Male:
BEN ADEY, Junior-Alpine skiing
* All-star
* Co-captain
Adey was part of a state championship team this winter. Of course he was. All Ben Adey does is win championships. Be it tennis, soccer or skiing, when the hardware is given out, it’s a good bet he’ll be in the vicinity and that was the case this winter, as Adey’s downhill skiing acumen helped the Falmouth/Waynflete co-op squad to a Class A Alpine state title.
Adey, who lives in Falmouth, came to Waynflete in the sixth grade, and started skiing at a young age.
“I’m a fan of the individual part of skiing,” Adey said. “It’s similar to tennis in that I have a job to do as an individual and can help my team.”
Adey, who has won Class C state titles the past two autumns with soccer and two consecutive tennis titles as well (the Flyers have captured the past 12 crowns in that sport) has known nothing but championships in skiing. As a freshman, he finished sixth in the giant slalom at states. As a sophomore, he placed sixth in the GS and ninth in the slalom.
This season, Adey was a top five finisher in the slalom and GS virtually throughout the season. At the Class A state meet, Adey was eighth in the slalom (with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 41.46 seconds) and ninth in the GS (1:26.28) and Falmouth/Waynflete finished atop the standings again.
“I’m happy we won again,” Adey said. “I’ve been very fortunate. Everything has just come together a bunch of seasons in a row for me.”
Adey was disappointed to miss out on qualifying for the Maine team this winter, so he has motivation for his senior season. First, he was hopeful at press time at making a run at an eighth straight personal title with tennis.
Ben Adey, Waynflete’s Winter Male Athlete of the Year, clearly has the winning touch and he’s likely not done collecting hardware.
Coach Tip Kimball’s comment: “Ben has done a terrific job organizing and and representing his school and our co-op program. He takes this role seriously and is a huge help to me in the logistics department. He is an exceptionally talented and dedicated athlete and is well respected by his teammates. I have no doubt that he is already looking to take his skiing to another level for next season and I expect he will be one of the best.”
Previous winners:
2018-19 Mitchell Adams (hockey)
2017-18 Diraige Dahia (basketball)
2016-17 Willson Moore (Nordic skiing)
2015-16 Milo Belleau (basketball)
2014-15 Milo Belleau (basketball)
2013-14 Serge Nyirikamba (basketball)
2012-13 Serge Nyirikamba (basketball)
2011-12 Luke Jeton (swimming)
2010-11 Joe Veroneau (basketball)
2009-10 Nate Niles (Nordic skiing)
2008-09 Hassan Jeylani (basketball)
2007-08 Tom Reagan (Nordic skiing)
2006-07 Lucas Milliken (Nordic skiing)
2005-06 Lucas Milliken (Nordic skiing)
2004-05 David Wells (swimming)
2003-04 Jeff Bates (Nordic skiing)
Female:
CLARA SANDBERG, Senior—Nordic Skiing
Sandberg enjoyed another solid season and is our repeat choice after helping the Flyers to a superb finish at the Class C state meet.
Sandberg came to Waynflete as a kindergartener. She stared racing in middle school and quickly emerged as a top skier.
Sandberg, who has also played soccer and lacrosse at Waynflete, was 25th in the freestyle and 33rd in the classical as a freshman and moved up to 10th in the classical and 12th in the freestyle as a sophomore. As a junior, she was fourth in the classical, fourth in the pursuit and fifth in the freestyle.
This winter was more of the same, as Sandberg teamed with Julia Werner to make the Flyers one of the most formidable squads around. At the Western Maine Conference meet, she came in 12th in the classic (19 minutes, 29.9 seconds) and placed 14th in the skate (17:29) to help Waynflete to a third-place team finish against some of the top programs in the state.
At the Class C state meet, Sandberg was fifth in the classic (20:26) and seventh in the freestyle (19:45.4) as the Flyers topped every team except Fort Kent.
“My individual results weren’t as good as I’d hoped, but we did very well as a team,” Sandberg said.
Sandberg did qualify for the Maine team this year after falling short last year, achieving one of her primary goals in the process.
Sandberg, who volunteers and is part of Waynflete’s math team and Science Olympiad, hopes to have one final lacrosse season this spring. She’s in the process of selecting a college.
Clara Sandberg, Waynflete’s Winter Female Athlete of the Year, has been consistently excellent on the trails and has left her mark on her school and team with her dedication and skill.
Coach Ben Lewis’ comment: “Clara is an athlete through and through. She excels during all three seasons and having her on the Nordic team was wonderful. She is driven, strong, focused and competitive. She wants to podium in every race she enters and she often does. She battled through some injuries and I really respect how she got consistently better over her career. She is funny, optimistic and awesome to coach. She asks good questions and really listens. She’s a great kid all around.”
Previous winners:
2018-19 Clara Sandberg (skiing)
2017-18 Lydia Giguere (basketball)
2016-17 Annika Brooks (basketball)
2015-16 Kelley Frumer (Alpine skiing)
2014-15 Helen Gray-Bauer (basketball)
2013-14 Colby Harvey (swimming)
2012-13 Martha Veroneau (basketball)
2011-12 Martha Veroneau (basketball)
2010-11 Martha Veroneau (basketball)
2009-10 Morgan Woodhouse (basketball)
2008-09 Annie Cutler (basketball)
2007-08 Margaret Veroneau (basketball
2006-07 Margaret Veroneau (basketball)
2005-06 Margaret Veroneau (basketball)
2004-05 Holly Whitney (Nordic skiing)
2003-04 Betsy Critchfield (Nordic skiing)
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter:@foresports.
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