The Bates College field hockey program will be competing in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time later this week.

The Bobcats, ranked seventh in the nation, learned that they received an at-large bid during the tournament’s selection show late Sunday night.

They will host Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Campus Ave. field in Lewiston.

“This was a lot of years in the making and countless hours have gone into preparation for this,” Auburn’s Paige Cote, a senior captain, said in a news release. “Nothing beats our home crowd, so we are really excited to host a first-round game.”

The tournament bid adds to Bates’ already historically successful season. The Bobcats are 12-5, the most wins in a season since 1982. Their 7-3 NESCAC record is their best ever, and they reached the NESCAC semifinals for the first time in program history.

Also in the NCAA tournament is University of Southern Maine, which earned an automatic berth after winning the Little East Conference tournament championship. The Huskies feature several area high school graduates, including: Lewiston’s Abigail Chartier, Spruce Mountain’s Hanni Johnson, Lisbon’s Haley-Jane Tuplin, Winthrop’s Eleanor Folsom and Lainey Bell, Edward Little’s Jordan Cummings and Emma Samson, Oxford Hills’ Brooke Carson and Ashley Campbell, and Oak Hill’s Julia Lane and Olivia Staggs.

Cummings was named the Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Southern Maine opens the tournament against Tufts University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Medford, Massachusetts.

WOMEN’S SOCCER
USM, MMA MAKE NCAA TOURNEY: The Southern Maine women’s soccer team also qualified for the NCAA tournament by way of winning the Little East championship. The Huskies, featuring Edward Little grad Ella Boucher, are matched up against Rowan University in the first round Saturday in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Maine Maritime Academy punched its ticket by winning the North Atlantic Conference tournament championship. The Mariners’ roster includes Mt. Blue’s Emma White, Rangeley’s Olivia Pye, and Leavitt’s Kaitlyn Anair and Delaney Ennis. Maine Maritime will face Amherst College on Saturday in Babson Park, Massachusetts.

UMF’S FLETCHER EARNS NAC HONOR: University of Maine at Farmington senior Audrey Fletcher was named the North Atlantic Conference Co-Player of the Year last week.

Fletcher, a Monmouth Academy grad, tied for the conference’s top mark in goals, with 10. She finished the season with 13 goals overall, to go along with six assists. Husson University’s Natalie Aviolla shared Co-Player of the Year honors with Fletcher, who was also named to the NAC All-Conference first team.

Also for the Beavers, Grace Dwyer was named to the All-NAC second team and Abby Lash received third team honors — along with Thomas College’s Samantha Fortin, who is a Gray-New Gloucester grad. UMaine-Farmington’s Riley Forrest was selected to the NAC Sportsmanship Team.

MEN’S SOCCER
ADOW NAMED ALL-NAC: UMaine-Farmington freshman Mohamed Adow, an Edward Little grad, was selected first-team All-Conference by the NAC last week, along with teammate Zach Chaisson.

Adow compiled 14 goals and three assists, and his nine goals in conference play were second-most in the league.

William Dowse was named to the second team from UMaine-Farmington, and Aric Belanger represented the Beavers on the Sportsmanship Team. Maine Maritime’s Evan Allen, a Mt. Abram grad, also was named to the NAC Sportsmanship Team.

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