Huskies receive several honors UM’s Pekrul earns prestigious award

University of Southern Maine men’s track and field coach Scott Hutchinson and senior pole vaulter Adam Haggerty of Hermon have garnered prestigious postseason recognition for the indoor season.

Hutchinson, in his third year at the school, was named the Little East Conference’s Coach of the Year by his peers while Haggerty was chosen as the conference’s Field Athlete of the Year.

Hutchinson guided USM to a program-best fifth place at the ECAC Division III Championships this winter, to go along with a runner-up finish at the New England Alliance/Little East Championships.

The Huskies also captured their first Maine State Championship.

Haggerty emerged as one of New England’s top pole vaulters under Hutchinson’s tutelage.

The former Hermon star earned All-New England Championship and ECAC honors, finishing second and eighth, respectively, in those meets.

Haggerty also defended his Little East Conference crown, clearing 4.57 meters. He won the event in six of 12 meets he competed in this winter.

Meanwhile, USM men’s basketball standouts Jamaal Caterina of Portland and Drew Coppenrath of Vermont have been chosen to play in the New England Basketball Coaches Association Division III All-Star Game at Babson (Mass.) College.

The game will be played Sunday at 3 p.m.

Caterina, a 6-foot-6 forward, led the Huskies in scoring (18 points per game), rebounding (9.4) and assists (2.7) while shooting at a 44.6 percent clip from the field.

The first-team All-Little East selection notched 10 double-doubles in 18 games this winter, becoming the first USM men’s player to earn first-team all-conference honors since Jason Levesque in 2003.

Coppenrath averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while leading the Huskies in 3-point field goals with 33. He also earned a spot on the Little East all-defensive team, leading USM with 26 blocked shots.

The senior caps his three-year career at USM with 804 points, 413 rebounds, 54 assists and 44 blocked shots in 77 games.

The Huskies earned their first winning season since 1998-99 with a 14-13 overall mark, including an 8-6 record in conference play. USM reached the semifinals of the conference tournament before bowing to top-seeded UMass Dartmouth.

UMaine’s Pekrul honored

Jordon Pekrul, who last fall completed her career on the UMaine women’s soccer team, recently was awarded the 2008 College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture’s Outstanding International Student Award.

Pekrul, who is scheduled to graduate next month with a B.S. in biochemistry, was a four-year starter for coach Scott Atherley’s Black Bears.

Pekrul has been named to the Dean’s List each semester, is a three-time member of the America East Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, and is a gold medalist as a UMaine Scholar-Athlete.

“What distinguishes [Jordon] from other student-athletes that I have coached is the fact that she is so well-balanced and possesses a perspective reflective of someone well beyond her age,” Atherley. “Her talent and impact on the growth of our program at the University of Maine is rivaled only by her integrity and determination to succeed.”

To be nominated for the honor, a candidate must be: a graduating senior; have a superior academic record; have made special contributions to her area of study; and be considered for community service, campus involvement and leadership experience.