PRESQUE ISLE, Maine —
The University of Maine at Presque Isle has announced its 2025 UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame class. Six former Owls and one team will be enshrined during a ceremony in Presque Isle.
This year's inductees include Aaron Marston ('97), Simon Mitchell ('96), Mark Carey ('78), Leon 'Cid' Dyjak ('74), Maureen 'Moe' McNally ('74), and Gary Spinney ('72). The 1977 Men's Soccer Team rounds out the class, becoming the third team inducted into the Hall.
The six athletes and one team are set to be inducted for a ceremony scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, September 27th.
"The 2025 Hall of Fame class represents the very best of what it means to be an Owl—passionate, driven, and committed to excellence both on and off the field. From historic seasons to transformative coaching careers, this group embodies a legacy that continues to inspire our campus, community, and future generations of student-athletes. We are proud to celebrate their remarkable achievements and lasting impact on UMPI Athletics," Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation Dan Kane said.
Summary of Inductees:
Aaron Marston ('97)
Playing Career:
Aaron Marston was a part of an outstanding era of UMPI Men's Soccer throughout the mid 1990's and will be inducted posthumously for his lifetime devotion to UMPI Athletics. As an athlete, he lettered from 1993-1996, the Owls combined for a record of 29-16-2 and qualified for the conference playoffs all four years. Marston was elected a captain in his junior and senior seasons. He was the field general for UMPI playing center-midfield, a position that is hard to score goals but vitally important. Despite this fact, he was the third leading scorer on the 1996 team that went 12-1 during the regular season and is known as one of the best Men's Soccer teams in school history. Marston was an impact player on both sides of the ball, helping that '96 team to seven shutouts as well. Marston was a true leader and role model as many of his former teammates would attest to. Those qualities no doubt led to his very successful coaching career.
Coaching Career:
After his playing career ended, Marston returned to UMPI in 2012 with his wife Keli—a 2007 UMPI hall of fame inductee. He eventually became the head women's soccer coach while serving as an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science. Marston immediately orchestrated a 180 degree turn to a program that won just two games the year before he took over. Recruiting mostly local players, Marston assembled a roster of Aroostook-County all-stars, and in his first full season at the helm in 2019, led the team to their first winning season since 2011. In 2021, Marston's squad continued their success, qualifying for the postseason for the first time since joining the NAC. They kept the momentum rolling into 2022, when the Owls finished with a 5-2-1 conference record, advancing to the playoffs again. After the season concluded, Marston was voted unanimously by his coaching peers as the North Atlantic Conference coach of the year.
Simon Mitchell ('96)
Playing Career:
A native of Melbourne Australia, Simon Mitchell was an outstanding part of the golden era for UMPI Men's Basketball and one of the best to ever put on an UMPI uniform. In all four of Mitchell's years, UMPI won 16 games or more, which became the four winningest seasons in school history to that point.
Mitchell was a four-year starter under Coach Karl Henrikson, locking down UMPI's backcourt on both sides of the ball. His sophomore season, he led the Owls in several categories, which included 5.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.7 steals while being second in scoring with 11.3 points per game.
In his junior year, UMPI put together the best single seasons of all-time to that point, going 19-7 and finding themselves nationally ranked in the NAIA at one point in the 1994-95 season. Mitchell averaged 11.9 points per game on that team, trailing only Chris Casavant (hall of fame class of 2004) in scoring numbers. He also clipped 5.9 rebounds per game as a guard, and 6.2 assists per game. He won first team all-conference honors in the Maine Athletic Conference (MAC), a competitive league of some of the best programs in Maine. He also was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.
In his final season, Mitchell was again a key facilitator for UMPI. The team was very successful in the '95-'96 season as well, going 17-7, and making it all the way to the MAC championship game. That year, Mitchell made MAC second team, and also won UMPI Athlete of the Year at the annual athletic awards banquet. When the dust settled, he was one of the most decorated Owl basketball players ever, serving as a three-time captain and two-time team MVP. He now cements his legacy as an UMPI Hall of Famer.
Coaching Career:
After his illustrious career at UMPI was over, he began a long and successful coaching career that eventually led him to a head coaching position in the NBL (National Basketball League), the Australian equivalent of the NBA. He coached the South East Melbourne Phoenix in their inaugural season of 2018. During his tenure, he set numerous records for best starts as an expansion team and led them to the postseason twice. He now serves as the General Manager of Basketball Operations for the Phoenix. Basketball has been a part of Mitchell's DNA his entire life as it continues to be in the land down under.
Mark Carey ('78)
Playing Career:
Mark Carey is another example of a huge piece during an outstanding era. Carey was a 1978 graduate of UMPI. Playing soccer and baseball, Carey was named a co-captain on the soccer team in 1977. He was a true leader on the team that will be honored in this year's class as one of the best single seasons in school history. UMPI went 17-3, and Carey was named to the Northeast College All-Conference team as a defender in a year when they set the record for most shutouts in a season with four.
Carey was also a standout baseball player making him a four-year dual sport athlete from 1974-1977. He was voted team Most Valuable Player in 1976, winning Northeast College All-Conference honors becoming a dual sport all-conference player. He was named a co-captain of the team in 1977
Coaching Career:
Carey graduated with a degree in Secondary English, and after his college days, moved to San Diego where he taught high school for 30 years and coached women's soccer. After his career out west, he returned to southern Maine to teach a few years before his retirement, and continued coaching soccer, as he took on the Winthrop girls program for a couple seasons, leading them to the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 before his retirement.
Leon "Cid" Dyjak ('74)
Playing Career:
Cid Dyjak was a jack-of-all trades athlete for UMPI in the early 70's. After transferring from Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts, he played for UMPI in 1971 and 1972. His main sport of soccer, Dyjak was a prolific player and scorer for the Owls leading them in goals with nine, and a total of 20 points. In 1972, he again helped lead the team, this time to a Northeast College Conference Championship. The Owls continued deep into the postseason that year, making it all the way to the NAIA District IV Semifinals.
Coaching Career:
Dyjak has made a big difference in other ways than just playing soccer. He stayed on to help coach the team in 1973 while he was finishing up school. He also helped develop a club hockey team for UMPI that played other Maine and New Brunswick teams. An academic leader on campus as well, he served as the President of the class of 1974, and spoke at commencement. After graduating, Dyjak earned his degree in Physical Education and has racked up over 35 years of teaching. He also became a very successful coach. He's coached the Orono girls soccer team for 40 years and counting, and recently reached the 300 win milestone. They won back to back state championships in 2015 and 2016. He's racked up a plethora of coach of the year awards such as New England Coach of the Year for Small Schools in 2013.
Maureen "Moe" McNally ('74)
Playing Career:
Moe McNally was a pioneering figure for women's athletics at UMPI. Very few records exist in women's sports from this era, but McNally would not be slowed down. She played four sports at UMPI: Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, and Basketball from 1970-1974. A true athlete at heart, McNally's most renowned accomplishments in athletics came in her time after UMPI, as she stayed in sports as a high school coach.
Coaching Career:
After graduating from UMPI with a degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation she taught P.E. and Health in the Gardiner school system for several years before earning her Master's at the University of Southern Maine in 1994. She became a middle school guidance counselor for the next 23 years at Gardiner. She coached Softball at Gardiner for five seasons, but is best known for her 38-year career as the Gardiner Field Hockey Coach. From 1979-2013, she accumulated an outstanding record of 407-144-21 for a winning percentage of .729. They won ten Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference (KVAC) titles, four Eastern Maine championships and two state championships. For this storied career, McNally has a long list of accolades to her name. She was named the KVAC Coach of the Year five times and Maine Field Hockey Coach of the Year two times. McNally has been inducted into numerous halls before UMPI: New Agenda Northeast Women's Hall of Fame, the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honor, the Maine Field hockey Hall of Fame, and the Maine Principals Association Hall of Excellence. Because of her strong contributions to Field Hockey, the Maine All-Star Field Hockey Game was renamed in her honor to the "Moe McNally All-Star Game" McNally is a prime example of a proud UMPI alumna who has made the absolute most of her life after UMPI, certainly within athletics and also beyond.
Gary Spinney ('72)
Playing Career:
It is well known that Gary Spinney was an outstanding wrestler from 1968 -1972. He compiled a dominant 43--3 individual record for Aroostook State College and the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The University had a very successful program during that era despite only forming the team in 1968–Spinney's freshman season. In 1971-1972 Spinney was voted captain of his wrestling team and he was voted the 1972 UMPI Most Outstanding Wrestler. Also, it was what Spinney did after his competition days that he is best known for. Spinney got right to work after graduation and started the Wrestling Team Program at Camden-Rockport High School in 1973.
Teaching/Coaching Career:
Almost immediately after graduation, Spinney began a long and decorated career in teaching Physical Education in the Rockport Elementary and Camden-Rockport Elementary (Sad # 28 school System) for 42 years until his retirement in 2014.
Spinney has won countless awards such as the Maine Physical Education Teacher of the year in 1987, and the 2008 National Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator of the Year award. Spinney was awarded three Outstanding AHA Volunteer Awards. Spinney also received the AHA Lifetime Achievement Award for raising over $359,000 dollars throughout the course of 16 years for the American Heart Association. At the Camden-Rockport Middle School he successfully coached numerous girls' basketball and boys' soccer teams to championship seasons.
In 2014, Spinney coached the Camden Hills' Mountain Biking at Camden Hills Regional High School to their 16th straight state championship and was inducted into the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame in 2022; the honor is in recognition of Spinney's personal accomplishments as a very successful teacher and coach of high schoolers and youth in the Midcoast area.
Another great example for life after athletics, Spinney certainly made his mark as an educator and a coach for over 40 years. His time as a student and as an athlete at UMPI was certainly a building block for an outstanding professional career.
1977 Men's Soccer Team
The 1977 Men's Soccer team will become the third team inducted into the UMPI Hall of Fame. They join 1995 Women's Soccer ('21) and 1973-74 Men's Basketball ('23). With four players already in the hall of fame: (Art Cross, Tony Flye, Tom Conrad and Dan Cyr), and now Mark Carey joining them, this team is undoubtedly one of the most dominant teams in school history. The squad went 17-3 overall and won the Northeast College Conference Championship. Coach Frank McGrath led the squad to a record setting season in his 13th season as the coach.
The Owls were a very well-rounded team but their leading scorer was Steve King who netted 17 goals throughout the season. Goalkeeper Tom Conrad also set records for most saves in a season with 236, as well as shutouts with four. 2025 inductee Mark Carey helped anchor the stellar defense as well.
The Owls won 13 consecutive games at one point in the season. That streak was snapped by Thomas College, but the Owls turned around and beat the Terriers in their next match for an NECC championship.
1977 Roster and Statistics:
Name G A Pts
Steve King 17 4 38
Art Cross 12 1 25
Dennis Pratt 11 7 29
Dave Provenchor 10 3 23
Dan Cyr 7 5 19
Iraj Husseini 4 9 17
Tony Flye 4 6 17
Joel Lufkin 4 3 11
Dave Lufkin 2 0 4
Dick Gardiner 2 0 4
Abieyuma Igiehan 1 3 5
Bob McDonald 0 2 2
Tom Tardiff 0 1 1
Mark Carey 0 2 2
Dave Minzy 0 1 1
Charles Mandeville 0 1 1
Goalkeeper Games Saves Goals Shutouts GAA
Tom Conrad 17 240 21 4 1.23
Dave Minzy 3 20 4 0 1.3
