Now that the fall sports seasons and playoffs have come to a close, it’s time to pick the Pelham Examiner Athlete of the Autumn. 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!

Who is your pick for PMHS Athlete of the Autumn?

• Jennifer Bell (girls' swimming) (37%, 234 Votes)
• Zach Leonard (boys' soccer) (15%, 93 Votes)
• Lindsay McNamara (field hockey) (14%, 91 Votes)
• Maeve Parmelee (girls' soccer) (11%, 67 Votes)
• Kevin Coleman (football) (8%, 51 Votes)
• Nora Tahbaz (volleyball) (8%, 48 Votes)
• Grace Miske (girls' cross country) (5%, 33 Votes)
• Henry Driesen (boys' cross country) (3%, 18 Votes)

Total Voters: 635

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Football:

Through the 6-2 season of the Pelicans, senior and captain Kevin Coleman absolutely dominated on offense. Over the whole season, Coleman recorded more than 1,300 yards and 19 touchdowns. This remarkable year also includes a game where he rushed for more than 300 yards, 5 touchdowns, a two point conversion, had another 48 receiving yards, and threw for a two point conversion. Coleman was also named an athlete of the week early on in the school year. Honorable mentions for the football team goes to a top-notch crop of young talent, including juniors Nick Senerchia and Mark McNenney and sophomore Carlo Volpe.

Field Hockey:

Throughout a tremendous season for the PMHS field hockey team, senior and captain Lindsay McNamara’s spectacular season in the goal led the way to a 15-3 record. Including the post-season, McNamara recorded a total of 13 shutouts, and had a goals per game rate of .5. Honorable mentions go out to seniors Madelyn Dunbar, Lucy Conway, and Jenna Letizia for leading a talented offense and each scoring more than 10 goals, and an additional honorable mention goes to junior Grace Liberatore for leading a spectacular defense to back up McNamara.

Volleyball:

By any metric, Pelham’s volleyball season was one of significant success, both on the team level and on the individual level, which makes this choice incredibly hard. This year (her senior season), Nora Tahbaz led the team across multiple categories. She led in attacks, with more than 200, and ace percentage, with over 21%, and managed to come in a strong second for several others. Honorable mentions go to seniors Kristina Roksvold, Manon Bushong and Kim Rosell, all of whom put up fantastic numbers and contributed to their tremendous season.

Boys Cross Country:

Senior and captain Henry Driesen led the way for Pelham’s boys cross country team this year. He led the team, placing 7th at league championships, and has consistently been the top finisher for the team all year. He set his season best 0f 17:15 recently at the Westchester County Championships. Honorable mentions go out to senior Charlie Miske, junior Lance Brady, and freshman Stephen Liaskos and Ben Levine, who rounded out the top 5 boys for most of the season.  

Girls Cross Country:

In her third season as a member of Pelham’s girls cross country team, senior Grace Miske managed t0 lower her personal best down to a 20:05.7, medaling multiple times throughout the season. She placed 2nd at league championships, placed top 15 three separate times, and placed inside of the top 30 at both the county championships and the coaches invitational. Honorable mentions go to junior Morgan Sample, who was a strong number 2 all year, setting her own personal bests, and to freshman Catalina Rivera, who started out above 27 minutes for a 5k, and managed to lower her personal best to 23:44 to provide a strong middle of the pack for the squad.

Girls Soccer

The only finalist who is not a member of the senior class, junior Maeve Parmelee helped lead the girls’ varsity soccer team to their 6-11 record. Scoring in almost every game this season, she also netted one of the teams two goals in their out-bracket loss against Horace Greeley. This also includes a two goal game against Eastchester, where she provided all the offense needed to take the win. Honorable mentions go to seniors Claudia Dodge and Alison Emery, both of whom also managed to score multiple goals throughout the year.

Boys Soccer

Managing to lead the team to a winning record in his senior year, Goalie Zach Leonard held opponents to zero goals four separate times through the 18 games this season. Leonard managed to keep opponents to approximately 1.5 goals per game overall. Honorable mentions go to Stephan Akichy, Grey Allen, Simon Keough, and Michael Salama, all leaders on the team who contributed significantly to the winning record they compiled this year.

Swim

In her senior year, UVA commit and 4 straight section title winner Jennifer Bell led the way for the PMHS girls’ varsity swim team.  In a hotly contested matchup, Bell managed to secure her final section title and punch her ticket to the state championships. Honorable mentions go to 8th grader Alexandra Bastone, who qualified in two events for states, and senior Lucy Bischof, who also qualified for states.