Seven Windham seniors Katelyn Cotter, Zoe Dries, Ava Gerrity, Carter Engelman, Tayla Pelletier, Marina Schwarz and Lukas Hammond signed their letters of intent at Windham High School on Thursday, May 28.
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| Windham seniors Marina Schwarz, left, Tayla Pelletier, center, and Lukas Hammond each signed college letters of intent at Windham High School in May. Schwarz will attend Thomas College in Waterville; Pelletier will attend the University of New Hampshire; and Hammond will attend the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. PHOTOS BY CHERI CROSSMAN and MATT PASCARELLA |
Tayla Pelletier – University of New Hampshire
“Profound impact, kind, humble, grit, devotion,” said Windham girls’ track and field coach Jeff Riddle about Pelletier. “As her junior teammate Sydney Broadbent said Tayla is the most dedicated athlete, teammate and leader that I’ve ever had the pleasure of being on a team with, despite the fact that she is highly successful in every event she tries, she maintains being humble, kind and is always encouraging me and all of her teammates. It’s not that Tayla demonstrates outstanding results in all that she does, it’s that she tries to master them, and she never stops. She consistently embodies the highest standards of sportsmanship, and character.”
Pelletier will major in exercise science and would like to become a sports physical therapist. She will also be on UNH’s track and field team.
“It was kind of relieving (to sign her letter of intent),” said Pelletier. “It sets what’s next in place. Windham sports has taught me determination while raising others up and working on yourself.”
Pelletier was in the top 10 percent of her 2025 graduating class and earned Honor Roll status all throughout high school.
Marina Schwarz – Thomas College, Waterville
“Her work ethic, resilience and unwavering commitment to improvement are manifesting in impressive results,” said Riddle. “These qualities make her a massive asset to our track and field program and broader community as well. She has safely gotten very strong and cultivated herself into an incredible shotput and discus thrower, a dedicated teammate and a true captain.”
Schwarz will major in marketing and minor in digital art. She’s undecided on what she’d like to do after college but has always wanted to be a real estate agent or possibly own her own business. Schwarz will be on the track and field team for throwing at Thomas College.
“I thought it was really good (to sign my letter of intent),” said Schwarz. “It was good to be along with some of my teammates ... it meant something to sign in front of my teachers, parents and all their friends; ever since my sophomore year I’ve tried my hardest with my grades. I received high honor roll in every single quarter and finished this year with all my grades being 97 and above.”
Lukas Hammond, University of Southern Maine, Gorham
“The adjective that jumps out the most for me when it comes to Lukas is overcoming adversity,” said Windham boys’ soccer coach Jeff Neal. “From a heartbreaker season sophomore year that started out with an injury, I’ve never seen an athlete work so hard to come back. From that moment ... Lukas has always overcome. He never asked a teammate to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself and gave 100 percent. His leadership, second-to-none; always set the example and set the bar very high. He’s a team-first guy.”
Hammond will major in mechanical engineering and go into the engineering field. He will play soccer and lacrosse at USM.
“Teamwork is the best thing I’ve learned (from Windham,)” said Hammond. “Relying on the teammates and bringing them up is this whole collective thing I’m going to be able to take with me for the rest of my life.”
He finished in the top 10 percent of his class and his advice to underclassmen is to do what you love; freshman year Hammond was playing baseball, and he picked up lacrosse and loved it and soccer has always been a passion of his. <
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