Three Black Bears All-New England

Three University of Maine football players have been named to the 2000 All-New England Division I-AA All-Star Team as selected by the New England Football Writers.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Eaton of Rutland, Vt., junior tight end Chad Hayes of Old Town and senior placekicker Todd Jagoutz of Duxbury, Mass. were named to the all-star offense team. No Black Bears were picked for the defensive team.

The all-stars will be honored Thursday, Dec. 7 during the annual New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet at the Lantana Restaurant in Randolph, Mass.

Brown wideout Steve Campbell, who set a Division I-AA record with 120 catches this year, and UMass running back Marcel Shipp, who recorded an Atlantic 10 conference-best 6,250 career rushing yards, top the all-star list.

Of the 34 players named to the team, 17 come from the Atlantic 10, which is Maine’s conference. The rest of the teams came from the Ivy League and the Patriot League.

2000 All New England Division IAA Team

Offense

Quarterbacks: Jake Eaton (Maine), Eric Webber (Brown); running backs: Stephan Lewis (New Hampshire), Mike Malan (Brown), Marcel Shipp (UMass); wide receivers: Steve Campbell (Brown), Eric Johnson (Yale), Dave Klemic (Northeastern); tight end: Chad Hayes (Maine); offensive line: Jason Ball (New Hampshire), Mike Clare (Harvard), Caleb Moore (Dartmouth), Pat Quay (Holy Cross), Al Willis (New Hampshire); placekicker: Todd Jagoutz (Maine; return specialist: Chuck Nwokocha (Harvard)

Defense

Defensive line: Gordon Chen (Brown), R.D. Kern (Harvard), Dave Puloka (Holy Cross), Dan Schneider (UMass), Fearon Wright (Rhode Island); linebackers: Kole Ayi (UMass), Dante Balestracei (Harvard), Brett Bashaw (New Hampshire), Peter Mazza (Yale), Matt Mercer (Dartmouth); defensive backs: T.J. Hill (Northeastern), Than Merrill (Yale), Jeremy Robinson (UMass), Lance Small (Rhode Island), Brian Smith (UMass), Todd Tomich (Yale); punter: Frank Traupman (Holy Cross)

Blackstone named UMPI trainer

Barbara Blackstone, who served as an assistant trainer at the University of Maine-Presque Isle last year, has been elevated to the position of Head Athletic Trainer on an interim basis.

Blackstone is responsible for the athletes involved in soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball.

Blackstone graduated from UMPI in 1992 with a degree in athletic training. She has worked as a trainer in the Easton school system for nine years and has done some consulting work for Washburn and Central Aroostook of Mars Hill high schools.

Disability sports subject of speech

Dr. Abu Yilla, the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks Wheelchair Basketball Team and an assistant professor of physical education at University of Texas-Arlington, will discuss wheelchair basketball and disability sports Thursday, Dec. 7 in the next speech in the University Distinguished Lecture Series at UMaine-Presque Isle.

Yilla will speak in the Campus Center at 7 p.m. He will also present two workshops that morning in Wieden Gym, one from 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m. and another from 1:45-3 p.m.

A member of a team that won its fourth consecutive National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship in March 2000, Yilla will discuss his journey from Sierra Leone to England and to the University of Texas, and his experiences from the Paralympics to the adapted physical education classroom.

Individuals interested in participating in one of the two workshops should respond by Dec. 5 to Dr. Christoph Lienert at 768-9490 or email lienert@maine.edu.

UM hockey to hold open practice

The University of Maine men’s hockey team will hold an open practice and autograph session Saturday in advance of Sunday’s game against Northeastern at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

The Black Bears’ practice session starting at 1:30 p.m. will be open to the public. The team will conduct a clinic for the Casco Bay Youth Hockey Association following practice at 2:45 p.m. and the Bears will be at the Maine Mall for an autograph signing session from 7-8 p.m.

Tickets are still available for Sunday’s game, which tips off at 2 p.m.

Approximately 300 tickets will be available to the general public for Friday night’s game in Orono against Northeastern. Tickets cannot be ordered in advance and sales will begin at 6 p.m. Faceoff is at 7 at Alfond Arena.