Plainville's Basque a Little East all-star

UMass all-star Larissa Basque

Larissa Basque of Plainville is just the second UMass-Dartmouth freshman women's lacrosse player to be named to the Little East Conference first team. The King Philip Regional graduate scored 20 goals and added 2 assists as a midfield defender to help UMD finish 9-6 this spring and advance to the conference semifinals.

"I went to a King Philip game to scout another player but after watching the way Larissa played and competed, she became a high-level recruit for us," said Corsairs coach Jerry Jennings.

"Her overall hustle and determined play has made her an even better player in college," Jennings said. "I didn't expect her development to be as rapid, and that's a credit to her high school coach, Mike Vitelli."

Jessica (Cormier) King, an All-America field hockey player for Bentley College in the 1990s, is returning to her alma mater as head coach of the field hockey squad after nine seasons at Lasell College.

She will take the reins from Kelly McGowan, who resigned from her post at the Waltham school in January to spend more time with her young children. In her 13 seasons coaching at Bentley, McGowan guided the Falcons to six NCAA championship games and the 2001 Division 2 title.

King was a player and assistant coach under McGowan before starting the field hockey program at Lasell in Newton.

"I enjoyed every second of working with the girls," said McGowan. "I learned as much from them as they did from me and I wish them success in the future."

The Colby College baseball team registered its best season since 1999 this spring, receiving valuable contributions from three local players: freshman Spencer Jacobson and senior Sam Kennedy-Smith, both of Newton, and senior David Bethony of Sherborn.

Third baseman Jacobson, a graduate of Newton South High, batted .310 and will carry a 14-game hitting streak (.467, 21 for 45) into next season.

Kennedy-Smith, who attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, won two games while serving as a starter and a relief pitcher.

And Dover-Sherborn Regional High graduate Bethony had a 2.16 ERA in eight relief appearances.

"Spencer came in and learned a new position. We wanted to get his bat in the lineup," said Colby coach Dale Plummer, whose squad finished 18-14 overall.

"Sam pitched more innings and had more starts than any other Colby pitcher in the past four years. He consistently went up against our opponents' best pitchers in the majority of his career starts. And Dave was a true team player who was outstanding all season."

Tom Ahern, a Holliston High graduate and captain of Wheaton College's men's lacrosse team this spring, earned a berth in the recent New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's East-West Senior All-Star Game at Harvard University.

Ahern, a defender, was also named to the Pilgrim Lacrosse League's first team.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com.