The University of New England women's basketball team will be playing two games in central Maine in the coming weeks. The Nor'easters start two freshmen who are central Maine high school graduates and play at UMaine-Farmington at 1 p.m., Saturday and at Colby on Jan. 3.

While winter sports are in full swing, there's one local athlete who is still competing in a fall sport on Dec. 5. It's Meg Willette, a Waterville grad who now plays soccer at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.

Here's a look at a few college basketball players who are alumni of central Maine high schools. As you'll see, some of these players are already making a big impact as freshmen.

We're introducing a regular feature in the blogs each Friday. It's a quick look at some former central Maine high school players who are now playing in college. I hope you enjoy it.

The shots were 21 to one and the penalty corners were 14-0 against her team. That's what Cony grad Natalie Fecteau faced in her first collegiate start.

One thing we do at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel is take a look each Sunday at how former central Maine high school players are faring in college athletics. Many New England schools still haven't posted their fall sports rosters, but there's no shortage of local athletes playing field hockey in college.

Each Sunday, the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel publish a list of student-athletes who went to high school in our coverage area and are now playing in college. I'm glad we get to do it, but sometimes, the line of numbers doesn't tell the whole story. A good example is Justin Denbow, a Maranacook grad now playing baseball at Eastern Nazarene.

Mt. Blue graduate Megan Richard is now a freshman at Husson College. As a member of the softball team, Richard couldn't get off the bench in the early going.

Now, Richard is making sure she won't come out of the lineup.

Last spring, Lawrence's Heather Gilman and Messalonskee's Stacey Stuart were both high school shortstops, and also two of the top players in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A.

This season, they're continuing to hit as teammates on the University of Southern Maine softball team.

The Southern Maine Community College is No. 1 in the country in the latest United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II men's basketball coaches poll.

After "home" games at the Augusta Civic Center, UMaine-Farmington and Thomas College, the Colby College basketball teams will get to play on their own floor on Saturday.

Messalonskee grad Sarah Roderigue has always been able to create her own shot by slashing to the basket. She can also stick a 3-pointer and contribute in other ways. As well as she has played, though, Roderigue outdid herself in the first two games this season for the Clark University women's basketball team.

A pair of central Maine athletes are still playing college football, as their teams have moved to the second round of NCAA playoffs.

Gardiner Area High School graduate Craig Toulouse scored a touchdown on a 15-yard pass in Southern Connecticut's 45-28 win over Bryant in the NCAA Division II first round. Toulouse, the Owls' starting fullback, was a second team all-Northeast 10 selection this season.

The Owls (9-3) play at California (Penn.) this weekend in the second round.

Katie Frett, a Hall-Dale High School graduate who is a freshman at Wellesley College, and Lauren Blake, a Messalonskee grad who is now a sophomore at Clark University, both earned regional honors for their field hockey play this season.

The St. Joseph's College field hockey team won two games in 2005 and six more last season. This year, with local players like Hall-Dale grad Darcy Ward and Erskine grad Kelly Emerson playing key roles, the Monks had a wild postseason.

UMaine-Farmington will be hosting a pair of North Atlantic Conference championship games on Saturday, and in each case, the opponent is Husson. The NAC field hockey championship will be at noon, followed by the NAC soccer title game at 2. The full day of sports at UMF will be completed with the men's and women's basketball alumni games at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

If you follow field hockey at all, you can appreciate how difficult it is to be a factor at both ends of the field like Skowhegan grad Michele Farley has been for Babson College this season.

A number of local athletes are enjoying fine seasons at Husson College in Bangor.

Lauren Blake hit .464 this spring for the Clark University softball team. Now that fall is here, the Messalonskee High School grad is continuing to shine on the field hockey field.

Maranacook grad Abby Pullen left softball behind a few years ago, but she's still a star in cross country running at Hofstra University.

Katye Mayo, Jordan Stevens and Katie Frett have all made their presence felt early in their college careers. Mayo is a sophomore goalkeeper on the St. Joseph's women's soccer team, Stevens is a sophomore linebacker on the football team at UMaine, and Frett is a freshman playing field hockey at Wellesley College.

Deahna Giguere, a standout on the tennis court during her four years at Messalonskee, continues to excel as a freshman at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt.