Sophomore guard Lora Trenkle of Bowdoin College has been named the Player of the Year by the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Trenkle, a former George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill star, averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in the regular season. She helped lead the Polar Bears of Brunswick to their second straight conference title and a return trip to the NCAA Division III tournament. Trenkle was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year last season.

Trenkle is shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range. She was also named Player of the Year by the Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association on Wednesday.

Bowdoin’s Kristi Royer of Lewiston was also named to the first team and teammate Jessie Mayol of Westbrook gained second-team honors while Bowdoin coach Stefanie Pemper was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

“I’m guessing Player of the Year must have been very close between Lori and Kristi,” Pemper said. “They are both equally talented at their positions; the noticeable difference is Kristi often gets double-teamed and is forced to give it up, whereas teams struggle to double Lora.”

Sarah Walsh of Colby College Waterville was named to the second team.

Bowdoin, 24-1, received a first-round bye in the NCAA tourney and will host 27-2 Emmanuel College of Boston on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Morrell Gymnasium.

Maine football opens Aug. 31

The University of Maine football team will kick off its 12-game 2002 campaign at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland against Central Connecticut on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.

Maine’s first home game will take place the following week against William & Mary at 6 p.m. at Alfond Stadium in Orono. The Black Bears were undefeated at home last year, and head into 2002 with an eight-game home win streak.

UMaine will take on Rhode Island on Family & Friends Weekend on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. Hofstra will invade Orono for Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 26 at noon. In addition to its nine Atlantic 10 clashes, UMaine will face three nonleague opponents in Howard, Central Connecticut, and Florida International.

August: 31, Central Connecticut State, 6 p.m., Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland; September: 7, William & Mary, 6 p.m.; 14, at Villanova, TBA; 23, New Hampshire, noon; October: 5, at James Madison, 1:30 p.m.; 12, at UMass, TBA; 19, at Florida International, TBA; 26, Hofstra, noon; November: 2, bye; 9, Delaware, noon; 16, at Richmond, TBA; 23, New Hampshire, noon

UMF, St. Joe’s pairings set

The University of Maine-Farmington women will play Wednesday and the St. Joseph’s College men will play Thursday in first-round basketball games in the NAIA Division II National Tourney.

Both teams earned the national berths by winning the Maine Athletic Conference titles on Monday.

UMF, seeded No. 28, will play fourth-ranked Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) at 9:30 a.m. in Sioux City, Iowa. St. Joe’s of Standish, seeded 28th, will battle defending national champion Northwestern of Iowa at 12:30 p.m. at the College of Ozarks at Point Lookout, Mo.