Thornton Academy Athletic Director Gary Stevens announced the hiring of three new varsity head coaches on Wednesday, including two Thornton alumni and a coach returning for a second stint with the Golden Trojans.
Mike Nelson, who coached the Thornton boys’ basketball team from 1999-2003, returns to the program, taking over for Bob Davies, who coached the Trojans for 20 years after replacing Nelson. Nelson coached Skowhegan to the Class A boys’ basketball championship in 1998, and has also coached at Morse and worked as athletic director at Carrabec. Nelson is a social studies teacher at Thornton.
Suzanne Picard Rondeau, a 1997 Thornton graduate, takes over the girls’ basketball program from Eric Marston, who coached the Trojans for 13 seasons. Rondeau is the only 1,000-point scorer in the history of Thornton girls’ basketball. Her coaching experience includes time as the varsity girls’ basketball coach at Bonny Eagle and as an assistant at St. Joseph’s College and the University of New England. Rondeau is a math teacher at Saco Middle School.
Lexie Carter takes over the field hockey program from Lori Smith. A 2010 graduate of Thornton Academy, Carter was a three-time all-SMAA selection in field hockey, including first team as a senior in 2009. Carter played field hockey at Bates College, where she was the team’s defensive saves leader and was voted team MVP. Carter is the co-owner of ELX, a travel agency in Biddeford.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
