Kudos for Coaches

Assistant athletics director and long-time women’s volleyball coach Sandy Hoffman is among 14 inductees to the New Agenda: Northeast Hall of Fame. The organization is in its 23rd year of honoring women who have been women who have been instrumental in advancing opportunities for girls and women in sport. Mary Kay Samko was named Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year by the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) championship, for the seventh time in 10 years. In the current season, Samko directed the Falcons to a record of 11-0 and a second-place finish in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Rick Danehy notched a fourth win as the NEISDA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year. Southern Illinois University has named its women’s basketball locker room for Cindy Scott, an assistant athletics director at Bentley for the last 13 years. The honor recognizes Scott’s very successful run as women’s basketball coach for the Salukis.

Blizzard of Wins

It has been a great winter for Bentley basketball. The men’s squad, coached by Jay Lawson, captured the NE-10 regular season title for the sixth time in seven years. Meanwhile, coach Barbara Stevens’ Lady Falcons earned its first NE-10 regular season championship since 2003 (and 19th overall); the team also won a 15th championship in the NE-10 Conference tournament. At press time, both teams had earned No. 1 seeds in their respective NCAA Division II East Regional tournaments and were preparing to host quarterfinal games at the Dana Center.

Distinguished Dozen

Twelve Bentley student athletes were named to the fall Academic All-Conference teams by the Northeast-10: Trueb and John Drago (Avon, Conn.) of men’s cross country; football players Jared Kawadler (Sharon, Mass.), John Malone (Walpole, Mass.), Bryant Johnson (Hopedale, Mass.) and Greg O’Brien (Canton, Mass.); field hockey’s Beth Maguire (Medfield, Mass.); women’s and men’s soccer players Kara Smith (West Springfield, Mass.) and Weston Zeiner (North Granby, Conn.); volleyball’s Kelly Mee (Ivyland, Pa.); and, for women’s cross country, runners Amy Varsell (Burlington, Conn.) and Lauren Lesniak (Dracut, Mass.).

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