Eight inductees highlight 2024 UMaine Sports Hall of Fame Class

ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame will induct seven individuals and one team in the class of 2024 in October, bringing the total number of inductees to 235 individuals and 10 teams.
The team to be inducted is the 1998-99 men’s ice hockey team, which will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of its winning the national collegiate championship.
The individual honorees are Marie-Andree Canuel, three-time first team All-New England soccer selection; Arel Gordon, Associated Press football All-American and America East champion sprinter; Allyson Howatt, one-time holder of eight UMaine track & field records; Paul Kelly, two-time regional soccer All-American; Sigi Koizar, three-time first-team all-conference basketball selection; Kevin Reed, three-time all-conference basketball selection; and Larry Thomas, All-American baseball pitcher.
The Class of 2024 Hall of Famers was selected by the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame committee and approved by Director of Athletics Jude Killy. The induction dinner and ceremony will be held on Friday, Oct. 4 at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer.

Canuel ’08 earned All-New England honors and America East first-team all-conference accolades three-times during her soccer career. Canuel, also a three-time America East all-tournament team selection, was named the conference rookie of the year in 2004 and was named the league’s midfielder of the year in 2005.

Gordon ’06 was named an AP All-American as a football return specialist, set a school record with three punt return touchdowns during his career and tied the school record for longest kickoff return (100 yards). His 729 kick return yards in 2004 were tops in Maine history while he also tied the all-time school mark with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season in 2004. Gordon was named all-conference at three positions; first team as a return specialist, second team as a running back, and third team as a wide receiver. In track & field, he posted the top 55-meter dash mark in the America East with a facility record-breaking 6.19 timing. Gordon earned All-American status when he placed seventh in the 60-meter dash with a school record time of 6.71 at the 2007 NCAA Championships. He also holds the school record in the 200 meters at 21.19 seconds.

Howatt ’10 held eight school records at the time of her graduation and currently appears 15 times on Maine’s top-10 lists for competing in both individual sprint events and on some of Maine’s all-time great relay teams. In 2008, Howatt was named the outstanding track performer at the America East outdoor championships after winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes while serving on Maine’s winning 4×400-meter relay team. That summer, she competed at the Canadian Olympic trials.

Kelly ’96 is the only player in the defunct men’s soccer program history to be named a first-team All-North Atlantic honoree three times in a career. A two-time regional All-American selection, Kelly earned a nod to the 1994 America East all-tournament team. Following his time at Maine, Kelly played semi-pro soccer with four different organizations, serving as captain of the Western Mass Pioneers, and enjoying four seasons in the USL pro league. He competed in the 1995 US Olympic Festival, was named a first-team USL pro all-star in 1999, and was invited the 2000 Major League Soccer combine.

Koizar ’17 earned a trio of selections to the America East all-conference first team and a pair of America East all-tournament team honors during her illustrious career. Koizar, who guided Maine to back-to-back 20-plus win seasons (23, 26), averaged 12.9 points per game for her career, leading Maine in scoring in three of her four seasons. At the time of her induction, Koizar ranks ninth on Maine’s all-time scoring list (1,671), eighth in assists (368), sixth in three-pointers (184), 10th in steals (179), and third in games played (130).

Reed ’07 is one of just two Black Bears with three America East all-conference awards in program history. A three-time America East all-conference second-team honoree, he earned a spot on the league’s all-rookie team in 2003 when he led the league in three-point shooting as a freshman. Reed ranks fifth on Maine’s all-time scoring list (1,601), eighth in rebounding (732), and third in steals (225). He led the league in steals in two of his three seasons.

Thomas ’91 earned All-American status in 1991 when he was 9-4 with a 2.54 earned run average, 108 strikeouts and just 26 walks. In ’91, the left-hander also earned North Atlantic Conference pitcher of the year honors, All-New England recognition, and a first-team all-conference nod. His 108 strikeouts in 1991 rank second for strikeouts in a season in program history. Following his time at Maine, Thomas was drafted in the second round, 69th overall, by the Chicago White Sox and made his major league debut in 1995.

The 1998-99 men’s ice hockey team captured the program’s second NCAA national championship after finishing the season 31-6-4. The Black Bears defeated New Hampshire, 3-2, in overtime of the national championship game on Marcus Gustafsson’s game-winning goal. Captain Steve Kariya, previously inducted as an individual in the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame and a Hobey Baker finalist in 1999, led the Black Bears in scoring with 27 goals and 38 assists for 65 points, while Alfie Michaud guided Maine in goal with a 28-6-3 mark to go along with a .910 saves percentage and a 2.32 goals against average. During the championship campaign, Maine posted a 17-5-2 mark in Hockey East play and finished the year 14-1-1 at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears, led by legendary head coach Shawn Walsh, earned several accolades along the way as Michaud was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. Kariya and David Cullen were each named AHCA East first-team All-Americans and to the All-Hockey East first team.

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