Former Hampden Academy student-athlete Amanda Rodgerson is leaving Southern Maine Community College to take the head women’s basketball coaching position at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

“I just found out Friday,” she said. “It was getting late in the summer so it’s a big load off my mind.”

The 1998 Hampden Academy graduate said the WIT job was attractive in a lot of ways.

“I knew I wanted to be at the D3 level at this stage in my career and this was one of the jobs I applied for,” she said. “This particular job just felt right to me. I like the program and they seem to have built the program to be headed in the right direction.

“I’ll also still in the administration as well as athletic coordinator, but I’ll have more time to concentrate on my coaching and that’s something that made this a really attractive job to me.”

Rodgerson, who has been SMCC’s women’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director for the last three years, compiled a 44-30 coaching record with the Seawolves. She guided the team to the 2006 Yankee Small College Conference championship and was named YSCC Coach of the year the same season.

“I didn’t want to just go anywhere and there’s a part of me that wants to stay in Maine, but I also liked the idea of going to a big city and still being fairly close to Maine,” Rodgerson said. “Program-wise, they’re in a very strong conference and I think this team has a chance to be at the top of the conference with some hard work.”

Rodgerson earned a degree in sports and fitness management at the University of New England.

“I’m very happy for Amanda and have nothing but praise for her,” said SMCC athletic director Matt Richards in a school press release. “Her three years at SMCC saw tremendous growth in the women’s basketball program, and she will be sorely missed.”

Holt blows in for Nor’easters

Brad Holt, the coach and on-ice director of The Clinic program at Bowdoin College, has been hired as the head men’s ice hockey coach at the University of New England in Biddeford.

The UNE Nor’easters, which are bringing back ice hockey after a 30-year absence, will start out as a pre-varsity program and start competition this winter. UNE won three consecutive NAIA District 5 championships in the late 1970’s when it was still known as St. Francis College.

Holt was player and coach for the Ishockey Klub of Aalborg, Denmark from 1980 to 1982 and won coach of the year honors while helping the club win a first division national championship. He was also head coach at New Hampton Prep (1996-2001), assistant coach at Colby College (1980), coach and arena manager for the Oyster River Youth Hockey Association (1985-95), and head coach for the Green Mountain Glades of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (2001-06).

The 1979 University of New Hampshire graduate was a three-year letter-winner and played on two NCAA Final Four teams. He also played professionally for the Washington Capitals’ Dayton Gems.

Allen was assistant coach last season for Joan Howard, who recently took the head field hockey coaching job at UNE. A pitcher at Biddeford High School, Camire is also a 2002 UNE graduate. She went 12-5 with a 1.36 earned run average in two seasons at UNE after transferring from Thomas College.