On June 22, The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram will honor the state’s best high school athletes at our annual banquet. A player of the year for each sport will be honored and we’ll name our male and female Athletes of the Year. What makes this year so special is that it’s the 25th year of honoring Maine’s best, so we will be catching up with all our Athletes of the Year since the first banquet in 1988. Today, we honor the winners from 2000.

NOEL BEAGLE, Gorham

IN HIGH SCHOOL: Won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, and ran the anchor leg for the victorious 1,600-meter relay team at the Class B outdoor track and field state meet. Averaged 25 points per game while leading Gorham to the 2000 Western Class B basketball title.

SINCE HIGH SCHOOL: Played basketball for four seasons at Yale, graduating in 2004 with degrees in sociology and economics, and received an MBA from Harvard. Serves as director of strategy and planning at Bolthouse Farms in Bakersfield, Calif.

WHAT IT MEANT TO WIN: “It’s not the points or state championships that made my high school athletic career spectacular, but rather the people — my parents, teammates, coaches and community — who supported me throughout that made it so special. When the Maine Female Athlete of the Year award was announced in 2000, my thoughts immediately went to these people, and how grateful I was and now, more than 10 years later, continue to be for their support.”

JEREMY SHOREY, Lisbon

IN HIGH SCHOOL: Shorey went 8-1 with three no-hitters and six shutouts as a senior. He also led the Campbell Conference in passing for two seasons and became the first Class C player named a finalist for football’s Fitzpatrick Trophy.

SINCE HIGH SCHOOL: Pitched three years in the minor leagues after he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. Played quarterback for three seasons at Husson College, graduating in 2008. Works as a material control supervisor at Bath Iron Works.

WHAT IT MEANT TO WIN: “Obviously it was a great honor to receive something like that, especially because there were so many great athletes that year. It showed there was some appreciation for all the hard work I put in to play baseball, basketball and football.”