University of Maine at Farmington Nordic skier Alisha Labbe was the first female to cross the finish line in last Saturday’s USCSA Katahdin Nordic Sprint/10K race at Titcomb Mountain. That finish earned the Turner native and Leavitt Area High School graduate the USCSA’s Reynolds Division Female Nordic Athlete of the Week award.

Labbe finished sixth overall in the Katahdin Sprint, in a time of 4:44.713. She was just over a second behind Bates College skier Gabe Whitehead. Bates’ Ben Palmer won the event, as did the Bates club team in the two-team competition.

Bobcats place 9 on Nordic All-State team

Another Nordic ski race took place last Saturday, with Bates, Colby, Bowdoin and Maine-Presque Isle competing in the Chummy Broomhall Cup in Waterville. Colby won the Cup with the lowest combined score, but the second-place Bobcats put the most skiers on the Maine All-State Nordic Team, which was announced on Tuesday.

The Bates women placed six skiers on the team, led by first-team members Laurel Fiddler and Sadie James. Halie Lange, Britta Clark, Grace Wright and Helen Sudkamp-Walker were all named to the second team.

Parker McDonald and Max Millslagle were named to the men’s first team, and Nathan Moreau made his way onto the second team.

UMF’s Nichols nabs weekly hoops honor

UMaine-Farmington’s Logan Nichols was named Co-Player of the Week by the Maine Men’s Basketball Coaches and Writers Association this Monday. The Minot native and Poland Regional High School graduate split the honors with the University of Southern Maine’s Atencio Martin.

The Beavers played in just one game during the week ending January 17, but that single game saw Nichols drop in a career-high 28 points in a loss to Thomas College. The senior guard made all 12 of his free throws and went 4 for 5 from 3-point range in his career-best offensive game.

Thomas followed that up with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in a victory over New England College this past Friday.

Smith, Davenport secure women’s hoops weekly spotlight

Meghan Smith from UMF and Nina Davenport of Bates both made the Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s weekly honor roll for the week ending January 17.

Smith averaged 15 points — including going 16 for 18 from the foul line — and 9.5 rebounds as the Beavers won a pair of games. Her 18 points and 13 rebounds against Thomas were enough for a 15th career double-double. She added to that total with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to New England College this past Friday.

Davenport scored at a 19.7 points per game pace during a 2-1 week for the Bobcats, and also added 7.3 rebounds per game. Her 25 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Endicott were both season highs.

Locals boosting CMCC women

The Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team is in the final stretch of its regular season, and four local players are leading the offensive charge for the Mustangs’ playoff push.

Heading into a Sunday matchup against University of Maine at Machias, Paris native Alex Rowe led CM with 10.0 points per game. Rangeley’s Seve Deery-Deraps was close behind, averaging 9.9 points per game, and Fayette’s Nicole Hamblin (8.9) and Auburn’s Frankie Lally (8.1) were both scoring more than 8.0 points per game.

All four of the players were also averaging more than 4.0 rebounds per game, with Rowe tops at 6.8 boards per game. Hamblin was second on the team at a 5.7 per-game clip, and Wales native Meagan Crosby was third at an even 5.0 rebounds per contest.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com