Apr 27, 2006
By DICK BAKER
Former American International College standout Megan Ladley of Pittsfield is still playing winning college basketball, but these days she's doing it in England.
Ladley, a graduate student at Northumbria University, based in Newcastle, England, led her team to three different titles in its best season in program history. She capped the run by scoring 36 points to gain most valuable player honors in an 89-81 overtime victory over the Sheffield U-20's in the British Basketball League Division II championship game. Northumbria had won its first title of the season by taking the National Trophy in a February with a 74-54 victory over Sheffield II. Northumbria also claimed the regular-season title with a 12-3 record.
In the championship game, the Sheffield U-20's led by four points during overtime before Ladley scored six of the next 10 points to help Northumbria pull away.
Ladley's basketball season didn't end there. She was also selected to represent England in the British University Games in Swansea, Wales, where England bested Scotland and Wales to take the Gold Medal. Again, Ladley was voted the MVP of the tournament.
Northumbria is hoping to move up to Division I next season.
A 3-point shooting specialist, Ladley graduated from AIC in 2005 with a school and Northeast-10 record of 277 field goals from behind the arc. And although she missed out by a year on this season's Yellow Jackets trip to the national finals, she was a freshman on the Elite Eight team that made the trip to Rochester, Minn., in 2002.
Ladley, who recorded 1,183 points for AIC, played quite a bit of point guard in England, enabling her to utilize other talents and not just shooting the three.
NEW WNEC COACH: Former Clarkson University standout Chris Bernard has been named as the first full-time men's ice hockey coach at Western New England College.
Bernard, a goaltender with Clarkson from 1994-98, replaces Karl Enroth, who held a part-time position as the Golden Bears coach the past five seasons.
This past season, Bernard served as an assistant coach for Canisius College, a Division I entry in Atlantic Hockey.
Bernard posted a 13-0-1 record his senior year at Clarkson for a .964 winning percentage, fourth highest in NCAA Division I hockey history. The Golden Eagles won two ECAC regular season titles and reached four NCAA tournaments during his years there.
Bernard earned a bachelor of science degree in technical communications at Clarkson, and then received a master of science degree in sports administration at Canisius.
In his senior year, Bernard was the recipient of the Mike Morrison Scholarship for athletic and academic excellence along with the Clarkson Coaches Award for determination to succeed and team dedication
Bernard also served as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Stings of the North American Hockey League. After his collegiate career, he skated for the Mohawk Valley Prowlers and the Missouri River Otters of the United States Hockey League.
MAY MOVES UP: Bonnie May, the volleyball and softball coach at Smith College, will leave the coaching ranks and take over as the assistant athletic director at the end of the current softball season. May has served as the volleyball coach since 1980, and the softball coach since 1981. "I had considered administration a good option for my future, but didn't expect it would present itself as soon as it did," May said.
GOOD START: Freshman Becky Bedard of East Longmeadow is off to a good start in her collegiate career as a member of the Ithaca College women's lacrosse team. Although Ithaca is 2-9, 2-4 in the Empire 8, Bedard has 10 goals and three assists for 13 points.
Bedard posted a season-high three goals in a recent tough 12-11 loss to St. John Fisher.
ARMED WITH WINS: Bentley College freshman Brett Fistes of South Deerfield pitched 8 2/3 innings of scoreless ball while scattering six hits in a recent 1-0 victory over Pace. He built up a 3-0 record before suffering his first loss, 8-0 to Franklin Pierce, but notched his fourth victory in a 6-3 triumph over Stonehill Monday. Fistes allowed only four hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings.
