Haverhill Native F. Noah Vonleh has signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics, according to a report from ESPN. Vonleh attended Haverhill High School before transferring in 2011 to New Hampton School in New Hampshire, earning All American Honors. He played his college ball at Indiana, leaving to enter the NBA when he was 19. Turning 27 in just a few weeks, the Celtics are his eighth team in the league
At Indiana, Vonleh was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
Members of the Haverhill Police Relief Association hockey team are sharpening their skates and preparing for their upcoming game with the Boston Bruins Alumni this Saturday. The game, whose proceeds help provide support for the officers of the Haverhill Police Department and their families, takes place this Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Rink, 137 Monument St., Haverhill. Sgt. James B. Keenan, president of the Haverhill Police Relief Association, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, told listeners the team is ready for gametime
“They practice about once a week, on their nights off. I don’t know exactly where they do their practicing, but they’re in a league and had a pretty good season last year,” he said.
A number of Pentucket Regional High School athletes scored successes in the recent New Balance Indoor Nationals at The Armory in Manhattan, New York, against other top athletes from across the country. The 4×200-meter relay team, with Sydney Trout, Reese Gallant, Sage Smith and Emily Rubio, finished in 16th place in the Rising Stars division. Their time of 1:48.33 was a team-best by two seconds. The girls sprint medley relay team, with Rubio, Smith, Gallant and Phoebe Rubio, finished in 12th place in the Rising Stars division with a time of 4:25.04. Emily Rubio finished sixth in the girls championship pentathlon with 3,178 points, becoming the first Pentucket student athlete to earn All-American honors.
It’s International Women’s Month and Luke Padilla of Haverhill is focusing his Boston Marathon fundraising on an organization devoted to “using running to empower and motivate young girls by building their confidence through accomplishment.”
Padilla decided last fall to run the Marathon upon learning he would become a dad this June. Before his baby girl comes along, he said his Marathon participation would be an exciting way to prepare for his new life change. Even though running is familiar territory for Padilla, qualifying for the Boston Marathon is quite the feat and he decided the best way to guarantee a spot is to fundraise for a charity, “Girls on the Run.”
“As a high school cross country coach, and as a coach for the Girls on the Run programs, I’ve been struck by how much of an impact running and staying active can have on someone’s life, and Girls on the Run takes that to a whole new level by focusing on the strength and power of young girls,” he said. Padilla, raised in Haverhill and found his way back in 2017, explained it is a fit to run for an organization that works to empower young girls. Besides being a high school cross country coach and a life-long runner, he is a manager of a child development and soccer program.
Northern Essex Community College Athletic Director Daniel M. Blair is one of the recipients of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year Award. The award spans seven divisions, including NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA. It highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities. “I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished and how successfully we managed the program over the last 24 months through the pandemic,” said Blair. “The award is really for the entire college community.
A Haverhill native is participating in the Paralympics currently underway in Beijing, China. Twenty-five-year-old Griffin LaMarre is a goalie on the Team USA Sled Hockey Team. In a WHAV interview with his mother, Donna, it was revealed Griffin, born with hereditary spastic paraplegia, entered hockey only as a second choice. “We are a skiing family. We ski up at Sunday River, and they have the only free adaptive ski program in the country.
Pentucket Regional High School recently received national recognition for its field hockey program. Pentucket Regional Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, who was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, praised veteran coach Ruth Beaton. She led the team to a record of 19-2-1 and a berth in the State Tournament’s Final Four, which Bartholomew says, is the best record in Pentucket history. “She’s been in the program almost 30 years. Because of the amazing obstacles they overcame, their incredible run in the state tournament, she was recognized as the United States Field Hockey Coach of the Year.
Former baseball standout Ryan McAuliffe and national qualifying golf student-athlete Sean Chipman will be inducted into the Northern Essex Community College’s athletic Hall of Fame during a March 1 ceremony. It will be a joint induction ceremony with class of 2020 inductees that includes the 2000-01 national semi-finalist women’s basketball team and former men’s basketball coach Mike Rowinski. The 2020 ceremony was cancelled at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. McAuliffe, a North Reading native and 2015 graduate of the college, went on to continue his baseball career at NCAA Division I St. John’s University where he graduated in 2017.
Cameron “Cam” Davidowicz of Haverhill has signed a two-year contract with the New England Free Jacks professional rugby team. Davidowicz, son of Michael Davidowicz and Deborah DiBurro of Haverhill, is a 6’1″, 225 pound back row player who was originally on the training squad. “It’s an honor to be signed by the New England Free Jacks,” said Davidowicz in a statement. “It means a lot to me to play for my home team. Can’t wait to take the pitch in front of my friends and family come springtime.”
Twenty-four-year-old Davidowicz first started playing rugby during his freshman year of High School for the Essex County Bulldogs.
