Male:

CONNER COLEMAN, Junior – Baseball

Contributed photo

• SMAA All-Conference, honorable mention

Coleman

To call Coleman a workhorse doesn’t even begin to describe his impact this spring, as he helped the young Rams improve dramatically from start to finish.

Coleman was Deering’s ace and he was on the mound for 40 innings and twice pitched complete games, leading the Rams to their two victories. Coleman held Windham to just one run in Deering’s first win, then held Portland in check in the regular season finale, a 5-3 victory.

Even when he didn’t get support from his defense, Coleman hung tough and impressed his teammates and foes alike with his grittiness. Coleman, who also saw time behind the plate, had some timely hits as well and helped the Rams show steady improvement and set the stage for future success.

Conner Coleman, Deering’s Spring Male Athlete of the Year, will take the ball against anyone and do his best to hold the opposition at bay. His future is bright and the Rams are thrilled that they get to have their ace for one more season.

Coach Ryan Martin’s comment: “Conner was huge for us. He’s our number one guy. He battles. He’s a competitor. We threw him any time we could and he also spent many innings catching for us.  He is a very confident baseball player and is a big time competitor when he is on the mound.”

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Previous winners:

• 2020 No season
• 2019 Tre Fletcher (baseball)
• 2018 Nick James (lacrosse)
• 2017 Nate Richards (lacrosse)
• 2016 Max Hornblower (lacrosse)
• 2015 Kevin Goldberg (baseball)
• 2014 Tyler Butler (tennis)
• 2013 Jared Bell (track)
• 2012 Karl Rickett (lacrosse)
• 2011 Carleton Allen (lacrosse)
• 2010 Sam Balzano (baseball)
• 2009 Regan Flaherty (baseball)
• 2008 Taylor Candage (baseball)
• 2007 Matt Watson (baseball)
• 2006 Adam Rothbart (lacrosse)
• 2005 Neall Oliver (tennis)
• 2004 Ryan Reid (baseball)

Female:

RILEY FORREST, Senior – Lacrosse

Forrest

• SMAA All-Conference, first-team
• SMAA All-Academic team
• Captain

Deering’s girls’ lacrosse program won its first games since 2018 and Forrest was a big reason the program returned to competitive status.

Forrest joined the Rams varsity team as a freshman and quickly became an important part of the defense. After missing her junior campaign due to COVID, Deering faced no shortage of challenges this season, but with Forrest helping provide leadership, the Rams showed steady growth.

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Deering managed to defeat Gray-New Gloucester once and Westbrook twice. In all three victories, the Rams held the opposition in single digits, the sign of a defense that could step up when needed.

The Rams will hope for even bigger things down the road and while she’ll have moved on, Riley Forrest, Deering’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, can rest assured that she played a pivotal role in the program’s revival.

Coach Michael Daly’s comment: “Riley was one of the best team leaders and captains I’ve worked with. She held the team together through many many challenges and roster changes and anchored our team defense, with many newcomers.”

Previous winners:

• 2020 No season
• 2019 Kiaya Gatchell (lacrosse)
• 2018 Annah Rossvall (track)
• 2017 Sydney Giroux (softball)
• 2016 Micary Verville (lacrosse)
• 2015 Maddie Abbott (tennis)
• 2014 Alexis Elowitch (track)
• 2013 Rashad Zagon (track)
• 2012 Veronica Mitchell (lacrosse/track)
• 2011 Jen Lynch (softball)
• 2010 Julie Pallozzi (lacrosse)
• 2009 Melissa Bell (softball)
• 2008 Lesley Warn (softball)
• 2007 Chelsea Johnson (lacrosse)
• 2006 Kate Bustin (softball)
• 2005 Lesley Warn (softball)
• 2004 Gina Axelson (softball)

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

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