Chelmsford High baseball coach Lou DiStasi has been honored as the 2025 NFSBCA Region 1 Coach of the Year.

DiStasi guided the Lions to an improbable Division 1 state championship this past June. Chelmsford lost eight games during the regular season and was only the No. 14 seed when the bracket was announced.

Despite only playing one home game at Ayotte Field, the Lions went on a thrilling 5-0 run in the state tournament to bring the title home.

Chelmsford opened play with a tense 1-0 win over Shrewsbury at Ayotte. They hit the road and knocked off higher-seeded teams in Bishop Feehan (12-3) and Wellesley (1-0). In a state semifinal down the road at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Chelmsford earned a 5-3 victory over Saint John’s of Shrewsbury.

Playing in the state title game at Polar Park in Worcester, the Lions were locked in a tie when they exploded for six runs in the ninth to defeat Braintree, 8-2.

Women’s basketball

Behind a career performance from senior guard Sabrina Larsson (Uppsala, Sweden) and a second-half surge, UMass Lowell pulled away for a 60–43 road win at New Haven in West Haven, Conn.

“Extremely proud of our effort today to get back in the win column,” said UML head coach Jon Plefka. “A true team win for us.”

Larsson led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, connecting on six three-pointers to anchor an offense that shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. Her shooting repeatedly swung momentum for the River Hawks (4-5), including a trio of threes that helped push separation on either side of halftime.

Threes from Amina Kameric (Seattle, Wash.) and Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio), followed by back-to-back makes from Larsson in the final two minutes, helped the River Hawks close the half on a surge and take a 27–20 lead into the locker room.

The River Hawks wrap up their three-game road swing on Thursday with a matchup at DePaul.

Men’s basketball

UMass Lowell continued to struggle away from home, falling 80-60 to UMass before 2,442 fans at the Mullins Center.

The River Hawks (3-7) are now 1-6 on the road after the Kennedy Cup clash. UML trailed 42-32 at halftime and the hosts continued to pull away in the second half.

Dracut native Darrel Yepdo led the River Hawks with 17 points, and added four rebounds and two assists. Xavier Spencer claimed 11 points and six rebounds, and Austin Green finished with nine points.

UML struggled at the free throw line, making only 13 of 27 attempts, and the visitors were 3-for-12 from 3-point range. Marcus Banks led UMass (6-3) with 17 points.

UML’s two-game winning streak was snapped during the non-league clash. The River Hawks are now 2-7 all-time against the Minutemen.

College track

The Fitchburg State University women’s indoor track team opened its 2025-26 season as it competed at the 2025 Springfield College Season Opener Meet at the Springfield College Field House.

Senior Makany Camara (Lowell) led the way for the Green and Gold, taking top honors in the high jump with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 1.63 meters and second overall in the 60 meter hurdles with an All-New England qualifying time of 9.04 seconds.

On the men’s side, senior Liam Bourassa (Shirley) finished first in weight throw with an All-New England qualifying throw of 16.76 meters and second in the shot put with a DIII NE qualifying throw of 14.54 meters