Dino Mattessich, who has been an associate athletic director at the University of Maine for the last five and a half years, has accepted a similar position at the University of Connecticut. He will start his new job Monday.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said the 48-year-old Mattessich. “They created the position and called me in January to see if I was interested. There was no search committee or interview process. I feel very fortunate and grateful. I’m flattered by the whole thing.

“It’s the Big East, it gives me the chance to be involved in [Division] I-A football and the transition to Big East football along with the new stadium project and all kinds of things that I’m really excited about getting involved with,” added Mattessich.

Mattessich said in his discussions with UConn athletic director Lew Perkins, he was told “They liked some of the things we’ve done at Maine and they’re looking to implement similar systems down there.”

UConn completed its first season in I-A football last fall and Mattessich said they are looking to join the Big East “in 2005 if not before.”

Their $95 million football stadium will open in August, 2002, according to Mattessich.

He has a yearly contract and, although he wouldn’t divulge the terms of his contract, he said the financial package “is staggering. It’s more than most I-AA athletic directors make.”

That would put his salary in excess of $100,000.

Mattessich, a Freeport, Long Island, native and 1974 University of Maryland graduate, said he will miss the University of Maine.

“It was a wonderful time for us. I had a great opportunity to work with some very good people and the people at the university and in the community have been great to me and my family. It was a wonderful experience and it gave us memories we will treasure a long, long time,” said Mattessich.

Mattessich and his wife, Kathy, have three children: Julie, Brian and Kim.

UM cheerleaders in third place

The University of Maine cheerleading squad performed a solid routine Thursday and advanced to Friday’s finals at the National Cheerleaders Association championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“We didn’t have the best of days, but we did a good job and hit a strong routine,” said UMaine coach Lisa Ackley, whose Black Bears finished third Thursday. “We had a couple of bobbles, but those are things we can fix tomorrow.”

The Bears, who are competing in the small coed division for squads with five or less men, amassed a score of 7.42. They trail the University of Houston’s 8.84 and Northern Illinois’ 8.01. McKendree (Ill.) scored 7.24 and claimed the final spot in the finals.

Ackley said a score is compiled by averaging the scores of five judges, each of whom is watching a specific area of the routine. A perfect score is a 10.

Ten schools competed in the division, and the Black Bears performed eighth of the 10 squads.

Ackley’s team will perform the same routine in this morning’s finals, with one change: Squads don’t have to perform a 45-second crowd participation portion.

Ackley said no matter what happens Friday, the Bears have had a great season.

“Our original goal was to get here, which we did. Our next goal was to get to finals,” Ackley said. “So for tomorrow, in our minds, anything that we place is good.”