2011 High School Athlete of the Year Finalists

Post date: Sep 20, 2011 2:43:37 AM

The five male finalists include Isaac Durkee of Medomak Valley, Kyle Durkee of

Medomak Valley, Bryant Matthews of Georges Valley, Tyler McFarland of Camden Hills

and Lucas Morrill of Rockland.

The five female finalists are Kasey Benner of Medomak Valley, Paige Bradshaw of

Rockland, Marnie Merrill of Camden Hills, Natasha Seavey from Rockland and Alanna

Vose from Medomak Valley.

Issac Durkee, who recently graduated from Medomak Valley, was a member of

the Panthers Soccer, Basketball and Baseball teams including a 4 year starter for

Medomak’s Baseball team and a 4 year member of the Panthers’ Basketball team that

played each year at the Bangor Auditorium. Durkee was KVAC All Academic for all 3

sports as well as being named a first team All Star in Basketball, Team MVP in Soccer

and Coaches Award winner for Baseball.

Kyle Durkee, Issac’s twin brother and also a June graduate from Medomak Valley, was

a two-year member of the Panthers’ Varsity Golf and Basketball teams and a 3-year

member of the Baseball squad. Durkee helped lead the Panthers golf to team to the

school’s first ever KVAC Championship in 2009 and was part of a pair of Basketball

teams that qualified for the Eastern Maine Tournament. Durkee won the Coaches

Award for both Golf and Basketball and twice was named Medomak’s “Most Improved”

Baseball player. This June, Kyle was named the winner of Medomak Valley’s “Senior

Sportsmanship Award”.

Matthews, who graduated this past June from Georges Valley, was a 4 year member

of the Buccaneer Varsity Soccer and Baseball teams. Matthews, who helped soccer

team to the 2009 playoffs, was named the team’s MVP, 1st team all Mountain Valley

Conference and played in the Maine Senior Bowl. For the Baseball squad, Matthews

was twice the team’s MVP, was a 2010 first team All Mountain Valley Conference team

member. An All Academic Conference selection as well, Matthews was named the

Georges Valley Male Student Athlete of the Year this past June.

McFarland, who in the spring graduated from Camden Hills, helped lead the

Windjammers to the 2009 and 2011 State Championship and was also a 2010 member

of Camden Hills’ Eastern Maine Championship squad, as the Windjammers finished

with a 63-3 record during that 3 year span. Tyler was named the KVAC Player of the

Year in 2010 and 11 as well as a First Team All State player both season as well as

named the 2011 Mr. Maine Basketball. During in 2011 McFarland was named the

Maine Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year, Rockland Elks Mid Coast Basketball

Player of the Year and Camden Hill Regional High School Athlete of the Year.

Morrill, who graduated in June from Rockland, played varsity of Soccer, Basketball and

Baseball for the Tigers. In Soccer, Morrill was twice named 2nd team All KVAC and

was awarded with the Coach’s Award his senior year. In Basketball , Morrill help lead

Rockland to 3 straight tournament appearances including helping the Tigers advance

to the 2009 Eastern Maine Finals. But it was in the baseball field where Morrill had his

greatest success, where the 4 year starter was named All KVAC 2nd team his freshman

year, and 1st team all conference the next 3 seasons and helped power the Tigers to the

2011 baseball playoffs. Morrill received a Baseball Scholarship from the University of

Maine and has begun his Division One career with the Black Bears.

Benner, who graduated this spring from Medomak Valley, was a member of the

Panthers Soccer, Basketball and Softball teams, was most successful on the Softball

field where she was a 1st team KVAC All Star twice and was named the team’s MVP

this past spring and the winner of the Coach’s Award in 2010. Benner also won the

Coach’s Award for Basketball her senior year and was named a member of the 2011

KVAC All Academic team.

Bradshaw attended Searsport High School for her Freshman and Sophomore years

and played Varsity Soccer, Basketball and Baseball for the Vikings before transferring

to Rockland for her Junior season, where she suffered a severe knee injury during the

soccer season. Bradshaw rehabbed her knee and was able to play Soccer and Softball

for Rockland her senior year, and was selected as the winner of the Coach’s Award for

the Soccer and was chosen the winner of the Holmes Athlete of the Year Award.

Merrill, who in the spring graduated from Camden Hills, was a member of the

Windjammers Soccer, Alpine Ski and Lacrosse teams, earning KVAC All-Academic

honors in all sports, and received the Charles and Ruth Stratton Memorial Scholarship

in recognition of her efforts and commitment to CHRHS Athletics. .

Seavey, a June graduate of Rockland, lettered 4-years as a member of the Tigers

Varsity Tennis team and was named the winner of the Coach’s Award her Junior

Season and this spring helped lead the Tigers to their first playoff appearance in 7

years. Seavey was also a member of the Rockland Cheering squad in 2008 that

finished second in the KVAC.

Vose, who just began her Senior year at Medomak Valley, is a member of the Soccer,

Basketball and Softball teams. Vose was named MVP of the Soccer team her junior

year as well as a KVAC 1st team All-Star. On the hardwood, Vose has helped the

Panthers to 3 straight Eastern Maine Tournaments, including advancing to the regional

Championship game this past February. Vose has twice been named a KVAC 2nd team

All Star and the team’s MVP her Sophomore year.