FARMINGTON, Maine - University of Maine at Farmington Director of Athletics Jamie Beaudoin is excited to announce the hiring of Jon Hayes as the Interim Head Coach for the women's lacrosse team. Hayes takes over the program after Tom Sheridan led the Beavers last season.
Hayes grew up in the Farmington area, graduating from Mt. Blue High School in 1992. Following his graduation from Mt. Blue, Hayes attended Bates College where he was a two sport athlete in both Football and Lacrosse. In 1994 he transferred to the University of Maine at Farmington and began an 18 year coaching career at the high school and college level in various sports and schools around the United States. Hayes graduated from UMF in 1997 with a degree in History. He earned a Master's Degree in Sport Administration from Central Michigan University in 2000.
Regarding his UMF experience he notes, "What a great place to start in the world of coaching. Learning under three individuals with facilities that honor their names in Bob Leib (soccer), Len McPhee (basketball), and the late Dick Meader (basketball). These three were master teachers, intense competitors, and patient mentors for a young, hungry coach to learn from."
In the world of Lacrosse, Hayes was an assistant coach at Mt. Blue High School in 1995 where he coached longtime UMF Lacrosse assistant coach Matt Reynolds '01. That same year upstart Mt. Blue won the State's Division 2 Championship. He also served as the assistant men's coach at Division 3 Hamilton College in upstate New York in 1998. In 2011, he was named the interim men's lacrosse coach for the new UMF men's program. The team went on to record their first ever NAC Conference win, set the mark for wins in a season, and make their first appearance in the NAC Tournament.
As the lead assistant at various junctures from 1996-2003 in the UMF Men's Basketball program, Hayes helped Dick Meader usher in the modern era of UMF Men's basketball. In particular, the 1999-2000 team finished the season with a 21-5 record and a rare NCAA regional ranking. In 2003, Hayes left UMF to join the staff at Division I University of Maine at Orono where the team finished with the last 20 win season in the program's history and one victory short of appearing in the NCAA field of 64. From 2004-2007, Hayes was the Head Basketball Coach at the University of New England. After building the program up at UNE (the team won 20+ games for several years after he left), Hayes moved to work as assistant at Division 3 power Whitworth University from 2007 until 2010. Each season at Whitworth saw the Pirates make the NCAA Tournament while advancing to the Sweet 16 twice. Moving back to Maine in 2010, Hayes was the Associate Head Coach of Men's Basketball at Thomas College and UMF over a period of three years.
"It is so exciting to be back coaching at UMF. This women's lacrosse team has really impressed me in the short time we have spent together. They are a close knit group with a much higher level of skill than I anticipated. That is a wonderful starting point," Hayes said.
