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08.06.2009 / The Mavs are ready...

As the end of the summer nears, University of Nebraska at Omaha is already thinking about this fall and the 2009-2010 athletic season. New Director of Athletics Trev Alberts was hired in April and has kept himself busy during his first 100 days in his new position.

"UNO will be joining what may be the best conference in college hockey, one that will give the program better exposure."

One of the top priorities for Alberts coming into the job was the strengthening of the hockey program. He promoted Mike Kemp, the only head coach in program history, to the position of associate athletic director and then hired Dean Blais to succeed Kemp as head coach in June. Blais won NCAA Division I championships in 1997 and 2000 while coaching the University of North Dakota.

Alberts wasn’t done with the hockey program, either. Later in June, he negotiated an agreement for the Mavericks to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning with the 2010-2011 season. UNO will be joining what may be the best conference in college hockey, one that will give the program better exposure to the fertile hockey recruiting grounds of Minnesota.

A sure sign of fall is the start of football season. The Mavericks begin practice on Thursday, August 6, just three weeks from their August 27th season-opener. For the first game, UNO hosts East Central University at Al F. Caniglia Field at 7:00 p.m. UNO was picked to finish in the middle of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in separate preseason polls of the league’s coaches and media. 

Speaking of UNO football players, former Maverick signal caller Zach Miller was nabbed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2009 National Football League draft earlier this year. The speedy 6-4, 245 pounder will be asked to catch balls rather than throw them in the NFL, making the switch to tight end. Miller and the Jags started training camp August 2nd.

Tickets for all UNO fall athletic events including football, volleyball and soccer and hockey this winter can be purchased by calling the UNO ticket office at (402) 554-MAVS or visit their web site www.omavs.com.

Posted at 01:26 PM | Permalink
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