ORONO – The University of Maine volleyball team has received two National Letters of Intent from student-athletes Leah Guidinger and Kaili Jordan, both from Saskatchewan, Canada.

Guidinger is a 6-foot middle blocker from Prince Alberta and a member of both the 2000 Canadian Youth National Team and Saskatchewan Provincial team this year. She captained Saskatchewan to a provincial championship in 2001 and a silver medal in 2000.

“Leah will be a great addition to our volleyball program,” said UMaine coach Sue Medley. “She is a tremendous athlete and her competitive experience at the international, national and provincial levels is a great plus … We expect her to make an immediate contribution to our program.”

Jordan is a 5-10 outside hitter and captain of the Saskatchewan junior provincial team the last two years. She also played on the Saskatchewan provincial team and won a gold medal in the 2001 Canadian Far Western Championships, silver in 2000, and bronze in 1999.

“Kaili brings a lot of strengths to our program as she is an intense competitor with a will to succeed,” Medley said. “She can help us immediately at the outside position offensively as an attacker and she possesses solid ball control skills, and should become one of our primary passers.”

Both Jordan and Guidinger also competed in track and field and basketball. Jordan intends to major in communication sciences and disorders while Guidinger is eyeing marine biology.

Osgood named Man of the Year

Former longtime University of Maine-Fort Kent men’s basketball coach Lowell “Ozzie” Osgood was honored recently as the Man of the Year by the Maine College Basketball Coaches and Writers Association.

Osgood received the award at the MCBCWA’s annual banquet April 9 at Thomas College in Waterville. The MCBCWA cited Osgood’s success as a coach and his contributions and service to men’s basketball in Maine.

Osgood coached the UMFK team from 1962 to 1977, retiring with a record of 217-105. He also served as the school’s soccer coach.

In 27 years of coaching at the high school and college levels, Osgood never had a losing record. He coached the Bengals to one Northeast College Conference title and two runners-up titles. His teams never finished worse than fourth in the eight-team conference.

A native of Kingman, Osgood starred in football, baseball, basketball, track and cross country at Higgins Classical Institute in Charleston.

Osgood played football, baseball and basketball as a freshman at the University of Maine in Orono. He captained the varsity basketball team his senior year and graduated in 1950. He received a master’s degree in 1955.

Osgood began his coaching career at Aroostook Central Institute in Mars Hill. He also coached and taught at Greenville High, Windham High in Connecticut and Old Town High.

Osgood had a high school basketball coaching record of 152-66 when he took the varsity post at UMFK.

He also played and managed eight years of semi-professional baseball in the Maine-New Brunswick and Tri-County leagues.

Brown-Jones up for scholarship

Jamel Brown-Jones, a senior at Husson College in Bangor, is one of 10 students nationwide who has been nominated for the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Award, which carries a $10,000 prize.

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, which administers the scholarships, will give out five awards to minorities who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration. Students are required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0 and have demonstrated leadership skills.

Brown-Jones is a physical education major from Springfield Gardens, N.Y. He was a three-year member of the Husson men’s basketball team and served as a co-captain in his senior year. He has a cumulative GPA of 3.35, was vice president of the Husson senior class, a member of the Husson College Student Government and the residential life staff, and is president of the Physical Education Club.

The winners will be announced the week of April 29.

Hakala, Saenger win Bates award

Bates College cross country and track and field athlete Rebecca Hakala of Sanford, and swimmer Casey Saenger of Newark, Del., have been named the 2002 winners of the Milton L. Lindholm Scholar-Athlete Award.

The award is presented annually to the Bates senior man and woman who have achieved the highest grade point averages among student-athletes who have won two or more varsity letters, including one in their senior year.

Hakala, a Sanford High graduate, was the captain of the cross country and track and field teams. Saenger is a four-year letter winner and sprint specialist.