LYNN — When it comes to spring sports, they were the best of the best.
Manning Field hosted The Item’s All-Star awards ceremony Tuesday evening, recognizing student-athletes and coaches for their achievements in spring competition.
From 384-goal players (Peabody’s Brooke Lomasney) to pitchers with ERAs of 0.65 (St. Mary’s Josh Doney), the event beat the heat – and the late drizzle. It was the second-ever spring ceremony, and first at Manning Field.
After some cookies and hellos ahead of the event, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson kicked things off with opening remarks. The former Princeton University wrestler applauded student-athletes in attendance, their supporting casts, and the hard work put in behind the scenes.
From there, came a round of applause for the St. John’s Prep state champion lacrosse and tennis teams. The laxmen defeated Needham, 17-13, back in May, with the tennis team completing its perfect season on the same weekend with a takedown of Concord-Carlisle.
Player of the Year recipients were as follows: Doney (St. Mary’s baseball), Abby Bettencourt (Peabody softball), Jake Vana (St. John’s Prep boys lacrosse), Lomasney (Peabody girls lacrosse), Long Pham (Lynn Classical volleyball), Mark McDuffee (St. John’s Prep boys tennis), Paige Martino (Lynnfield girls tennis), Alex Jackson (Peabody boys track and field), and Alessandra Forgione (Peabody girls track and field).
Coaches of the Year – who followed with a few words on the microphone – were Derek Dana (St. Mary’s baseball), Johnny Gold (Marblehead softball), John Pynchon (St. John’s Prep boys lacrosse), Michelle Roach (Peabody girls lacrosse), Chris LeBlanc (Lynn Classical volleyball), Mark Metropolis (St. John’s Prep boys tennis), Craig Stone (Lynnfield girls tennis), Fernando Braz (Peabody boys track and field), and John Hogan (Lynn Tech girls track and field).
Among other nuggets, Roach capped off a year in which her Peabody-Lynnfield-North Reading girls hockey team and Peabody girls lacrosse team each won conference championships. Metropolis secured his 500th career win with The Prep this spring, and LeBlanc coached his volleyball Rams to a state tournament appearance in just the program’s second season.
Capping off the night was Gold, who dedicated his Coach of the Year award to Todd Norman, the assistant coach of Marblehead’s softball team who died suddenly on Opening Day.
“We really rallied around him. This one’s for you,” said Gold, whose program reached the Final 4 of Division 2 last month.
Each student-athlete and coach received plaques after their names were called. Once some last-second group photos were taken, that was all she wrote on another spring sports season.
— Thank you to Facilities Manager Rich Avery for preparing Tuesday’s ceremony at Manning Field. The Item is more than appreciative.
