MECHANIC FALLS – Floyd Lavery of Gorham and Stephanie Atkinson of Hollis captured the male and female categories in the 23rd Annual Pottle Hill Road Race on Saturday. A total of 74 runners participated in this year’s event.

Lavery won the 10-kilometer race for men with a time of 37 minutes and 52 seconds, while Atkinson’s time of 44:09 was good enough for top honors in the women’s race. Paul Johnson of Standish broke the previous record of 17:38 set by Jeff Howley in 2001 with a time of 16:55. Forrest Tobie of Mt. Vernon and T.J. Niles of Mechanic Falls also broke the old record. Tobie made the distance in just 16:56, while Niles took 17:16 to finish.

The five-kilometer male record was broken by three runners, while one runner reset the 5km female record. Allyson Koenig broke the previous record of 21:05 in the female 5km with a time of 19:59. Three Lewiston runners earned top five finishes in the men’s 10km. Donald Hebert came home third at 38:29, Tom Menendez finished fourth at 42:21, while Gary G. Weber finished in fifth at 42:23.

Bernatchez named interim coach at Colby

WATERVILLE – Amy Bernatchez has her share of state high school championships as a successful head coach in Maine. This fall, she will aim for a title from the sidelines at Colby College.

Bernatchez was named interim head coach of the Colby field hockey team Tuesday The Mules went 9-6 last year and return a number of key players, including two-time All-America n selection Wendy Bonner.

Bernatchez won two state championships in nine years (1995-2003) at her alma mater, Messalonskee High School. She also won another state title in field hockey while coaching at Cony High School in Augusta from 1991 to 1994. She was the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference (KVAC) Class A Coach of the Year in 93, 96 and 2000.

“Colby is extremely fortunate to have someone of Amy’s ability leading the field hockey program this year,” said Colby Athletic Director Marcella Zalot. “She brings with her a tremendous knowledge of the sport, the proven ability to teach, and a wealth of playing and coaching experience. I’m confident the program will continue to move forward under Amy’s leadership.”