The Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame has announced the five male and five female finalists for the Hall’s 2015 High School Athlete of the Year. The winners will be announced at the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Annual Banquet on Saturday, October 24, at the Rockland Elks Club.

The finalists were recently selected by the Midcoast Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors after considering a number of student-athletes for the honor.  

The five male finalists include Nicholas DePatsy, Nick Mazurek, Mark McClusky, Zac Roman and Micah Williamson.

The female finalists include Miranda Achorn, Emily Gould, Hannah Marks, Rachel Pease and Jackie Thorbjornsen.

High Schools from within the Midcoast area (Oceanside, Camden Hills, Medomak Valley, Lincoln Academy, Vinalhaven, North Haven and Islesboro) were asked to nominate two male and two female student-of-year athlete candidates.  

The candidates were asked to complete a questionnaire and return it to the board to be considered for the honor. Any candidate who did not return the questionnaire was not considered for the award.

Nick DePatsy, a senior at Medomak Valley High School, has earned varsity letters in soccer, baseball, and basketball. Nick was an important part of the Panthers’ success in basketball 2013 and 2015 when the team won the KVAC Championship, Class B Eastern Maine Championship, and were Class B State Runners-up both years. 

Nick Mazurek, a senior at Oceanside High School, has been an outstanding member of the varsity golf, basketball, and baseball teams each year. As a junior, in 2014, Nick was State Class A Golf Champion and was named Male Athlete of the Year in 2014 by the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame and by Village Soup.  

Mark McCluskey, a 2015 graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School, was an outstanding member of the Windjammer Cross Country, Swimming, and Track & Field teams. In Swimming, Mark was the KVAC and State Class B Champion in 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle, and in the 400 freestyle relay. This fall, Mark is attending Howard University in Washington DC where he is on the Division 1 Howard Swim team and majoring in Media, Journalism, and Film.

Zac Roman, a 2015 graduate of Oceanside High School, was a member of the soccer and baseball teams and was First Team All KVAC in both sports. Zac has set an Oceanside school record for most stolen bases (62).  Currently, Zac is attending Maine Maritime Academy with a major in Power Engineering Technology and is focusing primarily on his academics.

Micah Williamson, a 2015 graduate of Medomak Valley High School, was an outstanding 3-sport athlete in soccer, basketball, and baseball. He was a team captain and team MVP on both the baseball team and on the Panthers’ 2013 and 2015 basketball teams that were KVAC Champions, Eastern Maine Class B Champions, and Class B Runners-Up. Micah is currently at the University of Southern Maine, enrolled full time in the exercise science program and will be trying out for the USM basketball team this fall.

Emily Gould, a 2015 graduate of Oceanside High School, was an outstanding varsity soccer and basketball player for all four years, and was voted team MVP for soccer and basketball. As a senior, Emily was chosen KVAC All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team for soccer and basketball. Emily is attending Bentley University this fall where she will be majoring in finance or accounting and getting involved with basketball intramurals this winter.

Rachel Pease, a 2015 graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School, excelled in soccer, basketball, and track & field. Rachel played varsity goalie on the soccer team for three years and was on the Windjammer KVAC Championship team her sophomore year. Rachel made the varsity basketball team as a freshmen, KVAC All-Rookie Team, the KVAC All-Defensive Team, and KVAC First Team and All-Academic Team as well. In August of 2015, Rachel was named Maine Wild Blueberry Queen at the Wild Blueberry Festival at Union Fair, and she will be carrying out her duties in that area while also attending college at Kennebec Valley Community College and Liberty University to become an athletic trainer.

Hannah Marks, a 2015 honor graduate of Medomak Valley High School, excelled in basketball and softball, playing varsity in both sports as a freshman.  In Basketball, Hannah was KVAC First Team All-Conference Player twice and KVAC Player of the Year her senior year as well as a McDonald’s All-Star in basketball, 3-Point Shooting Champion, Regional Foul Shooting Champion, and Foul Shooting Finalist, finishing in third place. 

Miranda Achorn, a 2015 graduate of Lincoln Academy, excelled at soccer, wrestling, and softball. Miranda was the varsity soccer goalie for all four years and was named to the KVAC second team in 2013.  Miranda was on the varsity wrestling team all four years, placing fourth in the states in 2013 and placing first in the Girls State Wrestling Championship in 2015. Miranda was the varsity softball catcher for all four years, receiving the coach’s award in 2014 and was named to the KVAC second team also in 2014. In 2015, Miranda was softball team captain and was named to the All Stars West Team and played on the All Stars West/East Team vs. New Hampshire. This summer and fall, Miranda has been playing on championship co-ed softball teams in China and Augusta. 

Jackie Thorbjornson,  2015 valedictorian of Oceanside High School, had an outstanding career in Field Hockey and ran Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. Jackie played Varsity Field Hockey all four years at Oceanside and was named to the KVAC All-Rookie team in 2011, All-Conference 2nd Team in 2012, All-Conference 1st Team in 2013 and 2014, was nominated for the KVAC Player of the Year 2013, Maine All-State Team in 2013 and 2014, and was a New England Region All-American in 2014.  This August, Jackie was crowned the Maine Sea Goddess at the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland. She will have a busy year fulfilling her duties as Sea Goddess and attending college at Princeton University, majoring in biology.

You can reach the Sports Department at sports@penbaypilot.com