Four UMass teams win

Four University of Massachusetts at Lowell teams - golf, women's cross country, women's volleyball, and field hockey - were named recipients of the Northeast-10 Conference 2007 Fall Sportsmanship Awards. The awards are presented to teams that best exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship and display a higher degree of integrity, character, and class and are selected by a vote of each of the head coaches, team captains, and Student Athlete Advisory Committee representatives.

"We're very proud of our student-athletes," said UMass athletic director Dana Skinner. "Five of our fall teams qualified for NCAA tournaments, they achieved their highest overall GPA in 10 years, and they impact more than 10,000 young people annually through their outreach efforts. These awards are a recognition that they also compete with dignity and class."

The fall 2007 season was one of the most successful in school history. Five of six teams played in NCAA tournaments, led by the field hockey team, which advanced to the NCAA Division 2 title game before losing to perennial power Bloomsburg. The women's cross-country team placed second at both the Northeast-10 and NCAA Northeast Region Championships. At the NCAA Championships, the River Hawks placed 21st overall, tops among Northeast Region teams.

The golf team enjoyed its best fall season since its return to varsity status four years ago, winning the Southern New Hampshire University Invitational and placing seventh at the NE-10 Championships. The volleyball team posted a 12-20 overall record, but placed sixth in the NE-10 regular season with a 7-7 clip.

Jon Pierce (below) of Belmont is the latest New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Week after going on an offensive binge that helped Tufts win three straight games. In an 81-67 win over 16th-ranked Keene State, Pierce scored 25 points, had 11 rebounds, blocked six shots, and added three assists. He followed that performance with 36 points in an 88-71 win over Babson, and then threw in 25 in a 98-88 win over Clark. The 36 points against Babson were the most scored by a Tufts player since Dan Ragsale had 37, also against Babson, in 1997. In the Babson and Clark games, Pierce connected on 26 of 35 shots, including nine of 17 from the 3-point arc. In the three games, he averaged 28.7 points and eight rebounds. Pierce, a transfer from Drew University, was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year last season, averaging 16.5 points per game.

A few changes are in store for high school basketball this season. Instead of playing two 16-minute halves, games will revert back to the old rule of four eight-minute quarters. Also, mouth guards, while not mandatory, are being "strongly recommended" by the MIAA. . . . Welcome to new girls' coaches Chrissy Tompkins-Gonynor at Austin Prep, Joe Scunziano at Ayer, Michaela Leary at Bishop Guertin, Lisa Golobski at Dracut, Brian Martin at Greater Lowell, and Meredith Perry at Littleton. . . . Great start for North Andover freshman wrestler Frank McCarthy. In his first varsity competition at 119 pounds, he pinned his Hamilton-Wenham opponent in just 31 seconds in the Knights' 53-19 win.

Greater Lawrence running back Nate Adames, who scored 37 touchdowns, was the Commonwealth Athletic Conference MVP, and Reggies coach Tony Sarkis was honored as Coach of the Year.

Phillips Academy senior Michelle Holibeke of North Reading will attend Colgate on a softball scholarship. Holibeke was 13-0 with a 0.64 earned-run average last spring and struck out 118 in 76 innings. She also batted .405 with a school-record seven home runs. . . . Andover sharpshooter Meghan Thomann will play her college basketball at Bentley. The 5-foot-8-inch guard, who has nailed 167 3-pointers the past three seasons, earned a full four-year scholarship. . . . It's Pinkerton vs. Lawrence, Greater Lawrence vs. Methuen, North Andover vs. Central Catholic, and Andover vs. Salem (N.H) in the first round of the Greater Lawrence Boys' Christmas Tournament Saturday at North Andover. Games are at 2:30, 4:15, 6, and 7:45 p.m. The tournament continues Dec. 27 and 29. . . . The Merrimack Valley Conference handed out its football hardware, and the winners included Tim Rich and Chris Smart of Chelmsford, co-MVPs; Mike Pierce of Andover, Offensive MVP; Derek Lowe of Tewksbury, Defensive MVP; Joe Gulino of Tewksbury, Lineman of the Year; and Bruce Rich of Chelmsford and Brian Alyward of Tewksbury, Coaches of the Year.

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