COURTESY PHOTO
Scholar-Athlete Awards winners Dorothy Ezemba, Vanessa Paul and Ravyn Rapley with coach Mackenzie Charles.
By HAROLD RIVERA
The Lynn English girls basketball team celebrated its 2016-2017 season at its annual banquet at Old Tyme Restaurant last Thursday. Under first-year coach Mackenzie Charles, the Bulldogs improved on the court from recent seasons and competed with some of the tougher teams in the Northeastern Conference.
“It was a great group of hard working young ladies,” Charles said of his team. “We’re starting to create a culture of caring. Caring about each other, about becoming better students and about becoming better athletes.”
Last Thursday’s banquet was also an opportunity for the Bulldogs to honor, and say farewell to, senior captain Rachel Calnan. A three-sport captain who’s currently in her final go-round with the school’s softball team, Calnan was the lone senior on a young Bulldogs roster. She’ll attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better senior captain than Rachel,” Charles said. “She’ll leave a long lasting impact on this team and our community.”
The award winners honored at Thursday’s banquet were: Dorothy Ezemba, Vanessa Paul and Ravyn Rapley, Scholar-Athlete Awards; Calnan and Pamela Rosales, Leadership Awards; Sheyla Manon and Jessica Ruiz, Most Improved Players; Ezemba, NEC All-Star and Calnan, Senior/Student Athlete.
As a team the Bulldogs accumulated a 3.3 GPA, a distinction that was recognized by the MIAA with the Academic Excellence Team Award.
“We have a great group of student-athletes,” Charles said. “I’m so impressed with the hard work they put in on the court and especially the classroom.”
