Alfonds pledge $1.35M to Colby sports field

Colby College in Waterville, which already is blessed to have several facilities bearing the name “Alfond,” is about to add another.

This time, it is Bill and Joan Alfond, the son and daughter-in-law of philanthropists Harold and Bibby Alfond, who are sharing their financial resources.

Colby announced Thursday that Bill and Joan Alfond have promised to give a gift of up to $1.35 million through the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation to help the school raise $2.7 million for a synthetic grass athletic field.

“We have the best student-athletes and the best coaches,” Bill Alfond said. “In order to be a winner, this synthetic grass field is the last piece of the puzzle. We are relying on friends of Colby to help achieve this victory.”

Of the $1.35 million promised by the Alfonds, $850,000 is in the form of a challenge grant that will match other gifts Colby can raise for the project.

The artificial turf field is part of a strategic plan developed by Colby in 2002.

“Athletics play a powerful role in the educational process and we recognize how important team experiences are to individual students and to the college,” said Colby President William Adams.

The multipurpose field, which will be located just east of Colby’s existing soccer and lacrosse field, will serve as the game field for the White Mules’ lacrosse teams in the spring and for the women’s field hockey squad in the fall. It will measure 240 feet by 360 feet.

However, all 11 teams that play on outdoor fields are expected to benefit from the facility for games and/or practices. Participants in Colby’s club and intramural sports, along with community organizations, also will have access to the field.

Lighting, bleachers, restrooms and a scoreboard also are planned.

“We must remain competitive, both in regard to our athletic teams and to attracting applicants for admission, and Bill and Joan Alfond’s gift helps in both respects by providing colby with a state-of-the-art facility,” Adams said. “Their generosity carries on a family tradition that has helped shape the college as it is today.”

Mainers among top racewalkers

Anne Favolise of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside is among four Mainers who rank in the top five of the Racewalk International Collegiate Grand Prix standings.

Favolise, who hails from Columbia, is the defending champion in the series. UWP teammates Jasmine Brooks of Peru and Amanda Bergeron of Poland are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, while Berwick native Kate Dickinson, who competes for the University of Maine-Farmington, is fifth.

Brooks and Dickinson will be among the racewalkers heading to Overland Park, Kansas, for Sunday’s Junior World Cup 10K Trials.

The top three racers in that competition will qualify for the Junior World Cup race in May at Naumburg, Germany.

USM athletes ranked No. 1

Kristen Sinclair and Kim Brewer of the University of Southern Maine women’s track team boast the top Division III performances in the nation so far this season.

Sinclair, out of Maranacook High in Readfield, broke her school record in the javelin with a throw of 140 feet, 8 inches, during a recent competition in Gainesville, Fla.

Brewer, from Bristol, Vt., is the top-ranked heptathlete in the country after establishing a USM record by scoring 4,342 points recently at the Florida Relays.

Both athletes have qualified provisionally for the NCAA Division III National Championships to be held in late May at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill.