Ed Flaherty is in his 30th year as the head baseball coach at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, but he has the same enthusiasm now as he had when he first started.
“I love it. I look forward to going to work every day,” said Flaherty, who notched his 900th career win on Thursday when his Huskies topped Bates College of Lewiston 10-4.
The former Deering High School of Portland and University of Maine star has a record of 900-403-4 and has led his Huskies to two NCAA Division III national championships.
The 61-year-old Flaherty said he is proud of his accomplishment and that the time has “gone by in a flash.”
“Somebody said it’s not about the numbers but it is. You want to have success in every endeavor and the number of wins you have matters,” said Flaherty, a member of several halls of fame including the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
He said he has been fortunate to have had “tremendous assistant coaches and players” over the years.
He has no retirement plans.
“I’d like to coach at least 10 more years,” said Flaherty, who would also like to win at least one more national championship. His Huskies reached the national title game in 2013, losing to Linfield College (Oregon) 4-1.
Flaherty, whose Huskies are 21-9 this season, will have another memorable moment later this summer when he and wife, Debbie, will welcome their first grandchild, a boy, courtesy of daughter Regina and her husband, Scott Booth.
The Flahertys also have two sons, Ryan and Regan. Ryan plays for the Baltimore Orioles.
UM field hockey players honored
University of Maine field hockey student-athletes Zoe Berkey and Holly Stewart each have been honored as Outstanding Graduating International Students in their respective fields of study.
Berkey, of Duncan, British Columbia, will graduate from the College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. The midfielder’s America East Conference honors include All-Academic Team since 2012.
For the fourth consecutive year, Berkey also was named to the National Academic Squad of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association in Division I.
Stewart, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, will earn a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and physical education from the College of Education and Human Development. The forward received the 2014 “M” Club Dean Smith Award and was on the Gladiator National Academic Squad from 2011 to 2013.
She was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region Team and the America East Conference First Team, both in 2013 and 2014. Stewart also was an SGI/NFHCA Division I Scholar of Distinction in 2013 and 2014.
UM swimmers support ‘Erin’s Run’
Members of the UMaine swimming and diving teams will be on hand assisting and participating at the third annual Erin’s Run on Saturday on the Bangor Waterfront.
For the last two years, the Black Bears have been heavily involved in volunteering and participating in Erin’s Run, a race to end domestic violence. The 5K is held in honor of Erin McGrath Woolley, a former UMaine swimmer, and in support of Spruce Run, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving people affected by domestic abuse.
The race benefits the Erin M. Woolley Scholarship Fund, which annually presents an award to an underclass UMaine swimmer or diver who best embodies the contributions of dedication, spirit and spunk that Erin made to the program.