Wood athletic tradition lives on at Husson

The Wood family boasts a distinguished history in Husson College athletics.

Colby Wood, a graduate of the Class of 1934, was a baseball player who was inducted into the inaugural class of the Husson Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

His son, longtime Eastern Maine high school basketball coach Donald “Buddy” Wood, was a basketball and baseball standout for the Braves. He graduated in 1975 and joined the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Now, the third generation of Woods is leaving its mark on Husson athletics.

Senior Jordan Wood, a member of the Braves’ volleyball team, competed in her final home match Wednesday night against Unity College. The two-year captain has been on the squad for four seasons and has played in a school-record 193 games during her career.

The younger Wood, who expects to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, is the lone senior on a Husson team that took a 7-7 overall record into Wednesday night’s match. Coach Pat DeBeck’s Braves are 4-2 in North Atlantic Conference play.

MMA volleyball off to good start

Volleyball is a sport that has experienced slow growth in Maine in recent years.

In Castine, the Maine Maritime Academy volleyball team has posted a 6-2 record halfway through the program’s first varsity season.

Coach Katrina Dagan has directed the group of only seven players to a 4-1 mark in North Atlantic Conference play going into the University of Maine-Machias Tournament on Friday and Saturday.

“We have four conference games remaining before playoffs and I think we have a legitimate shot at hosting a first-round playoff game, which would be great,” Dagan said.

The Mariners squad is sparked by sophomore Julia Knights of Brookton, a Woodland High School graduate, who leads the team with 62 kills and ranks third in NCAA Division III with a .455 hitting percentage. MMA also is ranked No. 2 with 6.4 aces per contest behind sophomore Katie Clapham of Crawford and Calais High, who is fifth among individuals with 1.4 aces per game.

Senior Alaina Wallace of Calais and sophomore Lisa Alkire are tied for 10th in the country with 1.26 aces per game.

The team also includes junior middle hitter Jessica French and freshman setters Heather Whitaker and Casey Morey.

“I am pleased with the effort I have got from the players. They work hard and are an exciting group to watch,” said Dagan, who hopes to attract more Maine high school players to join the Mariners next year.

Husson golf wins again

The Husson College golf team won its final tuneup for next week’s New England championships Tuesday when it bested a nine-team field in the University of Southern Maine Fall Classic at Sable Oaks in South Portland.

Coach Bruce MacGregor’s Braves improved their match record this fall to 65-1 by shooting 602 to beat the USM Gold squad by 13 strokes.

Senior Corey Poulin of Jackman established a school record by finishing as the medalist for the sixth time this season. Joe Alvarez and Corey Pion each had previously won five tournaments for the Braves.

Poulin was 5-under in the second round and finished with a 1-under-par 139 to pace the Braves. Freshman Lance Libby of Oakland was second for Husson at 151.

Husson heads to the New England Intercollegiate Golf Coaches Championship on Cape Cod hoping to earn its third consecutive Division III title.

Black Bears gear up for Huskies

The University of Maine football team, which is coming off a bye week and a long Columbus Day weekend, is preparing in earnest for Saturday’s Atlantic 10 game at Northeastern.

Coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears, 4-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play, moved up one spot to No. 20 in both of the national Division I-AA polls despite being idle last weekend.

UMaine has tried to take advantage of the time off to rest, heal up and prepare.

“We certainly have been able to recuperate some of the injured guys and get healthier,” Cosgrove said Wednesday. “We responded to the Richmond situation [a week after the cancellation of Maine’s scheduled game against William & Mary] very well and got a nice win for ourselves, so it’s a very similar type of approach.”

The Bears will take on a Northeastern team that has lost three straight on the road and has dropped out of the Top 25. The Huskies shared the A-10 championship with UMaine last season.