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For better than two decades riding shotgun for Leda Levine's Mansfield High field hockey program, for nearly two decades serving as both a head and assistant softball coach, for 15 years serving as a softball umpire, for a decade serving as a junior varsity basketball coach, for helping establish the youth softball and field hockey leagues in Mansfield and countless hours of volunteer service, Laurie Hill will be inducted into the New Agenda Northeast Women's Hall of Fame, the group honoring individuals who promote sport for girls and women ...

Go Hornets! - the Alabama State Hornets of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, an NCAA Division I football program which beat Jacksonville State in its season opener, due, no doubt to the presence of new offensive line coach Jack Peavey, via Foxboro High, the former Bishop Feehan coach ...

Wheaton College women's tennis coach Lynn Miller began the 2007 season with one of the greatest challenges of her 28-year career, losing two starters to graduation, two to study abroad programs and the team's ace for personal reasons. "To lose five starters in one year's time is disappointing," said Miller, "but I'm also an experienced coach, so I need to figure out a way to get everyone playing up. I didn't expect to be in this situation, but it's beyond my control. One of the challenges thus far has been trying to run practices to meet everyone's needs because it's such a broad range." Oh, the Lyons are 3-0 thus far ...

Think of how many generations and legions of players that come under the watchful eye of Frank Almeida, now in his 53rd season of roaming the sidelines as a head or an assistant coach, at Taunton and at Coyle-Cassidy High and now at Bishop Feehan ...

Kevin Deschenes and his Attleboro High football team already have a big vacancy on the defensive line as senior Chris Browneis (6-5, 335) twisted his knee during the first day of training camp and has yet to be cleared to return to practice ... Ray Grant, the Athletic Director at Seekonk High, has entered into negotiations for use of the Ellis Mayers Natatorium with the Brown University swimming teams, which are pool-less as their acquatic center is undergoing renovations ...

One of the new additions to the Robb McCoy's coaching staff at Norton High is Brian Patnaude, who served at Greater New Bedford Voke for 15 years. And his first impression of Lancer football - "I've never seen kids hit like this." And in the McCoy family, quarterback John McCoy has transferred to No. 7 nationally ranked (in NCAA Division II) Pittsburgh State and will sit out the year under transfer rules ...

Bishop Feehan High speedster swimmer 17-year-old Kristen Connors of Mansfield, representing the Bluefish Swim Club, placed fifth overall at the 2007 Speedo Junior National Championships in Indianapolis. Connors took 15th place in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:39.6) and was a member of the fourth place 400-meter medley relay (4:21:03). She had earlier competed at the USA National Meet, also in Indianapolis two weeks earlier, in the 200 breaststroke ...

The Stanley Cup comes to Providence Oct. 7, at PC's Schneider Arena, where former Friar Brian Burke, the GM of the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, will have it on display for hockey fans from 11 a.m. until noon ...

Former Foxboro High field hockey star Mary Shea, a junior at UMass-Amherst, played with the New England High Performance team over the summer and now is starting at midfield. "She has incredible versatility over each of the lines, which gives our team powerful flexibility," said coach Justine Sowry ...

North Attleboro High product Krystle Cornetta, a member of the NCAA Division I national championship University of Maryland competitive cheerleading team, was the recipient of the Terps' President's Cup award for exceptional academic achievement and community service ...

Plainville's Jimmy Renner missed the cut at the North American Pro Golf Tour's stop in Brewster, Mass. at the Captains Open with a 36-hole score of 4-over-par 148, 13 shots off the pace ...

The annual "Save the Bay" swim from Newport to Jamestown had a number of local entrants crossing Narragansett Bay - John Magyar, Sean McNamara and Doug Strott of Attleboro, former Bishop Feehan and Connecticut College swimmer Catherine Servant of North Attleboro, Paul Leveille of North Attleboro, Colleen Simpson, Randal Rockney and Al Antonio of Rehoboth and Tim Morse, David Sicard, Mark Johnson and Brittney Caouette of Seekonk ...

PETER GOBIS may be contacted at 508-236-0375 or via e-mail to pgobis@thesunchronicle.com