Three to be inducted
into Owl Hall of Fame
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle Owls’ Athletic Hall of Fame will induct three new members on Saturday, Sept. 18 in a ceremony during Homecoming Weekend. The reception is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., with dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremonies.
The event will take place at the UMPI Campus Center, and all are welcome to attend. This year’s inductees include Peter J. Belskis (Class of 1974); Michelle (Davis) Morse (1996); and Matthew A. Townsend (Class of 2000).
Peter J. Belskis is recognized as an inductee into the University of Maine at Presque Isle Hall of Fame for his achievements as an Owl athlete and long-time soccer coach for Ashland Community High School.
Having grown up in Rumford, Belskis was a three-sport high school athlete, with a love for the game of baseball. During his time as an Owl, Belskis was a member of the varsity baseball team as a utility player, seeing time on the mound, behind the plate and in the outfield. Throughout his years at UMPI, Belskis was also a proud member of the Omega Sigma Beta fraternity from 1971-1974.
Following graduation, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Health, Physical Education & Recreation, Belskis began his teaching profession at MSAD 32 and has been a physical education and health teacher at Ashland Community High School for the past 36 years. Immediately upon being hired, he was asked to take over the high school boys varsity soccer program and this began his life-long passion for coaching.
Throughout his 31 years as a head soccer coach, 26 with the boys and currently in his fifth season with the girls, Belskis has accumulated more than 300 wins. Having athletics as a childhood passion, Belskis was always motivated to achieve excellence either in winning a coveted state championship or in helping his teams reach their very best potential. Hard work, high expectations, commitment, love for the game, teamwork and belief in oneself are all a part of the “hold nothing back” philosophy that has made him successful in his life’s vocation.
His varsity boys teams earned a total of five Eastern Maine soccer championships throughout his realm as head coach, highlighted by a state title in 1997. To win a state championship was a dream finally realized by Belskis, and to have his son as a member of the winning team was extra special. Following the championship season, he received the “Coach of the Year” award from the Maine Soccer Coaches Association.
Within the five years of coaching the Lady Hornets, Peter’s teams were crowned Eastern Maine champions in 2007 and the squad was Eastern Maine runners-up in both 2008 and 2009.
Besides giving back to his community as an educator and coach, Belskis and his family have spent 33 consecutive summers at Camp Kawanhee, a camp for boys located in Weld, which holds a mission of character, integrity and education – one similar to his own.
Belskis has been the president of the Ashland Area Teachers Association since 2000. In addition, he has been a member of the Northern Maine Board of Approved Soccer Officials for 36 years and a member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Board 150 for more than 30 years.
More recently, Peter was honored with the “Service Award” from the Maine Soccer Coaches Association in 2002 for his on-going dedication to the sport of soccer.
He resides in Ashland with his wife of 37 years, Nanette. They are the parents of three children – Diana, Darren and Angela. Belskis will be retire from teaching in April, but plans to continue doing what he loves – coaching.
Michelle (Davis) Morse was an outstanding three-sport athlete during her years at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, excelling in soccer, basketball and softball.
As a four-year member of the Owls basketball team, Morse consistently led her squad in scoring, assists and steals. As a senior, she was twice named Maine Athletic Conference player of the week en route to being named to the MAC All-Conference second team and the MAIAW All-State second team following the 1994-95 season. She was also selected to the MAC All-Conference team following her junior season.
Her dominance on the court earned her a spot on various all-tournament teams throughout her years of play. She was named to UMPI’s Star City Shootout tourney team, as well as the Fleet Bank MAC All-Tournament team and the Elms College All-Tournament team. To top off her basketball career, Michelle was chosen as her team’s most valuable player as both a junior and senior.
Morse’s athletic prowess didn’t end on the basketball court, She was also a three-year standout goalkeeper for the Owls. As a sophomore, Morse was named to the NAIA Northeast Region All-Star Team and followed that up with a junior year selection to the MAC All-Conference Team. Amongst her accolades, Morse at one point was ranked third in the nation among the NAIA in goals against average.
In the spring, Morse played shortstop for the Owls softball team where she was named most valuable player her junior year.
Her achievements as a student-athlete were further recognized when she earned the 1993-94 Outstanding Female Athlete award.
A big part of Morse’s life at UMPI was her relationship with the late Al Arman, assistant women’s basketball coach and softball coach. She said coach Arman made a positive difference in her life as a student-athlete.
Following graduation from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a degree in Physical Education, Morse entered into her profession of teaching. She also continued to pursue her love of athletics, successfully coaching at the junior high level for 11 years. While teaching at the Trenton and Lemoine elementary schools, she captured a total of 15 middle school championships – one in softball, five in soccer and nine with both the girls and boys basketball teams.
In 2003, she began participating in logging sports and made it to the national ranks in 2006, competing at the World Open Lumberjill Championships. Over the past three years, she has earned first and second-place finishes in the Underhand Chop, the Standing Block Chop and the Axe Throw. In 2007, she finished third overall at the World Open. Morse travelled to Adelaide, Australia in 2009 to represent the United States as a member of the Women’s Wood Chopping and Sawing Team. She also recently competed in the 2010 World Open where she placed third in the Standing Block.
Morse is in her 13th year of being an educator. She is currently employed by MSAD 37 at Narraguagus High School, where she serves as a health and physical education teacher as well as the school’s athletic director and head girls varsity soccer coach.
Morse and her husband of eight years, Joshua, reside in Eastbrook with their two black labs, Gracie and Bell.
Matthew A. Townsend was an exceptional two-sport athlete during his time at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, excelling on the basketball court and golf course.
Townsend is a Blaine native who played for state championship basketball teams at Central Aroostook High School. He went on to become a dynamic college player who made significant contributions as a four-year point guard for the Owls basketball team, serving as team captain during his junior and senior seasons. A natural leader on the court, Matt had tremendous fundamentals as a player. He was an outstanding shooter and passer and always played the game with passion.
He is the eighth all-time leading scorer at UMPI, totaling 1,167 career points from 1996-2000. Townsend finished with a career average of 12.1 points per game, 10th most in UMPI history. Townsend also led his UMPI team in scoring during his junior season, averaging 15.1 points per game. Over the 96 games played throughout his four-year career at UMPI, Townsend led his team in assists for three of those years and earned a total of 389 career assists – the fifth most in UMPI history.
As a sophomore, he led the MAC Conference in assists and ranked 19th nationally among the NAIA with 5.67 per game. He was also the team leader in three-point field goal percentage during his sophomore and junior seasons, ranking sixth best in UMPI history with a 36 percent career three-point field goal percentage. Having led his team for two seasons from the charity stripe, Matt is ninth among Owl players in free-throw percentage with a four-year average of 76 percent.
Townsend’s work ethic and dedication to the sport that he loved set an example for his teammates. He was the epitome of a student-athlete and always placed team success above personal achievement. Receiving the coach’s award his senior and final season was the representation of Townsend’s contributions to both the Owls basketball team and the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Furthermore, Townsend served as the leader of the golf team for four years at UMPI, directly resulting in an increase in the participation of athletes and success of the team. He played the No. 1 position for the Owls, matching up against the opponent’s top player.
Following graduation in 2000, and having earned a degree in business, Townsend pursued a career in teaching as an educational technician at Scarborough High School, where he is currently employed as a special educator.
Townsend also continues to exhibit leadership and dedication on the hardwood as a coach. He began his coaching career at USM as a two-year assistant men’s basketball coach, then moved to the high school ranks as the varsity boys coach at Scarborough High School from 2003-2008. This past season, he served as the assistant varsity boys basketball coach at Thornton Academy in Saco and was also the head coach of an AAU boys basketball team.
In 2003, he was named Maine Sunday Telegram boys basketball coach of the year for the state.
Townsend continues to give back to the community through working at various boys basketball summer camps throughout the state and he also volunteers at the local Saco and Scarborough recreation departments.
He and his wife of five years, Kelly, reside in Saco and have two children, four-year-old Charlotte and two-year-old Benjamin.
The induction ceremony and dinner is open to the public. Reservations are being accepted through the university’s Department of Athletics at 768-9506 or by emailing an RVSP to Connie Levesque at connie.levesque@umpi.edu. The cost is $15 per person. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
