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February 18, 2010

Sports from the community

Gagnon all-conference

Nicole Gagnon of Andover, a sophomore and a member of the Westfield State field hockey team, earned second team all-conference honors playing on a team that finished with an 8-10 record.

Brown an inspiration

Ally Brown of Andover, a member of the Westfield State women's cross country team, helped the team to captured its sixth straight Massachusetts State College Athletics Conference championship. Brown earned honors and was presented with the James Earley Award for Inspiration.

100 and counting for Nasta

Senior forward Maria Nasta of Andover, tallied her 100th career point with a goal to lead the University of Massachusetts Boston women's ice hockey team over visiting No. 6 nationally ranked Lake Forest College, 3-1, on Jan. 5, in the first round of the third annual Women's Codfish Bowl at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Boston.

She was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference East Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 11 to 17, the third time in Nasta's career that she had earned the honor. She was also the top player for a week during her sophomore campaign and once during her junior year. Nasta tallied six points in three games with three goals and three assists. The senior began the week with an assist at nationally ranked number seven Middlebury College on Jan. 12 and added another helper in the Beacons' 2-1 victory over Norwich University on Jan. 15. Nasta capped the week with her third career hat trick in addition to an assist in an 8-0 win over Castleton State College on Jan. 16. With her second goal of that game, she became just the third player in school history to tally 100 career points in a UMass Boston uniform.  She now has 108 career points, including seven with New England College during her freshman season, on 46 goals and 62 assists in 85 games.

More recently, Andover's Nasta netted a pair of goals on Feb. 6, including the game-winner with just 27 seconds left in the game to lead the UMass Boston women's ice hockey team over visiting Salve Regina University, 5-4, in an Eastern College Athletic Conference contest. The UMass Beacons matched a school record with their seventh straight victory and have won 13 of their last 16 to improve to 14-7-0 overall and 11-4-0 in league play. The win vaulted UMass Boston over Salve Regina in the league standings to fourth place.

A graduate of Andover High School, Nasta is enjoying a four-game point-scoring streak with eight points during the stretch. She has registered six multi-point efforts on the season, including three outings with two or more goals.

Nasta transferred to UMass Boston from New England College, prior to the 2007-08 campaign and immediately became the team's best offensive threat, racking up 45 points on 20 goals and 25 assists to earn ECAC East First Team All-Conference honors and set a new school-standard in points and assists by a sophomore, according to the school. She was selected to the ECAC East Second Team last year after establishing a school record with 27 assists as part of a 38-point season. As of Feb. 6, she ranked third all-time with the Beacons in points (101), goals (41), assists (60), multi-goal games (10) and multi-point games (31). She also stands fourth in career game-winning goals (five) and is tied for the most short-handed career goals in school annals with four.

Cairns nets Hamilton historic victory

Becky Cairns of Andover has been a notable contributor to her ice hockey team at Hamilton College.

Cairns, Hamilton class of '11 and an Andover High School graduate, scored the game-winning goal with 45 seconds remaining in the third period to lift Hamilton College to a dramatic 3-2 win against nationally ranked No. 5 Middlebury College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference game at Hamilton's Russell Sage Rink on Feb. 6. This marked the first time in 26 meetings with Middlebury that Hamilton has come out with a victory.

In earlier action, Cairns registered one assist to help lead Hamilton College to a 3-2 win over host SUNY Cortland in a non-conference ice hockey game at Alumni Arena on Jan. 8. She helped the Continental Women's Ice Hockey to a 5-0 win against SUNY Oswego in a non-conference game at Russell Sage Rink with one goal and one assist.

Hamilton College scored four goals in the third period to come from behind and defeat host SUNY Potsdam, 6-5, in a non-conference game on Feb. 2. Cairns scored one of her team's goal during that comeback victory.

Frosh Leahy helps Bentley

Bentley University swimming team recently posted victories over Regis College and Western New England College in women's college swimming at the Regis pool. The Falcons downed Regis, 82-38, and prevailed over WNEC, 74-47. Freshman Andrea Leahy, and Andover High School graduate, was part of Bentley's winning 200 free relay team.

PA coach honored

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association has announced that the Northeast Region Coach of the Year is field hockey coach Kate Dolan, who coaches at Phillips Academy in Andover.

High-schooler Gimbel MVP

Senior Barbie Gimbel of Andover, daughter of John and Andrea Gimbel, recently received the Most Valuable Player award in Cross Country for her athletic achievement during the fall trimester at the independent, character-based Hyde School in Bath, Maine. Head of School Donald MacMillan says of the recent athletic award winners, including Gimbel, "Whether playing for a championship or learning a brand new sport, Hyde's young athletes are tested daily on their work ethic, stamina, and ability to work together as a team. These individuals are among the finest examples of athletic character at Hyde School."

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by Anonymous , , Thu Feb 18, 2010, 04:57 AM EST
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