CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — For the fifth time this season, senior Brice Paey (Milton) of the University of New Hampshire men’s indoor track field team was named the America East Field Performer of the Week, announced by the league Tuesday afternoon.
Paey won the shot put event for the sixth time this season with a first-place showing against Maine and Vermont. The senior heaved a school-record toss of 60’3″ for a personal best, breaking the school-record he set last week at the Dartmouth Invitational with a throw of 60-00.25. Paey has already qualified for the IC4A Championships this season and has also reached the NCAA provisional mark for the automatic qualification in the event. This is Paey’s fifth weekly award this season.
Paey and both sides of the UNH track field team return to action at the America East Championships on Feb. 17-18, held at Boston University’s Track Tennis Center.
@Subhead:Moses named Walter Brown Award semifinalist
BOSTON — Senior forward Stevie Moses of the University of New Hamsphire men’s hockey team was named a semifinalist for the 60th annual Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
Moses was among a group of 21 semifinalists selected by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, as announced by Paul Stewart on Feb. 13. In total, 14 players from Hockey East were selected.
Moses has become one of the top players in college hockey in 2011-12. The alternate captain recently became the third Wildcat in as many seasons to have 20-plus goals in a season. He ranks first in Hockey East in goals with 20 and is tied for the league lead in game-winning goals with four. Moses ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 31 points (20g, 11a). In his overall career, Moses has played in 140 games with 94 points on 45 goals and 49 assists.
The Wildcats have a storied tradition in the Walter Brown Award history that includes eight former Wildcats that have earned the honor, including Bob Miller (1977), Ralph Cox (1979), Ty Conklin (2001), Mike Ayers (2003), Steve Saviano (2004), Kevin Regan (2008) and more recently, Bobby Butler (2010).
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 60th Walter Brown Award in March following league playoffs and before the start of NCAA Tournament play. The award will be presented to the winner at the New England College Hockey Writers’ Dinner in April.
UNH returns to action Feb. 17-18 at the Whittemore Center for a two-game series against the University of Vermont. The teams play Friday night (7 p.m.) live on WBIN-TV and conclude the series on Saturday (7 p.m.).
@Subhead:Gray wins EAGL rookie honor
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. University of New Hampshire freshman gymnast Kayla Gray has been named the EAGL Rookie of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Gray registered a career-high 9.9 to finish in first place on balance beam and added a personal-best 9.825 on floor exercise to share the top score in that event during UNH’s quad-meet victory at the University of Pennsylvania on Feb. 10. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to seven and improved to 8-1 on the season by defeating Penn, Brockport and Wilson.
Gray, who has notched the Wildcats’ top beam score in four of their last five meets, becomes the second UNH gymnast to earn an EAGL weekly honor in 2012. The Buffalo, N.Y., native joins senior Kate McGeever (Saco, Maine), who was named the EAGL Specialist of the Week on Jan. 24.
New Hampshire takes on No. 19 North Carolina State in a league meet Friday, Feb. 17 (7 p.m.), at Carmichael Gymnasium in Raleigh, N.C. For more information, visit www.unhwildcats.com.