HARTFORD – University of Maine forward Monica Peterson earned one of America East’s most prestigious post-season awards on Wednesday as she was named the league’s rookie of the year, while sophomore Heather Ernest was named a first-team all-conference selection.

In other league awards handed out on Wednesday, Binghamton University senior forward Sarah Cartmill was named the player of the year, while Keith Cieplicki of Vermont was tabbed as coach of the year.

Peterson, a 6-footer from Wilmington, Del., averaged 9.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest this season for the Black Bears.

She became the fifth Black Bear to be named the league’s top freshman, and the first since Jamie Cassidy won the award in 1997. The other Maine Rookie of the Year picks: Rachel Bouchard (1988), Carrie Goodhue (1989) and Cindy Blodgett (1995).

Ernest improved upon her third-team selection from a year ago based on her 12.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg.

Joining Ernest and Cartmill on the first team are sophomores Sherry Jordan of Stony Brook and Katie Terhune of Boston University and senior Libby Smith of Vermont.

The Black Bears take on host Hartford at about 8:15 p.m. in the quarterfinal round of the America East tournament.

Randy Dunton gets Liberty post

Former Bangor Christian School basketball star Randy Dunton has returned to Liberty University as the Flames’ new head basketball coach.

Dunton, who served as an assistant coach at the Lynchburg, Va., school from 1989-1997 and was the interim head coach in 1997-98, returns after two years as an assistant at Binghamton University.

Dunton takes over just one day after former coach Mel Hankinson was fired from the job he’d held for four seasons. Hankinson’s Flames were 5-25 this season and dropped a 66-59 decision to Winthrop 66 in the first round of the Big South Conference tournament on Thursday.

Dunton, a Carmel native, is a 1979 graduate of Bangor Christian, where he played for current Bangor High coach Roger Reed. He also played for Reed at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.

Campbell cleared to play

UMaine freshman Joe Campbell of Bangor sat out last weekend’s America East playoff games due to mononucleosis, but he has been cleared to play in Saturday’s league championship game against Boston University.

“He’s allowed to practice. We need to see what his energy looks like. We need to see how much practice fatigues him,” said coach John Giannini, who admitted that he wasn’t sure exactly what role Campbell would play on Saturday.

“We’ve played very well this last weekend without him, and he hasn’t broken a sweat in more than a week now,” Giannini said. “So I want to take it day by day and make sure I do what’s best for our team.”

Tickets available

The University of Maine still has tickets available for the Hockey East quarterfinal series between Maine and Boston College. Tickets for the series, with games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (if necessary) are $15 and can be purchased at Alfond Arena between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or by calling 1-800-756-TEAM or 581-BEAR. Tickets will also be available an hour prior to the game.