Thomas College junior and Cony High School graduate Julia Reny is having a record-breaking season, with 28 goals scored, which leads the North Atlantic Conference. Mark Bouvier/Courtesy of Thomas College Athletics
All it took for Julia Reny to become the North Atlantic Conference scoring leader was a simple position change.
Reny, a junior on the Thomas College field hockey team, is breaking some scoring records this fall. With two games remaining in the regular season, Reny has 28 goals and 62 points, both of which lead the North Atlantic Conference. The Cony High School graduate has been dominant — the second-leading scorer in the NAC is Teagan Blackie, of Husson University in Bangor, who has 11 goals and 23 points.
Reny broke the program record for goals and points in the same game, a four-goal performance during a 4-1 victory over Plymouth State University on Oct. 10.
Reny is second in Division III with a 1.75 goals per game average. Emily Harris, of Vermont State University-Castleton, is the national leader with 3.08 goals per game.
Traditionally a midfielder throughout her career, Reny moved to forward this season.
“She’s been incredible this year,” Thomas head coach Andrea Thebarge said. “She’s a fantastic athlete. She’s a junior, so she’s been great for the past two years. But she’s just in a different role this year. The past couple years, she’s been mostly a midfielder for us. Just from the first-year players we were able to bring in this year, we were able to move some things around, and we decided to make her into a forward and she’s just been incredible.
“She’s fast, she’s skilled. She’s fun to watch,” Thebarge continued. “She has so much talent, but it’s her speed (that stands out). She’s hard to keep up with, and she’s just dangerous.”
Reny — also a standout javelin thrower on the Thomas track and field team — was quick to credit her team with her success.
“I’m playing center-forward, and normally your forwards are the ones scoring goals,” Reny said. “But just our team, in general, we’re just a solid group. The freshmen are very experienced. Even the returners, you can see the growth from last year. I think, as a team, we’re way calmer than we have been. We’ve definitely been through some growing pains, but we’re pretty well-rounded. You can see it on the field, it creates a lot of (scoring) opportunities for everyone.”
Reny also leads the NAC with 149 shots; Blackie is second with 48.
“It was definitely an adjustment,” Reny said. “I’m an offensive (midfielder), but I’m defensive-minded, too. Being a forward is different, but I do like it a lot. The mids and backs do a really good job of feeding me the ball and trusting me with the ball and that’s where a lot of the opportunities come from.”
“She’s been able to do things (on the field) that we haven’t been able to do in the past,” Thebarge added. “That’s a lot of fun.”
The output has been a huge help for the Terriers (9-7), who trail just Husson in the NAC standings.
Thomas College junior Julia Reny, right, has 28 goals this season, a new program record. Mark Bouvier/Courtesy of Thomas College Athletics
Reny is one of an abundance of players who’ve had great seasons for Thomas. Herrick, a junior forward and a Dexter Regional High School alum, is third in the NAC with nine goals. And first-year defender Sam Thebarge, a Skowhegan Area High School graduate and Andrea’s daughter, leads the conference with five defensive saves. Freshman Kara Richards, a Belfast Area High School graduate, has also been a strong presence in the midfield for the Terriers.
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Thomas field hockey coach Thebarge notched her 100th career victory when the Terriers beat New England College 8-2 on Sept. 30 in Henniker, New Hampshire.
“I think it’s crazy, time flies when you’re having fun,” said Thebarge, a former Skowhegan Area High School standout who was a four-year starter for Division I Northeastern University.
Now at 105 wins, Thebarge, who is in her 16th season with Thomas, is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in program history. Thebarge became the Thomas coach in 2008 after spending time as an assistant and then interim head coach at the University of Maine (2002-06).
“It’s been a battle,” Thebarge said. “When I took over the program in 2008, it was very different. My teams here at the beginning, we only won a couple games the first three or four years. We were not very good. In 2005, (Thomas) had to cancel the season because they didn’t have enough players. It took a couple of years for me to really start recruiting… It took some time to really sell Thomas to prospective students.
“I love Thomas, I’ve been here for so long,” Thebarge continued. “I feel like this is where I live. We’re a big family.”
Selling Thomas is no longer an issue, either. Several improvements to the program have come since that time, including the installation of Bernatchez Field in 2012, and the opening of the Sukeforth Family Sports Center, which opened last year.
Thebarge said she’s also been lucky to be able to find talented players from central Maine.
“Central Maine is a hotbed for field hockey, so we don’t have to go very far to find some great talent,” Thebarge said.
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The Thomas College and University of Maine at Farmington men’s soccer teams are battling near the top of the NAC standings. The two could end up meeting in the conference playoffs.
UMF (7-6-2, 5-2 NAC) is second in the NAC, while Thomas (7-5-5, 4-2 NAC) is third. Husson (9-3-3, 4-0 NAC) is the top team in the conference.
The Terriers have won three straight matches. Junior forward Joshua Joseph leads the Terriers with 13 goals and four assists this season.
Mohamad Adow leads the Beavers with 22 points this season, including 10 goals and two assists.
Both Thomas and UMF wrap up the regular season on Saturday. The NAC tournament begins Oct. 28.
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The Colby College football team will look to win its fourth consecutive game, when it hosts Hamilton College (0-5) at Alfond Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
After starting the season 0-2, the Mules (3-2) won three straight, including a 30-24 win over rival Bates on Sept. 30, and a 20-13 overtime win over Wesleyan on Oct. 7. The Mules are fifth in the New England Small College Athletic Conference standings.
Junior wide receiver Matt McHugh (21 receptions, 300 yards) leads the offense, while junior linebacker Julian Young (50 tackles) leads the defense.
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