Led by a former local high school standout, Bentley University is ranked No. 2 in the Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball preseason poll.

Sam Leclerc of Fayette and Winthrop High School is the only returning starter for the Falcons, who were runner-up to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in the poll.

Leclerc, who led Winthrop to a state championship his senior year, averaged just under eight points per game as a junior for Division II Bentley. He started his career at Division I Bryant.

Russell honored

Ben Russell of Farmington (Mt. Blue) has been named to the All-North Atlantic Conference men’s soccer team.

Russell, a Maine Maritime Academy junior, was a second-team choice and one of three all-conference players for the Mariners. He led the team with six goals to go along with three assists.

An overtime goal in the NAC quarterfinals was Russell’s third game-winning strike of the season.

Dream season ends

Michelle Oswald of Jay (Mt. Blue) assisted the goal that put the University of New England into the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship game.

Oswald set up Emily Koehler on a penalty corner to give the Nor’easters a 2-1 victory Thursday over Nichols College.

UNE (18-3) lost 2-1 at Endicott in the conference title game Saturday. Bree Tupper of Winthrop scored the goal for the Nor’easters, her 10th of the season.

Farm report

University of Maine at Farmington men’s soccer midfielder Luiz Ristow was named NAC rookie of the year this past week.

Joining the Brazilian in the all-conference roundup were junior Jordan Hale of Falmouth on the first team and senior Sean Raph of Waterville and junior Michael Kelly on the second team.

Mt. Blue graduate Ava Amador, a freshman, was one of three UMF women’s soccer players named to the NAC second team.

Letter perfect

Saint Joseph’s College field hockey standout T.J. Cowin of Newry (Telstar) was one of three Monks selected to the NAC all-conference first team.

The sophomore Cowin was her team’s runaway leader in scoring in her first season after transferring to the school. She notched 15 goals and two assists.

Cowin led Simmons College as a freshman with 11 goals and six assists.

St. Joe’s lost to Husson, 2-1, in penalty strokes in the conference championship game Saturday.

Class act

Kayla Kimball of Winthrop was one of five University of Southern Maine field hockey players named to the Little East Conference fall all-academic team.

Twenty USM athletes made the list, which requires students to maintain a grade-point average of 3.3, be at least a sophomore academically and to play a varsity sport.

Kimball and her fellow award winners will be honored at a banquet Nov. 13.

Quick hits

• Turner native Matt Maloney has been named assistant coach of the Colby College alpine ski program. Maloney previously was an assistant alpine coach at his alma mater, Colby-Sawyer. He also has served as assistant ski coach and head men’s strength and conditioning coach at Stratton Mountain School and was assistant FIS coach for the Mount Washington Valley ski team in New Hampshire.

• Junior Kevin Smith of Auburn assisted a goal Friday night in the Southern Maine’s season-opening 5-4 men’s hockey win over Skidmore.

• Bates men’s cross country, ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division III, finished fourth out of 44 teams Saturday at the ECAC Cross Country Championship, hosted by Williams College. Bates will compete in the NCAA New England Regional at Bowdoin next week.

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