Maine Maritime Academy in Castine will launch its first varsity women’s basketball program for the 1996-97 season.

In preparation for that event, MMA has hired Deidra Reed to take the helm as the Mariners’ head coach.

Reed, a native of South China, has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. This will be her first head coaching position.

“Deidra is a rising star in the coaching profession,” said MMA athletic director Bill Mottola. “She has an outstanding background and we believe she’s going to be a tremendous asset to Maine Maritime.”

Reed is looking forward to initiating a women’s hoop program at MMA.

“My first goal here is to put a team on the floor in ’96-97,” Reed said, “any the athletic department is committed to getting us to that point.”

She plans to spent the next several months traveling around the state promoting her program and recruiting players for the Mariners’ inaugural season. In the meantime, Reed will run an intramural program.

“This coming winter, we’ll have an intramural women’s basketball program, and that, along with a statewide recruiting effort, will be the building blocks for the future. MMA is serious about providing athletic opportunities for females. This college has a lot to offer, both academically and athletically.”

At West Point, Reed’s responsibilities included recruiting, supervising coaching clinics and running a summer camp. She also served as an instructor in the institution’s Center for Enhanced Performance.

Reed was the head women’s basketball coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., during the 1991-92 season, leading her team to a postseason berth.

Reed is a graduate of Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., where she was a four-year starter in basketball and captained the team in her final two years. She also earned a spot on the Academic All-America Team.

The University of Maine hockey team will begin its 1995-96 season in the spotlight when the Black Bears face Michigan in the inaugural United States Hockey Hall of Fame Faceoff Classic at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich.

The contest, which is being billed as the “Showdown in Motown,” brings together the two principles who thrilled fans in last season’s memorable, triple-overtime NCAA semifinal, which Maine won 4-3 in Providence, R.I. It was the longest playoff game in NCAA history.

Proceeds from the Faceoff Classic, which will be televised live on ESPN2, will support the USHHF in Eveleth, Minn. Future classics will bring together two highly-ranked teams in a game of national significance to start the college hockey season.

For the third straight year, Boston University has earned the preseason nod to win the North Atlantic Conference men’s soccer title. Every coach in the 10-team league picked the Terriers No. 1 in the preseason poll.

Coach Scott Atherley’s Maine team and Vermont finished tied for second with 73 points, followed by New Hampshire (66) and Hartford (63).

BU has compiled a sparkling 38-3-2 overall record in its seven NAC seasons, winning back-to-back championships the past two seasons. The Terriers were picked No. 4 in the country by Soccer America magazine.

Nick Bone is BU’s top scoring threat.

Maine, which lost to BU 3-1 in last year’s league tournament, will field an experienced team that should contend.