Seven WHS seniors sign college athletic letters of intent

By Matt Pascarella

Seven Windham seniors including Katelyn Cotter, Zoe Dries, Ava Gerrity, Carter Engelman, Tayla Pelletier, Marina Schwarz and Lukas Hammond signed college letters of intent at Windham High School on Thursday, May 28.

The first group of student-athletes signing letters of intent will be profiled this week, with the remaining student-athletes appearing in next week’s edition.

Windham High seniors get ready to sign letters of intent 
to attend colleges and play sports. Back from left are
Zoe Dries, Katelyn Cotter, Ava Gerrity, Marina
Schwarz, and Tayla Pelletier. From from left are
Carter Engelman and Luka Hammond.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

Katelyn Cotter – Husson University, Bangor

“Katelyn has been the cornerstone of our varsity team from her first match as a freshman to her final season as our captain,” said Windham varsity tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “She consistently demonstrated unwavering dedication, grit and poise on and off the court. She’s led by example, not just through her strong work ethic and play, but also through positivity and sportsmanship.”

Cotter will major in elementary education and would like to teach fourth or fifth grade. She will also play tennis.

“It was a big deal for me (to sign my commitment letter),” said Cotter. “When I started tennis freshman year, I never thought I’d be in the place I was today and play college tennis, so being able to recognize that ... was a huge moment for me.”

Zoe Dries – Colby-Sawyer College, New Hampshire

“Zoe’s impact goes far beyond the field or the classroom,” said Windham varsity field hockey coach Cory DiDonato. “She’s the definition of drive and dedication. Every early morning workout, every extra rep and every sacrifice is a testament to her relentless pursuit of excellence. I was able to depend on her all throughout her high school career to be a positive influence on those around her.”

Dries will major in nursing and would maybe like to become a travel nurse. She will also play field hockey for Colby-Sawyer.

“It felt really good and everything just kind of comes together and now I’m ready (for college),” said Dries. “It was also great to thank all my coaches and friends. My love for the sport and how we all felt like a family (is something she learned from Windham athletics); I’m going to miss this so much, but I’m also excited for my next couple chapters and seeing where I go from there.”

Ava Gerrity – University of Southern Maine, Gorham

“She picked up the game with remarkable ease, showing instinct and skill far beyond her experience,” said DiDonato. She’s a strong, independent young woman who carries herself with confidence and pride. The program benefited from having her around every day. Her opponents knew they were in for a challenge and her teammates knew they had a rock-solid defender they could count on.”

Gerrity will Major in biology and might pursue a pre-veterinarian track or pharmacy track. She took AP courses throughout high school and gained 10 credits for the fall. She will play field hockey and be on the track team for USM.

“It felt really good signing with my fellow classmates and just seeing where we’re going to go,” said Gerrity. “I wanted to do it because ... it’s a big deal for us to be able to sign together and have one last thing (we do) before we continue our academic and athletic careers in college.”

Carter Engelman – Northeastern University, Massachusetts

“His dedication and personal motivation have been unmatched, and his quest to be the best version of himself.” said Windham boys’ track and field coach Paula Pock. “He’s highly committed, very competitive ... he’s motivated, he’s innovative ... he takes the time to work with his teammates and demonstrates great sportsmanship.”

Engelman will major in chemical engineering but is undecided as to what he’ll do after college. He will also be on the track team for Northeastern.

“It’s always good to have a physical stimuli for an achievement,” said Engelman about signing his letter of intent. “It helps you feel the culmination of everything you’ve done and all the hard work you’ve put in.”

Third in his class, Engelman said Windham taught him that community is everything in any sport; having a support group and friends among your teammates is one of the largest things that contribute to your success. <

Windham High School Playoff Scoreboard

Complied by Matt Pascarella

Boys’ tennis

11th-place Windham traveled to Apex Racket and Fitness in Portland on Friday, May 30 to play sixth-place Scarborough in the Class A South preliminary playoff.

Windham battled but lost to the Red Storm 5-0.

In the singles matches senior Zachary Noonan lost 6-0, 6-1, junior Nolan McPhail lost 6-1, 6-0, and junior Carter Mathieu lost 6-4, 7-6 (7).

In the doubles matches seniors Asher Knott and Brian Gilheany lost 6-2, 6-1; juniors Padrick McGuire and Nate Paulding lost 6-0 and 6-1.

Girls’ tennis

Fifth-place Windham headed to fourth-place Scarborough on Monday, June 2 where they played in the Class A South quarterfinal playoff.

Windham left it all on the court, but Scarborough got by 4-1.

In the singles matches, junior Jasmine Lucas lost 6-4, 6-2, senior Katelyn Cotter lost 6-2, 6-3 and sophomore Denali Momot won her match 8-6 in a pro-set match where the match is won by the first player to win eight games, with a margin of at least two games.

In the doubles matches, senior Afomiya Timerga and junior Ellise Gallop lost 7-5, 6-1 and senior Zoe Dries and junior Sydney Harmon lost 6-2, 6-3. <

Windham alpine ski team starts season strong

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High School’s alpine ski team competed in a season-opening meet against Cheverus, Falmouth, Gorham, Kennebunk, Marshwood and Scarborough on Friday, Jan. 10 at Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton with Windham’s boys’ team finishing fourth with a score of 85 and the girls’ team finishing fifth with a score of 93.

Windham High senior Katelyn Cotter cruises to the finish
line at Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton during an alpine
skiing prep slalom meet. PHOTOBY MATT PAACARELLA

“We need to work on making sure everybody’s equipment is in the right condition,” said Windham alpine ski coach Christine Fredette. “We had some equipment malfunctions that created problems for some of the racers. All in all, it was great: we had a couple racers who weren’t sure they were going to race, and they ended up racing – pushing through those struggles as a team and cheering each other on, but the most important thing is they are all having fun. I saw some of the drills that we had been working on earlier in the week coming through in their skiing, I saw the kids giving each other encouragement and keeping each other focused and helping to lower each other’s anxiety. I think this sets a good tone, we know where we’re at, we competed well and we’re going to continue to compete well.”

Boys

Windham junior Finn Jorgensen finished first for the team and 18th overall with a combined two-run time of 2:06.34 minutes. Behind him was senior Caleb Lavallee with a time of 2:07.28; he finished second for Windham and 19th overall.

Senior Preston Stretch finished 21st overall and third for Windham with a time of 2:07.78.

“We had good team performances, if we just finish our races and don’t fall, I know that we can do better,” said team captain Stretch. “Conditions for this time of the season are actually amazing because they’ve been making so much snow. The first run, very good, the course was easy, course was very straight, good first course to start. After the second run, it did get a little chopped up and a bit icier. This meet definitely sets a tone that we need to try our best, try harder, not necessarily that we didn’t do good, but we know that we can do better. We need to work on our ability to finish these courses and not get disqualified; we need to work on finishing and not falling.”

Junior and exchange student Eduardo Elorriaga finished with a time of 4:35.34.

Girls

Sophomore Maya Dries finished 12th overall and first for Windham with a 2:04.01 time.

Junior Ella Washburn finished second for Windham and 22nd overall with a time of 2:27.82. Junior Anna Lane finished third for Windham and 29th overall with a 2:32.37 time.

“I think I did good,” said Windham senior captain Katelyn Cotter, who finished fifth for Windham with a time of 2:53.33. “Definitely was a slow start to the season, but ... it’s good to get back on the snow and actually hit a gate. I think it sets a very good tone, we’re all super supportive of each other, a lot of team building, especially up top. Especially with the conditions that held up tonight, it’s going to be a good season for all of us. Our teams did really good at holding their edge, especially in those spots that get icy, our team does really well in making sure they’re getting in, actually making sure they’re sticking to their line and getting nice and close to the gates.

Cotter said the teams just need more practice and time on snow to improve for the season. <

Windham girls’ tennis team shuts out Sanford

Windham senior Lauren DeLuca focuses on returning the ball
during a girls' prep tennis match against Sanford at Windham
High School on Monday, May 9.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

In their second shutout victory of the season, the Windham High girls’ tennis team defeated Sanford 5-0 and earned their fifth win of the season to bring their record to a sparkling 5-1 overall.

Earlier this month, Windham shut out Westbrook 5-0 as well.

During this match against Sanford at home on Monday, May 9, Windham had to adjust its playing style mid-match in order to defeat the Spartans.

The Lady Eagles persevered, then adjusted when they were down, as they played a different style of play, to come back and secure the win.

“It was rough at first, off to a slow start, but after I got into it, it went well,” said Windham sophomore Alyssa Conley. “I wasn’t in a very good spot at the beginning. [Later on] I got more aggressive with my shots and took more chances.”

Conley won her matches 6-3 and 6-0 and said her placement was good. She got her opponent to move around the court, which made it more difficult for Sanford. She hopes Windham has a good rest of the season.

Windham’s doubles team of junior Sarah Bell and sophomore Madeline Dumont won their matches, 6-2 and 6-0.

“Things went well,” said Windham girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “[Windham] started off a little shaky, took a little time to warm up. They are smart players, they take instruction really well, they think about their placement and are enthusiastic along with some natural athletic abilities.”

Windham singles junior Grace Paiement won her matches, 6-2 and 6-2.

Windham’s doubles team of sophomore Samantha Bell and freshman Katelyn Cotter beat their opponents, 7-6 and 6-1.

Windham senior Lauren DeLuca said she thought the match went very well. She was having a bit of a hard time in the beginning, but said it was a mental game. DeLuca had to pull it together and dig deep down to believe she was going to win and in the end, she got by with 6-2 and 6-4 victories.

“I had to take some deep breaths and couldn’t overthink it, because overthinking it is going to make it worse,” DeLuca said.

She took simple shots, placement, with no need to overdo it or try to go overboard. She said her placement and cross-court shots helped her get the win.<