coming under the direction of legendary head coach Jack Mackenzie.
On Friday, Quincy will partake in a celebration of its own as it dedicates Jack Mackenzie Field at Legends Stadium, a venue named after the four pioneers of Quincy soccer, including Mackenzie, Frank Longo, Roger Francour and Bill Postiglione. Longo launched the men’s program in 1964, making the 2013 campaign the 50th year of Quincy men’s soccer, while Francour claimed the first two NAIA National Championships during his four-year tenure from 1965-68. Postiglione launched the women's program 30 years ago in 1983 and remained head coach until 2005.
And while the majority of Quincy soccer success came prior to the Hawks inclusion into the GLVC, two of Mackenzie’s former players – Mike Carpenter and Dave Musso – have since taken the reins of the QU men’s and women’s soccer teams, respectively, and have continued the school’s winning tradition.
Prior to Carpenter succeeding his mentor in July of 2012, Mackenzie amassed 516 wins over 43 seasons (1969-2011), which ranks 10th all-time in NCAA history and is the third-most victories in NCAA Division II. During a GLVC contest against Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 3, 2010, Mackenzie earned his 500th victory, and would later coach the Hawks to their only GLVC Championship the following year.
Now in his second season in charge of the Hawks, who retained Mackenzie as an associate head coach, Carpenter is poised to lead a ballclub that was picked to finish third in the 2013 GLVC Preseason Poll.
In the last two years, Quincy standouts have garnered some of the conference’s top honors as Grant Ellison was picked as the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, while Chris Garavaglia took home GLVC Defensive Player of the Year accolades in 2012. In addition to the two recent honorees, Quincy also stakes claim to the 1998 GLVC Freshman of the Year in Jason Wright as well as Matt Vollink, the 2000 co-GLVC Player of the Year.
Musso has also had recent success with the Lady Hawks as Quincy is currently one of just two programs in the country (Grand Valley State) to have qualified for the last seven NCAA Tournaments. With a 102-37-11 overall record heading into this season, Musso and his Lady Hawks are coming off their most impressive campaign to date. Quincy went 16-3-2 last year, which tied the program record for wins. The Lady Hawks won the GLVC regular season championship for the first time since the 2006 season - Musso's first at Quincy - and won the GLVC Tournament Championship for the first time in the program's history. Perhaps it was fitting that the Lady Hawks’ first title was captured one year ago on what is now the resurfaced Jack Mackenzie Field. Picked by the league coaches to successfully defend its GLVC title in 2013, Quincy could once again serve as host of the GLVC Championship Tournament, Nov. 8 and 10, should it be the highest remaining seed in the event.
During his seven-year career at Quincy, Musso has been named the 2006 and 2012 GLVC Coach of the Year, and has mentored three GLVC Freshman of the Year honorees in Becky Fleming (2006), Jodi Chapie (2010) and Ashley Burton (2012). Fleming went on to capture back-to-back GLVC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007, and was soon followed by Jenna Boyko, the conference’s top offensive player in 2009. On the other side of the ball, Laura Gentry was named GLVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, while Sam Andert captured the award in each of the past two seasons.
Prior to the QU men's soccer game against Missouri-St. Louis this Friday, the Hawks will officially dedicate Jack Mackenzie Field, which has been resurfaced with artificial turf. The ceremony will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m., pending the end of the women's soccer game between the Lady Hawks and Tritons, which kicks off at 5 p.m.
The Hawks will also commemorate Jack Mackenzie Drive, which will be the new honorary name of Seminary Road between 12th and 18th Streets in Quincy where Legends Stadium resides.
What began as a field of dreams for Mackenzie and several former Quincy soccer players and fans has now become a reality.
The foundation has been laid, both in new turf and past successes, for current and future Hawks to build upon for years to come.