The University of Maine-Fort Kent has announced it will begin fielding new varsity athletic teams beginning next fall.

UMFK President Richard Cost announced the Bengals will begin competing in golf, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and Nordic skiing during 2006-07.

UMFK fielded club teams in those sports this school year and Cost believes the program will benefit from moving to varsity status.

“Athletic programs provide important opportunities for leadership, relaxation, recreation and a healthy lifestyle for students,” said Cost, who is the chairman of the Sunrise Conference and sits on the National Council of Presidents in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. “We want to provide a range of options for our students, including sports they can continue throughout their lives.”

Nordic and Alpine skiing will be competing in the newly formed Maine League of Schools under the auspices of the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association.

The golf team, which during its club status had a 12-man roster, will be coached by Joe Jubrick, UMFK’s associate professor of theater and oral communication. The Bengals practiced at Fort Kent Country Club.

The women’s volleyball team will be coached by Kate Fecinta, UMFK’s student success coordinator. Caroline Williams, assistant director of residential life and wellness at UMFK, guided the club team through three practices per week.

Bengals alum Roy Michaud has been grooming the cross country team for its return to varsity competition. He also will be at the helm of the UMFK cross country ski squad.

Michaud had 22 skiers on the roster and the team worked out two or three times weekly at the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent.

Colby-Sawyer honors St. Clair

Andrew St. Clair of Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H., was recognized recently during the 2006 Chargers Club Senior Athletic Awards Dinner.

The senior from Pittsfield, who played for the men’s basketball team, was named both the Outstanding Male Athlete and the Male Senior Scholar Athlete.

St. Clair last winter became the second player in school history to be named an All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He also is a two-time Academic All-America choice by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The senior center, a three-time Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year, finished his career with 2,043 points, third most in Colby-Sawyer history, and set a school career mark with 1,007 rebounds.

St. Clair, an exercise and sports science major, owns a 3.68 grade point average.

UMPI fetes Beasley, Bakken

Sarah Beasley of Houlton was named the University of Maine-Presque Isle’s Female Athlete of the Year for the second time during the school’s recent annual awards banquet.

Beasley, a senior, was chosen the team MVP in women’s basketball and volleyball. She averaged 13.7 points per game on the basketball court and earned a spot on the NCAA Division III All-Independent first team.

In volleyball, Beasley led the Owls in most statistical categories.

Bakken, a junior from Duluth, Minn., was named UMPI’s Male Athlete of the Year after a tremendous winter in cross country skiing.

Bakken claimed three gold medals at the national championships in the 8-kilometer freestyle, 1.5K sprint and 15K classical race. He was named the men’s overall champion en route to USCSA Academic All-America recognition.

Bakken finished 10th at the U.S. Olympic biathlon trials.

Jeff Sprague of Waldoboro and Leah Joy of Swans Island received UMPI’s Al Arman “Make a Difference” awards.

Herons’ Liz Saucier honored

Liz Saucier of William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., was among 10 members of the school field hockey team named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-Academic Team.

Saucier, a junior from Old Town, helped the Herons earn the NFHCA National Academic Team Award, which goes to programs that attain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester.

Saucier and the other honorees maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.