This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.
We already know UNH is the best college, but here are 10 things that make it even better!
1. Nelly
Who doesn’t love a throwback? Nelly made his grand appearance for the Spring 2014 concert with opener Mike Stud!
2. UNH Football #1
The football team (12-1) is ranked #1 in its conference and after Friday’s big W against Chattanooga, they’re headed to the semifinals and will play either Friday night or Saturday afternoon at the Dungeon (aka Cowell Stadium)! This is the 11th consecutive year the Wildcats have continued into the postseason, the longest streak in the country!
3. Coach McDonnell is New England Coach of the Year, CCA Coach of the Year AND FCS National Coach of the Year
Is there anything this man can’t do?! You can’t have a top ranking team without an incredible coach like McDonnell. This is the fifth time McDonnell is recieving the New England Football Writers ‘New England Coach of the Year’ award, second time being honored as the CCA Coach of the Year and is the third two-time recipient of the Eddie Robinson FCS National Coach of the Year award. McDonnell has a total of 14 various Coach of the Year awards!
We couldn’t be more proud of our football team and Coach McDonnell!
4. Jennifer Lee is 2014 Commencement speaker
Writer and co-director of the Disney animated movie Frozen, Lee came to speak to the graduating class of 2014. What makes her even more amazing is that she is a fellow Wildcat herself, graduating in 1992!
5. Alex Preston on American Idol
UNH is anything but short of talent. Alex Preston, made it all the way to the Top 3 finalists and was able to perform for the school when he had his hometown visit for the competition!
6. Cinco de Mayo
Everyone’s favorite UNH holiday, the 5th of May, never dissapoints. Even though it fell on the last day of classes this year, that didn’t stop people from celebrating!
7. Ryan Pitts recieves Medal of Honor
After a 2008 attack from the Taliban in Afghanistan left nine dead and 27 injured including himself, Pitts came to UNH – Manchester and earned his business degree. This year Pitts recieved the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions that day, making him the 9th living recipient of the Medal of Honor.
8. Yitang Zhang awarded MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award
UNH math professor, Yitang Zhang, has discovered something that has been puzzling mathematicians since ancient times! Not many can say that for themselves! Zhang found that there is a finite bound on the gaps between prime numbers. What makes us love him more is that he has recieved numerous offers from other universities in the U.S. and China to teach with them, but he wants to stay with UNH because he loves New Hampshire! Can’t say we blame him!
9. Not Too Sharp performs for the Today Show
This all male UNH a cappella group is performing two songs for the Today Show! You can watch them Christmas morning – the 25th – at 10 and 10:30 am.
10. Homecoming
UNH instituted new rules for Homecoming, specifically tailgating, that left most unhappy and worried about traditions. The new changes didn’t end up being as big of a deal as everyone thought they would be and the Wildcats won their game! It was a great Homecoming and everyone had a lot of fun, as always!
BONUS: Brody Jenner does UNH
While taking a trip the Granite State to visit his girfriend and former Wildcat, Kaitlynn Carter’s family, Brody stopped by UNH and Scorps. Social media went rampant with paparazzi shots of the reality star enjoying a few beers from the lucky ones who made it into the bar.
2014 at UNH was filled with amazing moments and we can’t wait to see what 2015 brings for us! Have a great break Wildcats and we will see you in the new year!