Merrimack Dedicates Martone-Mejail Field Saturday
NORTH ANDOVER, MA- As part of a special dedication ceremony, Merrimack College renamed its turf field Martone-Mejail Field, in honor of longtime soccer coaches Gabe Mejail and Tony Martone Saturday morning in front of 500 family, friends and alumni.
"It has been a pleasure coaching here for 30 years and I always remember the experiences aside from the wins and losses," said Tony Martone. "Today is a special moment that will be with me for the rest of my life."
"This is very humbling and emotional to see my name on the field but it feels good. Today is great because we have so many alumni and friends here to share this moment," said Gabe Mejail.
Senior captains Jessica Peacock (Hopedale, MA) and Robbie Sabadoz (Ottawa, ON) unveiled the new name emblazoned on the scoreboard as part of the special ceremony.
Saturday's dedication ceremony kicks off a fundraising campaign to upgrade the grandstand and press box at Martone-Mejail Field.
Martone is in his 30th season as the head coach of the Merrimack men's soccer team and is one of the winningest coaches in Division II with 286 career victories. He has guided the program to three Northeast-10 Conference regular season titles as well as three Northeast-10 Tournament crowns. When the Warriors participated in the ECAC Tournament, his squads were selected for postseason play a record six-straight times. In 1997, Martone led Merrimack to the ECAC Tournament Championship.
Under Martone's tutelage, two players have earned All-America honors, Steve McAuliffe and Sabadoz. McAuliffe and Matt Johnson are also the only two student-athletes in Merrimack history to be named the 'ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year'. Martone has earned numerous coaching honors during his tenure. He is a four-time Northeast-10 'Coach of the Year' and has been tabbed the NEISL Coach of the Year and EMSCA College Coach of the Year twice
Recognized as one of the most successful coaches in women's soccer history, Mejail is in his 28th season at Merrimack. The all-time winningest coach in Division II history, he has compiled a career record of 420-171-44 which also ranks him fifth among coaches in all divisions. Mejail recorded his 400th career victory on September 10, 2010 as the Warriors downed Adelphi 2-1 at home.
Under his leadership, Merrimack has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 11 seasons. The Warriors have also reached the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs and posted a winning-record every season since the conference was formed 26 years ago. Mejail has led Merrimack to six Northeast-10 Tournament titles, eight regular season crowns and nine appearances in the ECAC Tournament. He also guided the Warriors to the Elite Eight at the 1996 NCAA Tournament. He was named the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year on eight occasions, most recently in 2008. In addition, Mejail was selected as the NSCAA Regional and NEWISA Coach of the Year six times, including back-to-back years in 2002 and 2003. He earned the distinction as the National Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1996.
The ceremony opened with blessings from Father Bill Waters, O.S.A. and Father Jim Wenzel, O.S.A.
