Former Oakmont star Maddie Moran persevered through injuries to shine for University of Vermont
In 2021, Maddie Moran was the recipient of the University of Vermont’s Sterling Winder Award, given to the student-athlete who embodies the qualities of strength, perseverance and resiliency in the face of hardship.
Due to injuries, Moran’s collegiate journey has certainly been arduous and frustrating, but also inspiring and enlightening.
Five years in to her Division 1 field hockey career, Moran finally played her first full season for the Catamounts in 2022.
Moran, the former Oakmont Regional star from Gardner who was a two-time T&G Hometeam Player of the Year, tore her ACL playing lacrosse her senior year of high school. That injury and additional rehab wiped out her first two seasons at UVM.
Three different left hand injuries, including a shattered knuckle and fractured pointer finger, required more surgery and limited Moran to 14 games over the next two seasons.
“At first,” Moran said during a recent phone interview, “my freshman and sophomore year I had a hard time with not being able to play. It was definitely and adjustment to be on the sideline and not playing. My mindset shifted my junior and senior years because I had a taste of playing, and I knew I would get back on the field. The hand injuries weren’t as serious as my knee.”
Last year, Moran, a forward, started all 18 games and finished the year with career highs in goals (7), assists (4) and points (18).
This fall, as a sixth-year student pursuing a graduate certificate in sustainable enterprises through UVM’s business school, Moran has started all nine games and has a goal and four assists while helping the Catamounts, who have faced three top-10 opponents, to a 4-5 record.
“(Playing every game last year) was nice,” Moran said. “It also drove me to take advantage of the sixth year and give field hockey one more shot.”
At Oakmont, Moran was a three-time T&G Super Team selection. As a senior, she scored 26 goals and added 17 assists to lead the Spartans to a second consecutive Division 2 state final appearance.
Moran has kept close tabs on her high school team and texts Oakmont coach Leanne Roy regularly. Moran earned her undergraduate degree in public communication and she hopes to work in pharmaceutical or medical device sales. She would also like to coach.
During her injuries, she helped with UVM’s forwards.
“Not coaching them,” Moran said, “but giving my input and having a different role. The staff here really gave me some good tools to get through those situations.”
Moran became a role model to her younger teammates.
“I definitely think I played a big part in showing them that not everything is going to go as planned when you come into college and decide to play a sport,” Moran said. “I think my experience has showed that not everything is the end of the world, and when hard times like not playing or not seeing the minutes they expected or other things come up, you just have to work through them.”
Worcester's Biney among WPI Hall of Fame honorees
While Worcester’s Ama Biney was starring in basketball and softball at WPI, she would attend the Homecoming football game every year and watch with wonder and admiration when the university traditionally introduced its Athletic Hall of Fame class at halftime.
“When you’re playing team sports, you try not to have too many individual goals for yourself,” Biney said, “but (the hall of fame) was something I was kind of pushing myself for. Seeing all the people go in, I always thought to myself, ‘That’s really cool.’”
In addition to standing out in sports, Biney was a leader in the classroom, on campus and in the community during her four outstanding years at WPI. On Friday, she will enter the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame, and at halftime of Saturday’s football game against Springfield, she will stand on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium with the five other members of this year’s hall of fame class.
Julie Eagle Malacek (track and field), Sam Longwell (basketball), Jeffrey Meyer (swimming and diving), Alexander S. Venditti (baseball), and Nina Murphy-Cook (softball) are also inductees.
Classmates Murphy-Cook and Biney were a terrific top-of-the-order tandem that led the Engineers to a pair of NCAA regional titles.
“It’s really cool,” Biney, a 2018 WPI graduate, said, “it’s surreal. It makes the four years of hard work all worth it, especially going in with Nina, who was incredible at what she did. It speaks volumes to the vision (former WPI softball coach) Whitney (Goldstein) had at the time, two people from her first recruiting class going in (to the hall of fame) the first year they are eligible is a really cool thing.”
Goldstein, who is now the coach at the University of Rhode Island, and WPI women’s basketball coach Cherise Galasso called Biney a couple months ago to tell her about the honor.
Biney led WPI to a NEWMAC basketball championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016. She earned conference player of the year honors in both sports.
When Biney received a prestigious NCAA Today’s Top 10 award as one of the top graduating student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions in 2017-18, Goldstein and Galasso presented Biney with the award.
Biney was one of the best female student-athletes in Holy Name High history and she chose WPI because of its engineering program, and because she would have the opportunity to continue playing two sports.
After graduating from WPI, Biney began her career in Florida and later worked in Connecticut. She is back in Central Mass. now, living in Shrewsbury, working at National Grid, and attending sporting events at WPI whenever she can.
“Basketball, football, softball,” Biney said, “whatever there is. I’m there all the time since I moved back.”
Local legends up for NCAA award
Earlier this week, NCAA Division 2 announced nominations for the 50th Anniversary Gold Award, an honor that will recognize two individuals who have made a positive impact in Division 2. The award is part of the Division’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration that launched last month.
Among the notable nominees with Central Mass. connections are legendary Assumption men’s basketball coach and director of athletics Andy Laska, trailblazing Assumption director of athletics and multisport Greyhounds coach Rita Castagna, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and illustrious Bentley women’s basketball coach Barbara Stevens, who grew up in Southbridge, and Bentley Hall of Fame wide receiver Dallas Mall, an Algonquin Regional graduate.
The 231 nominees include current and former student-athletes, coaches, faculty members and administrators from active member schools and conferences who have helped shape Division 2.
Conference offices will select winners in early November.
Head of the Class
Assumption freshman field hockey midfielder Marta Brzoska of Auburn recorded three goals in two games, and had her first multi-point performance with a pair of goals at Southern Connecticut.
University of New England sophomore Shelly Tremblay of Barre anchored a defense that did not allow a shot or penalty corner in a 5-0 field hockey win over Nichols. Tremblay scored UNE’s goal in a 2-1 loss at Johnson & Wales.
Bowdoin freshman Maddie Mrva of Shrewsbury had a goal and an assist to lift the Polar Bears field hockey team to a key, 2-1 NESCAC win at Williams.
WPI senior goalkeeper Ryan Martin of Douglas made five saves to lead the Engineers to a 1-0 win over NEWMAC Emerson. It was Martin’s fourth career shutout.
Holy Cross junior goalkeeper Tristan Stephani posted shutouts in wins over UMass (1-0) and Army (2-0). Junior defender Jad Smaira marked the Minutemen’s leading scorer and freshman defender Brock Frasier helped key the backline in both victories.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Gardner's Moran persevered through injuries to shine for University of Vermont
