BRUNSWICK

The time has come that The Times Record will honor those who have performed above and beyond during the different sports season.

There were several student/ athletes that stood out this year, and much thought went into compiling this list. But, just like All-Star games almost undoubtedly leave someone off the list, we are sure this will occur in our unofficial poll of two.

But, we will do our best. So here we go!

Boys Basketball

There were several solid performances all season, but over the long haul, how can we go against Mt. Ararat’s Shyheim Ulrickson?

Here is a kid that works hard day-in and day-out, and as Eagles coach Steve Cox has said on several occasions, Shyheim is a “gym rat.”

When Ulrickson left the floor at the Portland Expo during his team’s quarterfinal loss to Brunswick, both the Dragon and Eagle fans stood in unison, knowing they had witnessed someone special grace the court for four years. Trust me, that doesn’t happen often when you see the opposing team, and your biggest rival, stand up and salute. True class!

Others stood up and earned recognition: — Ethan James of Wiscasset showed the deft touch of a guard along with the inside ability of a power forward all year. James was the backbone of the Wolverines’ attack. — Morse’s Keegan McDonough stepped out of the shadow of former Shipbuilder Ethan Winglass this season and led the way. — From Brunswick, Caleb Cost and Thomas Hanson were the 1-2 punch for a Dragons team that advanced to the State Class A Regional final this year. — Honorable mentions go to Lisbon’s Tyrese Joseph and Richmond’s Zach Small.

Boys Coach of the Year goes to Brunswick’s Todd Hanson, both for leading his team far this year and tweaking the lineup each game to get the best out of his Dragons.

Honorable COY mention goes to Wiscasset’s Dana Lawrence, Mt. Ararat’s Cox and Lisbon’s Jake Gentle.

Girls basketball

This was the toughest category for TR sports writer Christian Sandler and myself to pawn over.

There were no real standouts in the Mid-coast, but several solid contributors that stood up all season.

Player of the Year goes to Richmond’s Sydney Tilton, who led the Bobcats to the top seed in Class C South. Tilton dominated inside the paint and made life difficult on opponents.

Honorable mentions — and there are plenty — go to Freeport’s Kayla Belanger and Taylor Rinaldi, Mt. Ararat’s Sara Lamb (who can forget her buzzer-beating winning shot against Brunswick?), Brunswick’s Madeline Suhr and Sabrina Armstrong; Morse’s Emma Harrington and Richmond’s Kelsea Anair.

Coach of the Year, again, was a tough selection, but by a hair we give it to Morse leader Becky Roak, who led her Shipbuilders to a quarterfinal win over Brunswick before battling hard in a Class A South semifinal loss to eventual Class A champ York.

Close behind as COY in girls basketball goes to Richmond’s Mike Ladner, along with Brunswick’s Sam Farrell.

Hockey

The Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/ Morse boys have struggled for years to find a winning formula. This season, the Eagles found it, posting 11 wins in A.J. Kavanaugh’s first year behind the bench.

For this reason, Kavanaugh is our boys ice hockey Coach of the Year.

Now for the players. Michael and Matt Deveaux stood out all year for Brunswick and are our co- Players of the Year, along with Eagles forward/ defenseman Tyler Halls.

On the girls side, it was the freshmen of Brunswick that claimed the POY honors. Jenna Brooks and Rayna Sage scored in bunches all year as the Dragons advanced to the postseason, led by girls hockey Coach of the Year Dave Boucher.

On a side note, it was awesome to see Boucher back behind a Brunswick bench after leading the Dragon boys in the past. Dave is a quiet leader who knows his stuff. Look for big things from the Dragons in the future.

Swimming

Arguably the most successful high school sport in the Mid-coast over the past few seasons, the Brunswick girls earned TR’s “Team of the Winter Season.”

The Dragons picked up their second straight State Class A title at the University of Maine.

Girls Swimmer of the Year goes to Morse’s Ann Tolan, who was dominant in the State Class B meet at Bowdoin, with Brunswick’s Lynsie Russell an Honorable Mention.

Onto the boys, our Swimmer of the Year goes to Brunswick’s Nate Samson, who set records and won events like it was easy. Tucker Banger of Morse is a solid Honorable Mention.

Coaches of the Year — David Bright of Brunswick (girls) and Todd Marco of Morse (boys).

Indoor track

When Morse’s Chris Walfield hit the track at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Championships at Bowdoin College, no one knew for sure how he was going to perform, running the 800-meter, one-mile and two-mile events.

Walfield won all three runs, then turned in a near perfect performance in capturing the State Class B two-mile title at Bates College in Lewiston.

Those performances earned Walfield the Indoor Track Runner of the Year for the boys.

On the girls side, Katherine Leckbee of Mt. Ararat also shined in long distance runs, giving her the TR Indoor Track Runner of the Year.

Coach of the Year in indoor track goes to Freeport’s Brian Berkemeyer, who continues to get a ton out of his smallish team year after year.

Wrestling

In perhaps the only runaway, unanimous pick, Mt. Ararat/Brunswick’s Robert Hetherman is The Times Record Wrestler of the Year.

Hetherman exceeded all expectations this year, winning the KVAC, Regional and State championships before rolling to a New England Qualifier win at 170 pounds.

An Honorable Mention goes to Morse’s Hunter Reed at 152 pounds. Reed took second in the State Class A championships.

Coach of the Year is Erick Jensen of Mt. Ararat/ Brunswick, who continues to work hard with grapplers from both Mt. Ararat and Brunswick high schools.

Skiing

And, last but certainly not least, the TR Ski Team of the Year goes to the Freeport boys Nordic squad, the State Class B champions.

The Falcons rolled in the competition, with solid performances across the board.

As far as individuals go, the nod goes to Lena Martin of Brunswick and Jenny Wilbraham of Morse.

Both work out with different high schools and have stepped up throughout the year.

There is our list. From the TR sports staff to all of those athletes, coaches and fans who went along for the ride this winter, we thank you. It was quite a ride!

BOB CONN is The Times Record Sports Editor. He can be reached at bconn@timesrecord.com.