CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The University of Maine women’s soccer team has been selected to finish third in the 2007 America East preseason coaches’ poll.

The Black Bears received 51 points in a vote of the conference’s head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

For the fourth straight year, Boston University received the top honor and garnered eight first-place votes and 64 overall points. Hartford was second with 54 points and one first-place vote. Binghamton and New Hampshire tied for fourth with 38 points followed by Vermont (28), Stony Brook (25), Maryland Baltimore County (13) and Albany (12).

The Black Bears finished 14-4-2 last season and 5-3 in conference play and appeared in their fourth straight America East title game.

McCormack named captain

University of Maine men’s soccer head coach Pat Laughlin has announced that senior back Kiaran McCormack has been named the captain of the men’s soccer team.

The team was also selected to place ninth in the conference in the America East preseason coaches poll.

McCormack, a native of Dunkalk, Ireland, is in his second season at Maine. Last year he started in eight games. He was named to the America East Commissioners Honor Roll and was a Maine Scholar-Athlete. He played two seasons at the University of Vermont prior to coming to Maine.

Binghamton topped the preseason poll with 54 points to Boston University’s 53 points and Vermont’s 52 points. New Hampshire was third at 38 points followed by Stony Brook (33), Hartford (30), UMBC (29), Albany (23) and Maine.

Huskies announce golf captains

Senior Greg Mitchell and junior Ben Loss have been selected as captains of the University of Southern Maine golf team.

Mitchell averaged 84.1 in eight rounds of competition in 2006 and had a season-low 77 twice at the Southern Maine Fall Classic. In his career, he averaged 82.6 strokes per round, including 81.9 stroke average in 2005.

Loss averaged 82.3 strokes per round in 13 rounds and recorded a career-best 78 twice for the Huskies.

USM names men’s XC captains

University of Southern Maine seniors Forrest Tobie, Curtis Wheeler and Nick Wheeler have been named captains of the men’s cross country team.

Tobie and the Wheeler brothers were also captains last year.

Tobie earned both All-Little East Conference and New England Alliance honors for Southern Maine. He also placed seventh overall at the Little East Conference championship.

Nick Wheeler was named All-Little East Conference last season and was twice named LEC Runner of the Week.

Curtis Wheeler was a Division III All-New England, All-LEC and All-Alliance honoree in 2006 and competed in the NCAA Division III National Championship in Mason, Ohio.

Duggan on U.S. Rowing team

Margaret Duggan, a 2006 Colby College of Waterville graduate, made the U.S. National Rowing Team and is headed to Munich, Germany, for the 2007 FISA World Rowing Championships Aug. 26-Sept. 2

Duggan rows for the New York Athletic Club and will compete in the Women’s Lightweight Quadruple Sculls.