Huskies coach Flaherty passes 500 wins Whitmore stepping aside as Colby athletic director on July 1, Zalot to move up

Ed Flaherty, who has directed the University of Southern Maine baseball program for the last 16-plus seasons, recently earned his 500th victory as the Huskies’ head coach.

USM provided Flaherty with No. 500 by virtue of a 5-1 victory over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in the first game of Saturday’s Little East Conference doubleheader at Gorham.

Going into Wednesday’s game against Brandeis, Flaherty had pushed his USM coaching mark to an impressive 502-207-2, a .708 winning percentage. He has established the Huskies as one of the premier Division III programs in the country during his tenure.

Southern Maine has won two national championships under Flaherty, the most recent in 1997. The Huskies also have appeared in the postseason in each of his first 16 seasons.

Last year, they went 37-14 and received an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. USM then won the Northeast Regional tournament for the sixth time since 1989 to advance to the Division III World Series.

For his efforts, Flaherty was named the New England Division III Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Southern Maine has won at least 30 games in each of the last five seasons.

Flaherty, who has coached several players who have gone on to play professionally, was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Maine Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Flaherty played his college baseball at the University of Maine, where he majored in history and math. The 1976 graduate was an All-American baseball player under former coach John Winkin. Flaherty hit a team-leading .388 in 1975 and led Maine to a berth in the College World Series in 1976.

USM entered this week with a slim half-game lead over Eastern Connecticut in the Little East Conference standings. The Huskies are 7-1-1 in league play.

The Little East Conference tournament begins May 7 with single-elimination, first-round games. The four-team, double-elimination finals will be May 9-11, hosted by the regular-season champion. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Zalot named Colby athletic director

Marcella Zalot has been named the director of athletics at Colby College, effective July 1.

Zalot has been the associate AD and senior woman athletic administrator at the Waterville school for five years and has held down AD duties while Dick Whitmore has spent the 2001-02 academic year on sabbatical.

“At this point in my career, it is time to pass the mantle of chair on,” Whitmore said. “Marcella is highly qualified and prepared to meet the challenges of departmental leadership and she’ll do a great job for Colby and our department.”

Upon his return Whitmore, who was the AD for 15 years, will continue to coach men’s basketball and will assume a variety of administrative duties related to planning in athletics as well as other operational matters.

“I appreciate all the work Dick Whitmore has done and the way he has prepared me for this new phase,” Zalot said.

Zalot arrived at Colby in 1997 after spending four years as an assistant AD at Harvard. Prior to that she worked for the NCAA from 1989-92 as an eligibility representative.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College and a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts.

As an associate AD at Colby, Zalot has been responsible for overseeing budgets and other duties associated with Colby’s 32 varsity sports, 12 club sports, and various intramural offerings. Zalot has been involved in the hiring and supervision of coaching staff and managing the athletic facilities.

Bates to host NESCAC track meet

Bates College in Lewiston will serve as the host of the New England Small College Athletic Conference Outdoor Track Championships Saturday and Sunday.

The meet begins Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Russell Street Outdoor Track. Sunday’s events get under way at 10 a.m.

Williams has claimed nine of the last 10 NESCAC men’s outdoor titles, with Bates breaking the streak in 2000. Williams also has won two of the last three women’s championships.