Eric Lee, a defensive end at Dean College, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Maine starting next fall.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Lee helped lead Dean College, of Franklin, Mass., to a 9-1 record and the Northeast Football Conference championship last season. Lee was an all-conference honorable-mention performer for Dean, which finished the season ranked 11th in the National Junior College Athletic Association national poll.

Lee will have two seasons of eligibility at UMaine, which suffered key graduation losses in the defensive line last season, including ends Pat McCrossan and Josh Caldwell, along with tackles Bruno Dorismond, Reggie Paramoure and Bryan Grier. Lee is expected to play opposite All-America defensive end Jovan Belcher, who returns up front along with Jonathan Pirruccello of Turner and Al Serena.

In addition to his football exploits, which last season included 17 tackles, five for a loss, in six games, Lee maintained a 3.54 grade point average and earned the school’s AAA academic award for excellence in the classroom.

Lee is a graduate of Warren Hills Regional High School in Changewater, N.J., where he helped his team win back-to-back conference titles during his junior and senior seasons. He brook the school single-season record for sacks with 12.5 and was a first-team, all-league and All-West Jersey all-star his last two seasons.

Lee also wrestled in high school and was active in Tae Kwon Do tournaments at the national level. He was the national champion in the ages 15-18 division at the AAU Nationals two years ago.

The eligibility of NLI signees is contingent upon their admission to UMaine and compliance with NCAA initial eligibility guidelines. The signing period for junior college athletes in football began Wednesday.

Figueiredo All-New England pick

Bowdoin College of Brunswick, the University of Southern Maine of Gorham, and Saint Joseph’s College of Standish are well-represented on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III All-New England teams.

Nick Figueiredo, a senior forward from Bowdoin, headlines a group of four men named to the NSCAA Div. III All-New England teams as the only first-team selection. The fifth first-team pick ever from Bowdoin finished his career as the Polar Bears’ all-time leader in points (88) and goals (35) and was the first Bowdoin player ever to be NESCAC Player of the Year.

Other members of the men’s All-New England teams are second-team selections Brendan Egan, a senior defenseman from Bowdoin, and Sinisa Bajic, a junior forward from USM. Greg Cox, a junior midfielder from USM, was named to the fourth team. This marks the first time since 1988 that USM has had two players represented on the All-New England team.

Senior defender Jillian Leger of Saint Joseph’s College was named to the NSCAA All-New England women’s second team. The four-year starter is the lone representative on the teams from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.