NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Several UMass Dartmouth sports teams will be adding some pink to their traditional blue and gold uniforms this month as part of “Play 4 the Cure”, a national public awareness and fundraising campaign for a variety of cancer-related causes.

The UMass Dartmouth field hockey team will be the first to wear special home pink home uniforms when the Corsairs host Framingham State College in a battle for first place in the Little East Conference on Saturday, Oct. 25. Game time at Cressy Field is set for 1 pm.

The Corsairs will be one of hundreds of youth, high school and college field hockey teams across the United States who will be “Playing Pink” and participating in “Play 4 the Cure” program. Collegiate field hockey teams participating in the program are raising funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Players from both teams will be using special pink equipment for the game and the traditional orange field hockey ball will be replaced for the day by a pink ball.

“This is a national program which has already had a tremendous impact on field hockey players and programs,” said UMass Dartmouth head coach Nicole Castonguay. “We couldn’t have gotten ourselves involved in a more important project during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’m very proud of our student-athletes who are playing a role in raising awareness for these important issues.”

Castonguay said she has attracted several sponsors for her team’s event including Harrow, Dita, Westport Chiropractor, Hint H20, Titleist Golf, Wentworth Hills Golf and Country Club, Sheila’s Kitchen, Martel Studios, Grogan Marciano Sporting Goods and Under Armour. A special raffle with prizes will be held and other donated items will be for sale at the Corsairs’ game with all proceeds from the event going to Susan G. Komen Foundation.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, both the UMass Dartmouth women’s soccer and men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will also be wearing pink. Coach Carla DeSantis’s women’s soccer team will don home pink uniforms for their final home game of the season when Western Connecticut comes to UMass Dartmouth. Game time is set for 1 pm. Coach Cathy Motta’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will add pink swim caps to their competition swimuits when the Corsairs open their 2009-10 season with a meet at the Tripp Center against Babson at 11 a.m.

When Coach Steve DeRossi’s Corsairs take the volleyball court for their Little East Conference matches with Eastern Connecticut and Southern Maine on Oct. 31 at the Tripp Center, his team will also participate in the Play 4 the Cure campaign. The Corsairs will be wearing special pink warm up t-shirts prior to their two matches that day. UMass Dartmouth will face Eastern Connecticut at 12 p.m. and Southern Maine at 4 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Tripp Athletic Center.

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