Editor’s note: this article has been republished with a pick for Rugby. The survey was updated as of the morning of June 5.

Now that the spring sports seasons have come to a close, it’s time to pick the Pelham Examiner Athlete of the Spring. Here’s how it works: I’ve selected one finalist from each team for the poll. Below, I provide some statistics for each of my selections, as well as list some honorable mentions. Unfortunately, I’m forced to work with what I have for these, so some numbers may not be exactly accurate, and other teams might not have had enough scores reported for me to be able to assess who was deserving of finalist designation. Congratulations to every team on great seasons, and congrats on a great career for all of our graduating seniors. Happy voting, and good luck to everyone!

To place your vote for athlete of the spring, click here.

Baseball: Kevin Coleman

PMHS’s baseball teams suffered from major offensive woes all season, but the one bright stop was their backstop, Kevin Coleman. Behind the dish, on the basepaths, and at the plate, Coleman led the Pelicans. Defensively, Coleman had among the highest fielding percentages in the starting lineup, as well as successfully throwing out 13 runners who attempted steals out of 31 attempts. On the basepaths, Coleman stole 11 bases, eventually injuring his ankle which kept him on limited duty for a few games mid-season. At the plate, Coleman utterly dominated, hitting .446 with an OPS of 1.252. He slugged above .700, hitting 7 double, a triple, and 2 home runs, including one to deep left at Solimine Field. Honorable mentions go to Mike Labriola, who headlined the pitching staff, and Matt Reynolds, who in his first year on varsity was one of the top hitters on the team.

Softball: KP Boggs

While plenty of players had outstanding seasons, it’s hard to make a case when compared to the complete dominance of senior KP Boggs. She pitched in every single inning that the team played, racking up 140.1 innings in the regular season, with an astounding 165 strikeouts compared to a mere 55 walks. Her record was 11-9, and she had a regular season ERA of 2.44, holding opponents to an average against of .210 and an on-base percentage against of .286. With 80 plate appearances on the season, Boggs also managed to hit .470, had 15 RBI’s and had an OPS of 1.126. Honorable mentions go to Emma Lauria, who hit above .380 with 20 stolen bases, and Lindsay McNamara, who hit .397, with a team-leading 23 RBI’s. 

Girls’ Lacrosse: Claudia Dodge

One of the most stand out overall athletes in the class of 2019, Claudia Dodge led the girls’ lacrosse team to an excellent season and a close end in the playoffs. Game after game, Dodge led the scoring of a talented Pelicans offense, she managed to surpass 150 career goals under a month into this season. Honorable mentions go to Sidney Skop, who managed to back up Dodge, consistently scoring multiple goals per game, and the whole Pelicans defensive end, headlined by Madelyn Dunbar, Maria Comerford, and Molly Terraciano.

Boys’ Lacrosse: Grey Allen

Over the course of an up and down season for the boys’ lacrosse team, Grey Allen managed to consistently lead the offense, keeping the team in many games. Even though he spent part of his season injured, Allen was given all-league and all-section awards to cap off the season. He consistently led the team in points and goals per game, including a 4 goal 2 assist game in the upset playoff win against Hendrick Hudson. He also scored the overtime game-winner against Byram Hills during the regular season. Honorable mentions go to junior Benny Morfit, who was named to the all-section team and set the single-season points record, junior Dane Crowley, who was also named to the all-section team, junior Eddie Dunhill, who was all-league, and senior Christian Morfit, who was all-league and a US Lacrosse Academic All American.

Girls’ Track: Violet Massie-Vereker

Massie-Vereker has been one of the most versatile sprint athletes through her career, consistently putting up spectacular marks over distances as short as 55 meters indoors, all the way up to 400 meters both indoors and outdoors. This spring season, she has consistently been among the team leaders at the open 100 meters and the open 200 meters and was the lead leg in both the 4×100 and the 4×400 relays. At the league championships, she made the finals in both the 100 and the 200 and started the 4×100 on their way to a win. A few weeks later, she was a huge contributor at Rasbeck Relays, putting up 26 points and winning 2 silver medals and 1 gold medal. Honorable mentions go to Nora Tahbaz, who was the team’s top sprinter at 100 meters and anchored the 4×100, and Charlotte Howard, the top 200 meter runner and triple jumper, who also was a member of the 4×100 relay.  

Boys’ Track: Charlie Miske

On the boys’ side, Charlie Miske led the way for a rebuilding year for the program, after suffering major losses to graduation. Transitioning from last year where he focused on pentathlon, eventually setting the school record, he moved back towards long distance events. The transition was smooth and immediate, with Miske being the only major representation for the Pelham boys in many major competitions. Miske went under 10:40 over 3200 meters at the County Championship, making him the 23rd best in the county at that distance, and placed 4th in the same event at the League Championship, gaining valuable points. Miske also broke 5 minutes flat in a 1600 meter run at the League Championships. Honorable mentions go to Gian-Carlo Riehl, who came out of the B heat at Leagues to score points in the 800 meter run and ran distances between 400 and 1600 meters across the season, and Michael Salama, who led the team at distances of 200 meters and 400 meters, and anchored the 4×400 team.

Rugby: Nick Lapponese 

Leading Pelham rugby in yet another State Championship winning season, Lapponese paved the way to the gold. Leading the team with 26 tries, he contributed in a major way to the offense of the program. He scored twice in the state finals, helping the team to a 23-10 victory over Rye. He also averaged 15 tackles a game, totaling to around 140 in the season. Honorable mention goes to Philip Dulock, who scored 13 in the state finals to put the Pelicans over the top.

Unified Basketball: Jack Golden

In the inaugural season for the PMHS unified basketball team, Jack Golden paved the way for a very good first season. Jack’s ability to shoot behind the 3 point arc helped catapult the team to many of their wins. He shot four 3’s in a single game against Fox Lane, as well as scoring 9 in the narrow overtime victory over Horace Greeley. Honorable mention goes to Frankie Marcellino, who backed up Jack, consistently putting up high points per game.

Boys’ Golf: Aidan Bennett

With two members of the team clearly leading the way, this was among the harder choices to make for people on this list. At the end of the season, Aidan Bennett came up incredibly clutch, carding an 80 on day 1 of the Section 1 Championships to make the cut and be named to the all-section team. He finished that day tied for 13th, and carded an 86 on day 2, ending up placing tied for 18th in the section. He also contributed to his team with a more than solid regular season. Honorable mention goes to Kieran Gilchrist, who also qualified for sectionals, was all-league, will play at Gettysburg, and paced the team for a large part of the year.