Former University of Maine coach Joe Harasymiak has been honored by the American Football Coaches Association as the 2018 Football Championship Subdivision National Coach of the Year.
Harasymiak led the Black Bears to a 10-4 record and the team’s first Colonial Athletic Association championship in five years. Maine advanced to the FCS semifinals for the first time in program history. He left UMaine on Dec. 20 to accept a job as a defensive assistant at the University of Minnesota after three seasons as the Black Bears head coach.
Others honored by AFCA as National Coach of the Year were Washington State’s Mike Leach (Football Bowl Subdivision), Lenoir-Rhyne’s Drew Cronic (NCAA Division II), Johns Hopkins’ Jim Margraff (Division III) and Morningside’s Steve Ryan (NAIA).
The winners were honored Tuesday evening at the American Football Coaches Awards in San Antonio, Texas.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
VERMONT 73, MAINE 49: Robin Duncan and Anthony Lamb each scored 11 points as the Catamounts (12-4, 2-0 America East) routed the Black Bears (2-15, 0-2) in Bangor.
Sergio El Darwich had 16 points and eight rebounds for Maine (2-15, 0-2), which has lost 15 straight against Vermont. Isaiah White added 10 points.
(9) VIRGINIA TECH 52, GEORGIA TECH 49: Ahmed Hill scored 15 points, Kerry Blackshear Jr. added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Hokies (14-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) overcame a terrible shooting performance to beat the Yellow Jackets (9-6, 1-1) in Atlanta.
MISSISSIPPI 82, (11) AUBURN 67: Terence Davis had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Rebels (12-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) to a win over the Tigers (11-3, 0-1) in Oxford, Mississippi.
Mississippi continued its run of strong play under its first-year coach, Kermit Davis, after being widely picked to finish at or near the bottom of the SEC.
RUTGERS 64, (16) OHIO STATE 61: Montez Mathis hit two contested layups and Geo Baker nailed a jumper with 10.3 seconds to play as the Scarlet Knights (8-6, 1-3 Big Ten) scored their biggest conference victory under Coach Steve Pikiell, beating the Buckeyes (12-3, 2-2) in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The win was the Scarlet Knights’ first against a ranked Big Ten team since an upset of No. 4 Wisconsin in January 2015 under then-coach Eddie Jordan.
TEMPLE 73, (17) HOUSTON 69: Quinton Rose scored 22 points and the Owls (12-3, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) handed the Cougars (15-1, 2-1) their first loss of the season, in Philadelphia.
Breaon Brady had 19 points to lead Houston, which started 15-0 for the first time since the 1967-68 team won its first 31 games.
(21) MARQUETTE 106, CREIGHTON 104: Markus Howard scored 14 of his career-high 53 points in overtime after teammate Sam Hauser’s deep 3-pointer at the end of regulation tied the game, and the Golden Eagles (13-3, 2-1 Big East) beat the Blue Jays (10-6, 1-2) in Omaha, Nebraska.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MAINE 63, VERMONT 51: Tanesha Sutton poured in 27 points while leading the Black Bears (10-6, 3-0 America East) past the Catamounts (5-10, 1-2) in Burlington, Vermont.
Maine was losing 49-47 with just under five minutes to play but closed the game on a 16-2 run. Sutton hit a jumper in the lane, then a layup, to put Maine ahead 51-49. Parise Rossignol followed with seven of Maine’s final 12 points.
Blanca Millan finished with 15 points for Maine, and Rossignol scored 11.
Vermont got 14 points from Hanna Crymble and 13 from Josie Larkins.
(3) UCONN 82, CINCINNATI 38: Katie Lou Samuelson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Huskies (13-1, 2-0 American Athletics) routed the visiting Bearcats (9-6, 1-1).
(23) MICHIGAN STATE 86, (18) MINNESOTA 68: Sidney Cooks scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and the Spartans (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) never trailed in a win over the Golden Gophers (12-3, 0-3) at East Lansing, Michigan.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
BOWDOIN 5, CASTLETON 1: The Polar Bears (1-10-1) scored three times in the second period and defeated the Spartans (4-10-2) in Brunswick.
After Marissa Fichter’s goal put Bowdoin ahead in the first period, Miranda Bell, Tala Glass and Julia Surgenor scored in the second to extend the lead to 4-1. Angelina Joyce added a third-period goal.
Dani Marquez made 13 saves for the Polar Bears.
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