Mirrione family makes gift in support of Wheaton women's soccer facility

September 10, 2002

NORTON, MA- Wheaton parents Charles "Nick" Mirrione and his wife Marianne Mirrione have made a major commitment to renovate and update Elms Field, the college's women's soccer facility. The gift honors their daughter Christina's achievements and is intended to help Wheaton's women's soccer program remain preeminent in the conference and region.

"Our donation will help further Christina's legacy at Wheaton," said Nick Mirrione. "We want to aid in the continued growth of the women's soccer program, a program our daughter contributed significantly to in its infancy. Coach Reis was instrumental in Christina's growth while at Wheaton and I believe his contributions to both the soccer program and the college have been invaluable."

A four-year member of the women's soccer team from 1995-98, Christina Mirrione (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) '99 remains Wheaton's all-time leading scorer. In 80 games, she posted a program-high 55 goals and 31 assists for 141 points. Leading the conference in scoring for two seasons, Mirrione was voted New England Women's 8 (NEW-8) Player of the Year in 1997 and Rookie of the Year in 1995.

Mirrione was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) All-New England teams and NEW-8 and New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference squads all four years of her Wheaton career.

Six-year head coach Luis Reis said of her Wheaton years, "Christina is the best all-around player I have coached at Wheaton, she was a wonderful captain and one of the most respectful players I have had the privilege to coach. She established the foundation of our recent success."

Wheaton's women's team has indeed enjoyed recent success. They completed last year's regular season with an undefeated mark of 20-0-0 and a NSCAA ranking of third in the country. Elms Field will be renovated into an up-to-date soccer stadium and renamed Mirrione Field. Construction will take place in a two-phase process over the next 14 months, with a dedication ceremony planned for Homecoming Weekend 2003.

Phase one, due for completion in the fall of 2002, includes fencing around the game field and covered seating for teams. Phase two includes permanent seating for up to 450 people, a scoring table, concession stand, ticket booth and a two-story multipurpose center for on-field athletic training, storage and visiting press.

President Dale Marshall said, "All of us at Wheaton who have basked in the glory of the college's successful athletic teams are grateful to Nick and Marianne Mirrione for this generous investment in Wheaton athletics. I look forward to the dedication in 2003 when we can publicly thank the Mirrione family for their generosity."

Wheaton is a selective national liberal arts college with 1,500 students drawn from 43 states and 35 countries. The college combines a traditional curriculum in the arts and sciences with an innovative emphasis on real-world experience - internships, jobs and volunteer service - to help students make the connection between theory and practice. Its students gain admission to the nation's most prestigious graduate programs and regularly win competitive academic awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholarships.

For more information about women's soccer and other athletic programs at Wheaton, contact Sports Information Director, Scott Dietz at sdietz@wheatonma.edu or 508-286-3768.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/31/07.
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