MALE:

CHRIS HAMBLETT, Junior-Cross country

• Captain

Hamblett has set the tone as the Panthers’ fastest runner and leader and he enjoyed a very strong junior campaign.

Hamblett, who started running cross country in the sixth grade, has long used the sport as an escape.

“Running is something I use to get my mind off of things,” Hamblett said. “I come from a very athletic family. My brother did well in sports and I want to be like him.”

As a freshman, Hamblett came in 21st at the Class C state meet. He moved up to ninth as a sophomore.

This fall, Hamblett had a time of 17 minutes, 44.55 seconds at the Southern Maine Classic, was 11th in Division II at the Western Maine Conference championship meet and placed 10th at regionals (18:10.83), helping NYA qualify for states, where Hamblett placed 16th (18:25.68).

“My goal was to get to the finish line as fast as I can,” Hamblett said. “I wanted to be a top 10 runner and I accomplished that. I want to keep working my way up. Coach (Peter Sillin) really pushed me to get my goals. I had some hard workouts.”

Hamblett is also the point guard for the boys’ basketball team and is a member of the defending Class C state champion boys’ lacrosse team in the spring.

He has plenty of triumph to come. Chris Hamblett, North Yarmouth Academy’s Fall Male Athlete of the Year, keeps getting better and his team has reaped the dividends.

Coach Peter Sillin’s comment: “Chris has really been the standard-bearer for our team. He has been our top runner in every race since his first one as a freshman. He establishes the pace in practice and sets the bar for our younger runners. Someday one of them may catch him, but it hasn’t happened yet and in the meantime they all get faster. As a coach, that’s exactly what you want your front-runner to do. Make everyone around him better.”

Prior winners:

2018 Xander Kostelnik (soccer)

2017 Ryan Baker (soccer)

2016 Jeremy Thelven (soccer)

2015 Thomas Pitts (soccer)

2014 D.J. Nicholas (soccer)

2013 Jackson Cohan-Smith (soccer)

2012 Matt Malcom (cross country)

2011 Cam Regan (cross country)

2010 Cam Regan (cross country)

2009 Tim Millett (golf)

2008 Henry Sterling (soccer)

2007 Taylor Gorman (soccer)

2006 James Sterling (golf)

2005 Sean Lynch (soccer)

2004 Nathaniel Bishop (soccer)

2003 Luke Welch (soccer)

2002 Sam Crocker (cross Country)

2001 Colin Minte (soccer)

FEMALE:

SERENA MOWER, Senior-Soccer

• Class D South, regional all-star
• WMC Class C/D all-star, first-team
• WMC All-Academic
• Senior all-star
• Captain

Mower scored the biggest goal in NYA’s season and in the process, led the Panthers to a repeat Class D state title.

Mower started playing soccer at a young age and has made her mark in the sport, as well as on the basketball court.

“The love of the game motivates me,” Mower said. “It’s important to be close with my teammates.”

Mower, who lives in Auburn, spent her first two high school years at Maine Girls’ Academy in Portland, then found her way to NYA as a junior. She scored 16 goals and had four assists and helped the Panthers win the Class D title, their first piece of hardware since 2007, and was named Fall Female Athlete of the Year in the process.

This fall was even more prolific, as Mower scored 23 goals and added 10 assists.

Highlights included two goals in a season-opening win over Old Orchard Beach, two goals in a victory over St. Dom’s, two more goals in a win over Poland, a goal and an assist in a tie against Sacopee Valley, three goals in a win over Rangeley, four goals in a win at Old Orchard Beach, a goal and an assist in a victory over Richmond and two goals, including the winner late, in a victory over Waynflete.

In the postseason, Mower continued to make an impact, scoring twice in a quarterfinal round win over Piscataquis, assisting on Natalie Farrell’s goal in a semifinal round victory over Greenville, then etching her name in school lore with the lone goal of the state final with two minutes to go to beat Penobscot Valley, 1-0.

“Serena had the shot of the year,” said NYA coach Ricky Doyon. “She was about 35 yards out and buried the shot, hitting the crossbar and dropping in.”

“That goal was a rush of relief,” said Mower. “I thought we could repeat. My role this year was to motivate the girls individually.”

Mower, who also plays basketball for the defending Class C South runners-up, plans to play basketball and study computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute next year.

Her soccer legend is secure. Serena Mower, NYA’s Fall Female Athlete of the Year, didn’t just score her team’s championship-winning goal, she came up huge from start to finish.

Coach Ricky Doyon’s comment: “Serena is a great young lady who I enjoy having on the team. She’s not only an athlete, but she’s a fun-loving person. Serena is the ultimate team player and will do what is best for her teammates.  Her teammates come first. It’s not about her scoring goals or having the most assists. It’s about accomplishing our team goal that she and her teammates set at the start of the season. Although she only plays soccer during the fall, she is a standout and a proven threat on the pitch. She is strong, fast and can finish. She can shoot and score with either foot.”

Prior winners:

2018 Serena Mower (soccer)

2017 Jordan Ackerman (volleyball)

2016 Savannah Shaw (field hockey)

2015 Linnea Hull (field hockey)

2014 Elizabeth Coughlin (field hockey)

2013 Kayla Rose (field hockey)

2012 Jen Brown (field hockey)

2011 Katherine Millett (field hockey)

2010 Katherine Millett (field hockey)

2009 Courtney Dumont (soccer)

2008 Nicole Fuller (field hockey)

2007 Allie Tocci (field hockey)

2006 Alex Mack (soccer)

2005 Zoe Filliter (cross country)

2004 Elizabeth Werley-Prieto (field hockey)

2003 Abby Hamilton (field hockey)

2002 Rachael Blanchard (cross country)

2001 Kelsey Wilcox (soccer)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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