UNE’s Bailey, Cross earn district honors

The University of New England of Biddeford won top honors in NAIA District 5 postseason balloting with sophomore pitcher Karen Bailey of Portland being named District 5 Player of the Year and Neal Cross receiving Coach of the Year honors.

UNE, the District 5 champion, takes a 23-8 record into the best-of-three Bi-District championship with the College of St. Rose of Albany, N.Y.

That series, hosted by UNE, begins with a doubleheader Thursday at 3 p.m. Should a third game be necessary, it will be played at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Bailey, the team’s top pitcher, heads into the second postseason round at 15-3.

St. Joseph’s College of Standish dominated the balloting for individual NAIA honors with seven players named to the All-District team followed by two each from UNE, the University of Maine-Farmington, and Thomas College of Waterville, and one each from Green Mountain State, Castleton State, and Eastern Nazarene.

Joining Bailey on the All-District team is UNE shortstop Lisa Nejezchleba.

The seven St. Joseph’s honorees are second baseman Rhonda Harvey, catcher Heidi Thiboutot, desginated hitter Lisa Stern, outfielders Kim Rodgers and Mindy Stenberg, and pitchers Shelley Zanfagna and Lee Ann Keber.

University of Maine-Farmington players earning NAIA honors are first baseman Kim Walker and outfielder Debbie Gagnon.

Considered among the best players in the district from Thomas are third baseman Missy Goocher and outfielder Julie Fabian. Completing the All-District team are utility player Karen Loeber of Green Mountain and Buffy Boden of Eastern Nazarene.

Adrienne Shibles of Thorndike, the 5-foot-10 senior forward and tri-captain for the Bates College of Lewiston basketball team who put her name in the Bobcat record book this year, recently returned from Springfield, Ohio, where she participated in the NCAA Youth Education through Sports basketball clinic at Wittenberg University.

With only three Bates players having surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone prior to this season, Shibles became the third player in one year to accomplish that feat. Additionally, she set the all-time career record of 771 rebounds as she completed four years on Coach Marsha Graef’s squad.

Shibles, who was nominated for the program by Graef, was selected to participate based on her qualities as a leader, role model, and student who excels in academics as well as athletics.

In the Mentor program, college student-athletes work with younger student-athletes not only in basketball skill instruction, demonstrations, and teaching, but also in small groups where they discuss goal-setting and share personal experiences, helping younger players apply what they learn in athletics to other aspects of their lives.