PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Erica Hemphill has been named varsity swimming head coach at Presque Isle High School, according to athletic administrator Mark White.
Hemphill, a 2012 Presque Isle graduate, takes over for Joyce Price, who led the Wildcats’ swim program for 15 years.
Hemphill holds five individual school swimming records and was a member of two relay teams that established school mark. She was named to the All-Penobscot Valley Conference swim team in 2011 and 2012. Hemphill also was selected to the PVC all-academic team and the Maine academic all-state team.
Hemphill went on to serve as an assistant coach under Price and has taught swimming lessons for five years at the Presque Isle Parks and Recreation Department.
She lives in Presque Isle and is a psychology major at the University of Maine in Presque Isle.
Traip forfeits three football wins
Traip Academy of Kittery has forfeited its three varsity football victories this season after reporting its use of an ineligible player, according to Maine Principals’ Association assistant executive director Mike Burnham.
The player in question had transferred to Traip during the last academic year and was found to be in his ninth semester of high school while playing for the Rangers’ football team as a reserve this fall.
An MPA rule limits athletes to eight consecutive semesters of eligibility.
Traip Academy officials self-reported the issue to MPA officials, Burnham said.
Traip, which was 3-2 and ranked fourth in Western Maine Class D, forfeited victories over Boothbay, Maranacook of Readfield and Telstar of Bethel and subsequently will drop to 0-5 and ninth place in the nine-team division.
Boothbay and Maranacook are now 2-3, while Telstar is 1-5.
Other teams in Western D are Lisbon (5-0), Dirigo of Dixfield (5-0), defending Class D state champion Oak Hill of Wales (5-1), Old Orchard Beach (3-3) and Winthrop-Monmouth (1-4).
This marks the second hit the Western D football league has taken this year. Sacopee Valley of South Hiram, which had gone 0-40 in its first five seasons as a varsity program, opted in July not to field a varsity team this fall, leaving the other schools in the division with a seven-game schedule.
