2010 Spring Male Athlete of the Year:

HENRY STERLING, Senior—Track

* Class C state champion, mile

* Class C state champion, two-mile

* WMC All-Conference, first team, two-mile

* NYA boys’ MVP

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If Henry Sterling had wound up anything shy of a multiple state champion this spring, it would have been a huge surprise.

For four years, Sterling has been a distance standout and his final high school season was a fitting coda to his career.

Even though NYA wasn’t able to win the Class C team championship for the first time in his four seasons, Sterling did capture the mile and two-mile and graduated as one of the finest athletes the school has produced.

That type of career and final season are worthy of acclaim, so once more, we’ll bestow it as The Forecaster is naming Henry Sterling North Yarmouth Academy’s Spring 2010 Male Athlete of the Year.

He also was honored in the fall of 2008 for soccer and the 2008-09 and 2009-10 winter seasons for indoor track.

Sterling lives in Freeport and started at NYA in sixth grade. He was a soccer standout in the fall and has long turned heads in track.

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This spring, Sterling added another chapter of greatness, producing stellar efforts all year long in practice and in meets. At the Western Maine Conference championships, Sterling won the two-mile by nearly 36 seconds and he had entire teams cheering him on as he rounded the track. At states, Sterling won two more individual crowns. At New Englands, he finished fifth in the mile.

Sterling will run at Dartmouth next year. It won’t be long until a new group of fans discovers just how special he is.

An amazing, triumphant era has come to an end, but Henry Sterling, NYA’s Spring 2010 Male Athlete of the Year, has cemented his legacy as one of the premier distance talents to grace our presence.

Coach Chris Mazzurco’s comment: “Henry’s a young man who knows how to work and sets a clear example in practice daily of what you need to do to improve your performances. You can count on getting 100 percent from him regardless of the day or the race. The fact that he owns all six school records in the distance events and his state titles and the endless streams of points won for the team will certainly be missed next year, but not as much as his character, attitude and presence as such a strong role model for the younger athletes on the team.”

2009 winner: Sam Fear (Track)

2008 winner: Henry Gleason (Lacrosse)

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2007 winner: Than Wellin (Lacrosse)

2006 winner: Michael Moody (Track)

2005 winner: Peter Gerrity (Lacrosse)

2004 winner: Brian Chin (Track)

2003 winner: Matt Curran (Baseball)

2002 winner: Matt Fortin (Track)

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2010 Spring Female Athlete of the Year:

COURTNEY DUMONT, Senior—Lacrosse

* All-American

* WMC All-Conference, first team

* Senior All-Star

* NYA girls’ MVP

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Courtney Dumont’s legend was well established long before her senior year, but the final season of her high school career forced her to run the gamut of emotions before winding up where she’s so accustomed, at the top of the heap.

This spring, Dumont overcame untimely yellow cards, a slow start and dwarfing everything else, family tragedy, but to no one’s surprise, overcame and led NYA to a first-ever state title by playing a role that no one suspected.

For persevering and leading the Panthers to the Promised Land, Courtney Dumont is The Forecaster’s choice for North Yarmouth Academy’s Spring 2010 Female Athlete of the Year.

Ever since coming to NYA, Dumont has stolen the headlines, whether the sport was soccer, hockey or lacrosse.

As a sophomore, Dumont scored a record seven times in the lacrosse state game, but the Panthers lost, 12-8, to Waynflete. After falling to the Flyers again her junior year (the fifth time in nine seasons NYA suffered that state fate), it looked as if Dumont and her teammates would never grab the brass ring, but despite many obstacles, a championship team evolved this year.

Dumont, who won Class C championships in soccer her freshman and sophomore years and was widely recognized as one of the top girls’ hockey players around, had six goals in an opening day victory at Freeport, but didn’t finish an early loss at Yarmouth after receiving a second yellow card. After a home win over Waynflete (where Dumont had three goals and three assists), the Panthers also lost at home to Brunswick (despite seven Dumont goals), then, after she had five goals in a win over Messalonskee, NYA fell again to the Clippers and playing without coach Julia Sterling (who was out with illness), it was in jeopardy at 6-3.

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The on-field struggles paled in comparison to the grief of Dumont losing her mother to complications from lupus right before the second Yarmouth game.

But somehow, Dumont and the Panthers were able to overcome.

NYA won its final three contests as Dumont had four goals in a rare win at Waynflete and seven goals and two assists versus Greely as the Panthers leapfrogged Yarmouth to earn the top seed in Eastern B.

In the regional playoffs, Dumont had four goals in a semifinal round victory over Morse, then helped NYA beat the Clippers in the regional final with four more as the Panthers set up another state final date with Waynflete.

Most observers felt that if NYA was finally going to beat the Flyers on the big stage that Dumont would have to score with abandon. Instead, she didn’t take a single shot as the Panthers led from start to finish in a stunning 7-3 win.

For the year, Dumont, who was named All-American for the first time, had 59 goals and 10 assists, giving her a career total of 180 goals and 35 assists.

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Dumont will attend Connecticut College next year, where she’ll play her top sport, hockey, and possibly lacrosse as well.

That means that a new collection of fans are in for a treat. Courtney Dumont, NYA’s Spring 2010 Female Athlete of the Year, had a high school career for the ages and won’t soon be forgotten.

Coach Julia Sterling’s comment: “Courtney went out in style. She works really hard. She’s the first one out there and the last to leave. If someone wanted to know how to do something, she was there to help. When she has the ball, she doesn’t need to go score. She was happy to feed her teammates. The kids totally looked up to her. She’s a total role model. She’s a tremendous person and I think she’ll do very well in college.”

2009 winner: Thu-Trang Ho (Tennis)

2008 winner; Kayte Demont (Track)

2007 winner: Erin Lachance (Lacrosse)

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2006 winner: Meghan Meintel (Lacrosse)

2005 winner: Molly Moss (Lacrosse)

2004 winner: Kristen Lothes (Tennis)

2003 winner: Jenny Kendall (Tennis)

2002 winner: Emma Harper (Track)

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