NFA’s LaPointe named to CHSCA Hall of Fame
Retired Norwich Free Academy girls' cross country and tennis coach Gil LaPointe will be inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame during its 42nd annual ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Aqua Turf in Southington.
LaPointe will be joined by seven others coaches — Wolcott cheerleading coach Michele Cordeau, Ridgfield cross country and track coach Richard Medve, Trumbull swimming coach George Tatersoian, Amity girls' tennis coach Harold Freedman, Shelton girls' basketball coach Howard Gurda, Bethel football coach Ralph DeSantis Jr. (posthumously) and Berlin wrestling coach Jim Day (posthumously) — and former Norwich Bulletin sports editor Marc Allard, who will receive the media induction award.
LaPointe coached tennis for 35 years and cross country for 27, retiring after the 2005-06 school year. His cross country teams won the 1985 New England championship, two State Open titles and six Class LL state championships, along with six runner-up finishes.
He finished with an overall record of 311-13, was named the National Coaches Associated Coach of the Year in 1996, the CHSCA Coach of the Year in 1993 and the Connecticut Coach of the Year in 1996.
Tickets for the event are $46 and available in advance by calling (860) 628-4112 or emailing John Fontana at jfontana01@snet.net.
H.S. volleyball
• Old Lyme lost its season opener 3-1 to Cromwell in the Shoreline Conference. Game scores were 2523, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-15. Clair Wholean had five assists for the Wildcats and Taylor Thompson added five kills.
College honors
• Recent UConn women's basketball graduate Kia Nurse, who just completed her rookie season with the WNBA's New York Liberty, was named a Top 30 honoree for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
A selection committee will announced nine finalists, including three from each NCAA division, next month, but all 30 will be celebrated during the Woman of the Year ceremony on Oct. 28 in Indianapolis.
Nurse helped UConn win two NCAA championships during her four seasons and four American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles. She was selected as the AAC and National Defensive Player in 2018 and was the AAC Freshman of the Year in 2015. She has been a member of the Canadian Senior National Team since 2013 and played in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Black Wolves release schedule
• The New England Black Wolves will open their 2018-19 National Lacrosse League season on Dec. 8 on the road at the Rochester Knighthawks. The Black Wolves will open at home on Dec. 28 against the reigning NLL champion Saskatchewan Rush.
New England's other home games at Mohegan Sun Arena are: Jan. 19, Georgia, 7 p.m.; Jan. 27, Buffalo, 6 p.m.; Feb. 9, Rochester, 7 p.m.; Feb. 17, Philadelphia, 3 p.m.; Feb. 24, Toronto, 1 p.m.; March 3, Colorado, 1 p.m.; March 31, Rochester, 1 p.m.; April 6, San Diego, 7 p.m.