Anne Marie Mucera, a native of Lynnfield and current resident of Wakefield, has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for her achievements in the sport of field hockey.
A Class of 1991 graduate, Mucera led a group of field hockey players who established Northeastern as a national power, a reputation that has continued for over a decade. Starting with Northeastern's first appearance in NCAA postseason competition in 1988, the Huskies have participated in the tournament in 11 of the past 12 seasons.
Both NU and Mucera had fine reputations in the sport of field hockey when she arrived on campus in 1986. Since 1980 the Huskies had suffered only one losing season, however, their postseason action had been limited to ECAC competition, not national play. Mucera entered NU coming off a brilliant career at Lynnfield High School, where she earned a slew of honors including Cape Ann League All-Star, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and the school's Athlete of the Year Award.
In 1986, the Huskies finished 9-8-1 with Mucera scoring five goals in her rookie season. The team's mark improved to 13-6-1 in her sophomore year as she tallied another five goals and received second team All-America distinction.
It was in 1988 when everything came together. The Huskies opened the year with five victories in their first seven games and closed the regular season winning nine of 10 for a record of 13-3-2. The celebration of NU's first-ever selection to NCAA postseason play was tempered by the announcement of the Huskies' first round opponent, Connecticut. UConn had defeated NU 1-0 in the final game of the regular season. But in the NCAA's it was the Huntington Huskies who prevailed, 2-1, and then advanced to the Final Four by eliminating UMass in round two by the same score. The Cinderella season ended with a 2-0 loss to Iowa ,but the Huskies won the consolation game to finish third in the country. The name Northeastern was finally etched on the national field hockey map. Mucera, who upped her goal production to 16, made the All-America first team.
As a senior captain, Mucera went on a scoring binge to lead NU to a 15-6-2 record and another NCAA appearance. She set records for goals in a game (five), season (22) and career (47). Mucera was named All New England for the third time and was a first team All-American for the second straight season. Northeastern honored her as its Female Athlete of the Year.
