North Yarmouth Academy Panthers Spring Athletes of the Year

CALEB WATERMAN, Senior – Lacrosse

File photos

• WMC Class C all-star, first-team

Waterman scored a lot of goals, used his skills to make his teammates better and helped the Panthers win a lot of games this spring in a season that nearly ended with a state championship.

Waterman transferred to NYA from Gorham and made an immediate impact as a junior, earning league all-star mention and helping the Panthers reach the state semifinals.

This spring, nearly from start to finish, NYA was the cream of the crop in Class C, and Waterman was a big reason why, scoring 39 goals and adding 16 assists.

“Caleb spent a lot of time analyzing his own play and doing everything he could to contribute to the team’s success,” said Panthers coach Peter Gerrity. “He was able to self-correct if things weren’t going as planned and never stopped asking questions about how to get better. His first responsibility was to score goals and he was quick to recognize if it was better for the team if he focused on dodging or feeding during a game instead.”

Caleb Waterman

Highlights included three goals and two assists in a win over Traip Academy, eight goals and three assists in a victory over Gardiner, four goals and two assists in a win over Lake Region, two assists in an overtime victory at Oak Hill, and four goals in a regular season-ending loss at two-time reigning Class B state champion Yarmouth.

In a state quarterfinal round win over Gray-New Gloucester/Poland, Waterman scored twice and had an assist and in the state final versus Waynflete, he scored two more goals, but despite a valiant rally, the Panthers lost in double-overtime.

Waterman also played goalie on the boys’ hockey team at NYA.

Caleb Waterman, North Yarmouth Academy’s Spring Athlete of the Year, was involved in a lot of big moments during an exciting, triumphant season and his willingness to do whatever it took to lead his team to greatness will be his lasting legacy.

Coach Peter Gerrity’s comment: “Caleb led the team in points and is an incredible shooter. We leaned on him both to score and to settle the ball on the offensive end. While his favorite shot might be low-to-high to an upper corner, he varies his placement and release point which makes him an even more dangerous offensive player. He’s extremely competitive, pushing himself and teammates in practice to get better, and we’ll miss his intensity. It was rewarding to watch him grow into his role as well, coaching up teammates and helping younger guys understand the finer points of the game. I’m proud of his performance and leadership this spring.”

Previous winners:

• 2021 Derek Wolverton (baseball)
• 2020 No season
• 2019 Ryan Baker (lacrosse)
• 2018 Connor Clock (lacrosse)
• 2017 Dana Nichols (baseball)
• 2016 Thomas Pitts (lacrosse)
• 2015 D.J. Nicholas (lacrosse)
• 2014 Bryce Tetrault (tennis)
• 2013 Jacob Scammon (lacrosse)
• 2012 Jake Burns (track)
• 2011 Ryan Salerno (baseball)
• 2010 Henry Sterling (track)
• 2009 Sam Fear (track)
• 2008 Henry Gleason (lacrosse)
• 2007 Than Wellin (lacrosse)
• 2006 Michael Moody (track)
• 2005 Peter Gerrity (lacrosse)
• 2004 Brian Chin (track)
• 2003 Matt Curran (baseball)
• 2002 Matt Fortin (track)

MAGGIE HOLT, Senior – Lacrosse

• WMC Class C all-star, first-team

Maggie Holt

The opposition knew that to beat NYA’s girls’ lacrosse team, you had to neutralize senior standout Maggie Holt. Which proved to be much easier said than done.

If you kept her off the score sheet, she’d set up her teammates, win draws, collect ground balls and force turnovers.

If you gave her room with the ball on her stick, forget it – that ball would wind up tickling the twine.

The end result was a transcendent season for Holt and a surprise Class C state title for the Panthers, so for the second year in a row, Maggie Holt is NYA’s Spring Athlete of the Year.

Holt gravitated naturally to the sport, as her mother, Dorothy Holt, is the longtime coach at Yarmouth.

Holt, who also played soccer and ice hockey in high school, became an immediate star on the lacrosse field as a freshman at NYA, making the all-star team. She missed out on her sophomore season due to COVID, but stood out as a junior, scoring 29 goals, while assisting on 12 others.

That was a mere appetizer for a dominant senior campaign, which saw Holt score 52 goals and add 25 assists. She set the tone in the season-opener, a come-from-behind overtime win over reigning Class C champion Waynflete, when she scored four times, including the winner, and collected 14 ground balls.

With the season hanging in the balance in the playoffs, Holt took her game to another level, with three goals, three assists and eight ground balls in a state quarterfinal round win over Waynflete; four goals in an upset win at Freeport in the semifinals; and four goals, three assists, 15 draw wins and eight ground balls in a state game victory over Wells.

“It’s the best feeling, especially with our team, which was brand new from the start,” Holt said. “We had a hard path, but we pushed through.”

Holt plans to play hockey next year at the Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Maggie Holt, North Yarmouth Academy’s Spring Athlete of the Year, was the quintessential superstar, a player who did whatever it took to make her team excel and a player who rose to the occasion in the season’s biggest moments.

Coach Molly Moss Stokes’ comment: “Maggie is insanely great. She’s such a good leader. She’s extremely talented and is a very hard worker. She set some ambitious goals this season and reached every single one. Her teammates knew they could rely on her to make great plays when the pressure was on, and she will be sorely missed next year.”

Previous winners:

• 2021 Maggie Holt (lacrosse)
• 2020 No season
• 2019 Helen Hamblett (lacrosse)
• 2018 Bella McMahon (lacrosse)
• 2017 Sydney Plummer (softball)
• 2016 Lena Rich (tennis)
• 2015 Muriel Adams (track)
• 2014 Olivia Madore (lacrosse)
• 2013 Muriel Adams (track)
• 2012 Sarah Jordan (tennis)
• 2011 Katie Cawley (lacrosse)
• 2010 Courtney Dumont (lacrosse)
• 2009 Thu-Trang Ho (tennis)
• 2008 Kayte Demont (track)
• 2007 Erin Lachance (lacrosse)
• 2006 Meghan Meintel (lacrosse)
• 2005 Molly Moss (lacrosse)
• 2004 Kristen Lothes (tennis)
• 2003 Jenny Kendall (tennis)
• 2002 Emma Harper (track)