Lowell boxer Nick Molina (left) got engaged to longtime girlfriend Kelly Farley shortly after winning his bout Saturday at Melrose. (Emily Harney/Boston Boxing Promotions)
Nick Molina had a memorable night in the ring on Saturday.
But that pales in comparison to the reaction he received thanks to a different kind of ring.
Immediately after knocking out Lucas Alejandro Mignoni in the third round at Melrose, the Lowell boxer got down on one knee during a Boston Boxing Promotions event and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Kiely Farley, who immediately said yes.
Like Molina (15-1, 6 KOs), Farley comes from a boxing family. She is the granddaughter of the late Manny Freitas, a Lowell boxer who had a long career in the ring that included matches against the Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Farley is also the daughter of Molina's trainer.
Surrounded by family, it was a night that Molina and Farley, along with everyone in attendance, will never forget.
Legion Update
Lowell Chapter 87 postponed a Massachusetts American Legion state tournament game scheduled for Monday due to the threat of rain.
Coach Harrison Silva's Lowell club is 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament after beating Hudson in the opening round and then losing to Belchertown, which has narrowed the eight-team tournament down to six.
Lowell will face Fall River at Fitton Field in Worcester on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Following the game at the Holy Cross campus, Hudson will face Hyde Park at 4 p.m. and Belchertown will face Shrewsbury at 7 p.m.
McKennedy 7th
Chelmsford's John McKennedy raced seventh on Saturday night in front of a large crowd at the quarter-mile White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.
Competing in the 100-lap Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series race, McKennedy finished seventh in a race won by Jake Johnson of Rehoboth.
Picard receives the honor
Bentley's Timothy Pickard (Dracut/Lowell Catholic High School) has been recognized as a Cobalt Golf All-American Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) for his outstanding performance on the course and in the classroom.
To qualify, individuals must be sophomores or above, participate in at least 50 percent of their team's competitive rounds, maintain a stroke average below 78.0 and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2.
Pickard, who played in every tournament during his final collegiate season, averaged 75.5 strokes and was Bentley's top player at last fall's Northeast-10 Championships, finishing 10th with shots of 75-74-71-220.
Pickard was previously named All-Northeast 10 and PING Division II All-East Region, while Eaton was named to the Academic All-Northeast 10 team.
Pickard, who graduated in May, majored in finance.
Academic Star
After another strong year on and off the court, University of Massachusetts Lowell players finished the 2023-24 school year with a 3.318 GPA, the highest in department history, and eighth place in the 2023-24 Walter Harrison Academic Cup standings.
Leading the way for the Riverhawks was the girls lacrosse program, who were named Sports GPA Champions after posting a 3.58 GPA, followed closely by the boys lacrosse team, who also earned the title of Sports GPA Champions after posting a 3.51 GPA.
