Sports

Sports Briefs: Orient rower receives honors

WILLIAM SMITH ATHLETICS PHOTO |  Libby Hughes of Orient was part of the William Smith College team’s varsity eight that was named Liberty League Boat of the Week.

COLLEGE ROWING: Orient woman on boat of week The William Smith College team’s varsity eight, including junior Libby Hughes of Orient, was named the Liberty League Boat of the Week on Monday. It is the second time the Herons have earned the award this spring and the sixth time this year.

William Smith defeated all of its Division III opponents this past weekend on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. On Saturday, the Herons, ranked fourth in the nation in this week’s CRCA/USRowing poll, covered the 2,000-meter course in 6 minutes 50:53 seconds. William Smith fought back from a one-length deficit in the final 1,000 meters to almost catch Division I host Holy Cross. The Herons ended up finishing 0.93 seconds behind the Crusaders.

On Sunday the Herons swept the field, finishing 7.73 seconds ahead of No. 9 Tufts, with a winning time of 6:45.7. William Smith crossed the line more than 47 seconds ahead of third-place Skidmore.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS: Bundrick makes honor roll Erica Bundrick Mattituck, a first-year player for Saint Michael’s College (Vt.), was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending on April 14. Bundrick was 4-2 at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles. Bundrick has gone 9-5 in both singles and doubles during her rookie campaign.

Saint Michael’s (12-5, 10-2), which was seeded third in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, saw its season come to an end with a 5-0 loss at No. 2 Stonehill College during last Thursday’s semifinals. Saint Michael’s appeared in a semifinal for the 14th straight year, remaining the only program in NE-10 history to qualify for the semifinals every year since a team tournament format was instituted in 1999-2000. The Purple Knights are ranked eighth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association and NCAA regional polls.

Bundrick and sophomore Caroline Toutoungi dropped an 8-5 decision at No. 3 doubles. In singles play, Bundrick fell at the second position.

LACROSSE: ‘Lax for a Smile’ Boys and girls PAL teams and Riverhead’s varsity teams will be involved in a lacrosse fund-raiser, “Lax for a Smile,” on May 4 at the Pulaski Street School fields. The event will raise funds for Michael Hubbard, a boy who was critically burned about one and a half years ago. It will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will finish with Riverhead’s boys varsity lacrosse team playing its Senior Day game against North Babylon.

PAL FOOTBALL: Registration info The Riverhead Police Athletic League is accepting registrations for football players ages 7 through 12 and cheerleaders who are grades 2 through 6 for the 2013 season. To register by mail, go to www.townofriverheadny.gov, Local Links, Hot Links, go to Juvenile Aid Bureau, drag the side bar down to Registrations, print the necessary forms and mail to the PAL office. Forms are also located at the PAL office at 210 Howell Avenue in Riverhead. The registration deadline is tomorrow.

FISHING: Flounder season opens May 1 The recreational fishing season for summer flounder will open May 1 and remain open through Sept. 29, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Monday. The flounder size limit is 19 inches and there is a four-fish bag limit. Anglers are reminded to register with the Recreational Marine Fishing Registry, which is required for fishing in the Marine and Coastal District. No fee is required.

New York was faced with a shorter season or increased size limits for 2013 due to federal landings data for 2012. The DEC said it worked with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in January to avoid restrictions that would have reduced the length of the season and increased the size limit which the DEC determined was unnecessary given the healthy condition of the stock. Several of the east coast states underharvested their quotas in 2012, which allowed them to catch more fish in 2013.

Through a change spearheaded by the DEC to the ASMFC Fisheries Management Plan, these states agreed to share some of their unharvested fish with New York and New Jersey in 2013. This change was approved by the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Board recently.

“The improvements to fluke fishing is good news for New York anglers and the saltwater fishing industry who have been shortchanged for many years by an inadequate quota relative to the size of the fishery in New York,” the DEC commissioner, Joe Martens, said in a press release. “These are the same anglers who are struggling to get back on their feet after the impacts of Hurricane Sandy. DEC will work with a subcommittee of key states and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to find a long-term solution to the inequity New York fishermen have faced for over a decade with fluke management.”

The black sea bass fishing season will run from July 10 to Dec. 31, with a 13-inch minimum size and an eight-fish bag limit. These limits are better than previously thought since all states were originally required to take a 32-percent reduction in 2013 harvest, but an analysis of new data shows that only a 24-percent reduction is needed.

The scup (porgy) fishing season will also see an improvement for 2013 with a 10-inch minimum size, 30-fish bag limit and a season from May 1 to Dec. 31 for all anglers. Party and charter boats will have a bonus of a 45-fish bag limit from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.