By Dan Guttenplan
Pentucket Regional High alumna Paige Sutherland recently became just the eighth runner in the history of the Holy Cross College cross country program to earn first team All-Patriot League. The sophomore was the first Holy Cross runner since 1998 to earn the honor.
Sutherland, a former Daily News Athlete of the Year, has been the top Holy Cross performer in 11 of the 12 meets in which she has competed at Holy Cross. She finished second on Saturday at the Patriot League Championship Meet, finishing the 3.6-mile course in 22:54.6 (6:09 pace). Sutherland posted the top Holy Cross finish at Patriot League Championships since 2001.
Sutherland will compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional on Nov. 14 (10 a.m.) in Boston.
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Newburyport High alumna Ashley Hersey, a member of the Bridgewater State College soccer team, was recently named the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Women's Soccer player of the week. Hersey tallied two goals and three assists for seven points in a perfect 2-0 week for the Bears, which included a 3-0 MASCAC victory over Framingham State College.
Hersey scored a goal and assisted on two others in the Bears' 4-3 non-conference win over Plymouth State University. She then scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in BSC's shutout of Framingham.
Through 15 games this season, Hersey has three goals and six assists to her credit for 12 points. She currently ranks first on the team in assists and is tied for the team lead in scoring. Two of Hersey's three goals on the year have been game-winners.
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Newburyport High alumna Maggie Mahoney, a sophomore soccer player at University of New England, was selected honorable mention All-Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Mahoney tallied six goals and six assists during the regular season to tie for the team lead with 18 total points. Mahoney achieved all-conference status for the second consecutive season and was voted TCCC co-Rookie of the Year in 2008.
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Pentucket Regional High alumna Kara Herbert made the Framingham State College women's soccer team as a freshman. Herbert played defensive back for the Rams.
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Amesbury High alumna Leah Boody, a senior forward on the University of New Hampshire field hockey team, came off the bench to match her career high of two goals, lifting the UNH field hockey team to a 6-0 victory against Fairfield University. She gave the Wildcats a 4-0 lead in the 49th minute and closed the scoring in the 69th minute; just 90 seconds earlier, Boody added an assist, which set up UNH's fifth goal of the game.
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Pentucket Regional High alum Eric McDonald, a sophomore cross country runner at UMass Lowell, earned All-Northeast 10 Conference honors for the second year in a row. He placed 12th at the NE-10 Championships, finishing the 5-mile course at Saint Michael's College in 26:01.7.
