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Though flooding wiped out the 2006 Bank of America Championship atNashawtuc Country Club last June, the PGA Champions Tour andNashawtuc Charities are still donating $418,000 to more than 50 areacharitable organizations. The donations will bring to $4.5 millionthe amount disbursed over the tournament's 26-year history. Separatefrom the total is $5,000 donated by Champions Tour players to TheFirst Tee of Massachusetts for its golf programs for area youth,which the players have been supporting since 2002.
Bob Gallery, president of Bank of America Massachusetts, andWalter Lankau, president of Nashawtuc Charities, said the donationsunderscore the bank, tournament, Champions Tour, and players'commitments to giving back to the community. Among the localcharities to receive funds are Emerson Hospital, Hanscom Air ForceBase - Project Concern, Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley, theGenesis Fund, Concord-Carlisle Athletic Boosters, Francis OuimetScholarship Fund, Greater Waltham Association for Retarded Citizens,Lincoln-Sudbury Athletic Boosters, and others in Greater Boston.
Merrimack's Murphy now coach of the year
Merrimack College football coach Jim Murphy is the Northeastern-10 Conference Coach of the Year in voting by his peers. Murphy,former Reading and Northeastern University quarterback, led Merrimackto a 7-3 record and a share of its first NE-10 title. Since takingover the reins in 2003, Murphy and Merrimack have gone 25-14,including a school-best 8-2 in 2004. Merrimack finished this seasonwith six straight wins after losing three of its first four games.
Among other major award winners was Bentley senior AndrewRuggiero, who shared defensive lineman of the year honors with CaseyLarson of St. Anselm. After 10 games, Ruggiero had 49 tackles - 11 ofthem for a loss - four sacks, four pass breakups, and a forcedfumble. First-team All-NE-10 Conference picks included, in additionto Ruggiero, Bentley defensive back Sean Smith of Andover and Bentleypunter Derrick Marsan of Methuen. Merrimack was represented on thefirst team by tight end Ryan Salter of Bridgewater, return specialistand defensive back Andrew Jackson of New Britain, Conn., andlinebacker Matt Mikaitis of Chicago.
Scholastic odds 'n' ends
Top-seeded and undefeated North Andover (21-0-2) brought home theDivision 1 North field hockey title with a pulsating 1-0 win overActon-Boxborough in overtime. The game's only goal came less thanthree minutes into OT when junior Katie Boringa took a pass from LizDay and rifled the ball into the corner past A-B goalie KaitlynCurtis. Alison McCarthy had seven saves to post the shutout. ... No.1 Tewksbury wasn't as fortunate in its quest for the Division 2 fieldhockey crown. It fell to perennial power Watertown, 3-2, in overtime.The sectional title was the 15th in the past 21 years for Watertown.
It was just another day at the office for Andover's girls' swimteam, which crushed the field to win its eighth straight Division 1North championship. Andover, with 320 points, got winningperformances from Tiffany Petzold in the 200 individual medley and100 freestyle, and was a whopping 109.5 points better than runner-upActon-Boxborough. In the meet, Methuen's Laura Moriarty set a staterecord in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute 5.79seconds.
Campus corner
University of Massachusetts at Lowell field hockey seniors SaraHohenberger of Windham, N.H., Kim Villare of Chelmsford, Lauren Jonesof West Brookfield, and Nicole Staiti of Barre are in Winston-Salem,N.C., this weekend playing in the National Field Hockey CoachesAssociation Division 2 North/South All-Star game. ... University ofMassachusetts at Boston senior sweeper Mike Reda and sophomore centermidfielder Romeo Zeqo, both of Medford, earned first-team berths onthe All-Little East Conference men's soccer team. Reda led leaguedefenders with a career-high eight goals and 19 points, while Zeqoled the team with 10 goals and 23 points. ... Merrimack's athletictraining education program has been awarded accreditation through2010-2011 by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic TrainingEducation. The commission found the program to be in 'substantialcompliance' with the nationally recognized Standards for Entry-LevelAthletic Training Education. ... Northeastern junior Stephanie Casperof Andover posted career highs of 10 goals and 25 points this season.Both marks led the Huskies field hockey team.
Lowell Devils
Today - Worcester, 4 p.m.; Wednesday - at Hershey, 7 p.m.; Friday -Portland, 7 p.m.; Saturday - Albany, 7 p.m. Home games at TsongasArena.
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