When it comes to big-time college sports, Maine hasn’t been considered a recruiting hotbed in any sport.

That perception might be changing, however, thanks to the successful careers of runners such as Joey and Louie Luchini, Steven DeWitt, Parker Pruett and Matt Lane.

Two of those runners returned to their home state Saturday to run in the 12th FinishLynx Murray Keatinge Invitational cross country meet and showed why Maine runners are becoming prized recruits.

Luchini won the 8,000-meter race and DeWitt finished 17th to help their Stanford University team win the team championship.

Andy Gerard, who is in his first year as Stanford’s men’s coach after a stint at William & Mary, said the Keatinge Invitational and other high-profile events in Maine have helped raise the profile of Maine runners.

“You can see from the reaction of the crowd that the state of Maine is good to cross country and distance runners,” Gerard said. “Between this meet and the Maine Distance Festival, it’s kind of a little corner of rabid distance running talent and fans.”

The fact that athletes like the Luchinis and DeWitt have gone on to enjoy success in the college ranks doesn’t hurt at all either.

“Maine has a tremendous record of producing good kids and I think it’s known as a good place to get some talent for coaches,” Gerard said. “There are some states that you kind of just pass over in recruiting, but Maine on the other hand is one that’s on everybody’s radar.”

As well as the Maine contingent did in the race – UMaine junior Heather Jovanelli finished 17th in the women’s race – it’s still apparent that there is a big gulf between the quantity of talent in Maine and that of other states, especially those with much greater populations.

That fact was illustrated by the dominant performance of the Stanford women as they breezed past the competition while appearing barely winded as seven cardinal-clad runners crossed the finish line en masse.

“Yeah … wow … maybe if we were to run against Division III teams, we could do that,” Jovanelli said. “I mean, overall, I knew there were going to be some really fast women here. On one hand, it’s a beautiful chance to be among some of the best in the country, but on the other hand, it’s a huge eye-opener.”

Jovanelli said she was hoping she might pick up some tips and techniques from the top-flight competition arrayed at Maine’s Orono campus Saturday, but things didn’t go as she hoped.

“I might have been able to if I could see them from where I was,” she said with a hearty laugh.

Whitcomb sets freshman mark

UMaine quarterback Ron Whitcomb has played only five games in his collegiate career, but he already owns a school record.

The freshman from East Rochester, N.Y., has established the mark for touchdown passes by a freshman with 10. Whitcomb eclipsed the previous mark of eight set by Rich Labonte of York during the 1981 season.

Whitcomb also earned recognition as the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after completing 18 of 25 passes for 269 yards and a TD without being intercepted. The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder also carried nine times for 47 yards.

Whitcomb will go into the Black Bears’ Oct. 18 game at Northeastern having completed 79 of 137 passes (58 percent) for 991 yards. He has thrown for 10 touchdowns and has been intercepted six times.

His 133.8 pass efficiency rating ranks him fifth in the Atlantic 10.

The naming of a ‘tank’

Most people know UMaine graduate and longtime high school teacher, coach and administrator Harold Violette as “Tank,” but few people know where his nickname originated.

While attending Friday’s University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, the former Black Bear football standout shed some light on the origin of his nickname.

“That actually goes back to my freshman year at Maine, said the 1960 UMaine graduate and standout lineman.

“We were out practicing the first day the freshmen were out,” Violette recalled. “Back then, the upperclassmen were out here three weeks ahead of you and it was kind of intimidating.

“They sent me out for a play and I made contact with a couple of players and I mean, it was really solid contact … Somebody said, ‘Holy schmuck, he hits like a Tank,’ and it kind of stuck. I resented it at first, but by the time I got out of here nobody knew my first name. I used to sign my papers, ‘Tank Violette.’ ”

Violette earned All-Yankee Conference, All-Maine and All-New England honors for two seasons at Maine.

He coached Winslow High School’s football team from 1969 to 1985 and was head ice hockey coach from 1977 to 1991. His coaching career began at Belfast in 1964.

Black Bears amidst bye week

The UMaine football team is back in an extended preparation mode for its Oct. 18 game at Northeastern as it enters its regularly scheduled bye week for the 2003 season.

The Bears beat Richmond Saturday after having had the Sept. 27 game canceled out from under it by William & Mary because of damage caused by Hurricane Isabel.

UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove was pleased with how his squad responded to the unexpected layoff and hopes the Bears will take advantage of the bye week to prepare for what will be a key clash at Northeastern. By the time that game rolls around, UMaine will have played only one game in the previous month.

“Anybody that knows football knows that’s a long time to be sitting around,” Cosgrove said. “We’ll have our preparation and get a jump on our next opponent, Northeastern, with some practices this week and then have a week next week where we hopefully go down there and get a road win in Boston.”

UMaine improves I-AA ranking

The UMaine football team has crept up to No. 21 in the latest Division I-AA Top 25 polls published by The Sports Network/CSTV and by ESPN/USA Today.

The 4-2 Bears moved up two spots from last week while extending to 30 the number of consecutive weeks they have been ranked in the Top 25. That is the longest streak of any Atlantic 10 team.