Joe Drapeau and Jon Hambelton of the University of Maine will represent the Black Bears today during the 26th New England Intercollegiate Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn.

Drapeau, a freshman third baseman from Biddeford, and Hambelton, a junior first baseman from Westwood, Mass., will compete for the University Division (Division I) team against the College Division (Divisions II, III) stars in the 3 p.m. contest.

They’ll be joined by the likes of Matt Keating, Greg Montalbano and Hernan Guerrero of Northeastern, along with Mike Gambino, Jeff Mackor and Stephen Langone of Boston College. Eagles coach Peter Hughes will direct the University Division ballclub.

Drapeau captured America East Rookie of the Year honors this spring after leading UMaine with a .359 batting average, 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. Hambelton hit .345 and contributed seven homers and 45 RBIs.

The College Division team includes Tyler Delorme of the University of Southern Maine.

The third National Junior College Athletic Association Region 21 All-Star Game is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Blaisdell was UMaine standout

The Ellsworth community lost a longtime friend this week with the death Kenneth W. Blaisdell. He was 80.

In his youth, Blaisdell was a distance runner of note. Former University of Maine athletic director and America East conference commissioner Stu Haskell of Old Town was kind enough to pass along some information about Blaisdell’s athletic exploits.

Blaisdell was one of UMaine’s most successful distance runners during his stint at the University from 1937-1940. He earned the varsity “M” six times, three for cross country, and two each for indoor and outdoor track.

Blaisdell, who captained the 1940 Black Bear cross country squad, performed well in two key competitions during his era. As the NCAA did not sponsor a national cross country championship prior to World War II, one of the premier events in the country was the IC4A race held in New York City.

In three trips to the IC4As, Blaisdell finished 10th in 1940, 16th in ’39 and 26th in ’38. He also exceled at the New England Championship, finishing as high as third in 1939. He placed sixth in 1940 and eighth in ’38.

Haskell explained Blaisdell, a 1941 UMaine graduate, is among an elite group of Bears to have finished among the leaders in both events on three separate occasions.

Blaisdell was the backbone of the law firm of Blaisdell and Blaisdell, having been a member of the Maine Bar Association for more than 51 years. He also was active in the community, serving as a charter member of the jaycees, on the Ellsworth School Board and on the board of trustees at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital.

UM-Farmington hall to induct five

James Scott Hoisington of Kingfield, Tom Reynolds of Farmington and Steve Williams of Auburn are among five people who will be inducted into the University of Maine-Farmington Athletics Hall of Fame later this month.

That trio, along with Ernie Metivier of Peach Tree City, Ga., and Lorraine Turner Weymouth of Groveland, Mass., will be honored June 24 during ceremonies at the North Dining Hall of UMF’s Olsen Student Center.

The ceremonies will follow a 5 p.m. social hour and a 6 p.m. buffet dinner. The event is part of the UMF Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Chandler Woodcock, a UMF alumnus and coach of the Mt. Blue High School girls basketball team, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Hoisington, UMF class of 1979, is being honored for his accomplishments in skiing and golf. Metivier (’69) and Williams (’70) are being recognized for their basketball prowess.

Weymouth (’85) starred for the UMF volleyball team, while Reynolds coached skiing for the Beavers.

Tickets for the event are $18. Call 778-7090 for information. The reservation deadline is June 16.

Dunton gets Binghamton job

Carmel native Randy Dunton, who has spent the last two seasons as the athletic director and head men’s basketball coach at Marshalltown Community College (Iowa), is making a job switch.

Dunton, who previously served as an assistant coach and interim head coach at Liberty University, has been named an assistant at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton.

Dunton, a former high school standout at Bangor Christian under coach Roger Reed, joins the staff of coach Al Walker at SUNY-Binghamton.

“SUNY at Binghamton has made a tremendous commitment to develop a winning NCAA Division I men’s basketball program,” Dunton said. “Head coach Al Walker has made a significant commitment to my family and me in terms of this professional opportunity.”

At Marshalltown, Dunton introduced Division I baseball and soccer while adding a Division II softball program as part of his duties as the AD.