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Cast your vote for the 2023-24 Female Athlete of the Year

VaselineJuly 30, 2024

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Cast your vote for the 2023-24 Female Athlete of the Year

Another eventful year of high school sports has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.

Once again, the area was home to a pair of state champion teams, but this time both were on the girls side as Taunton softball made it four straight in Division 1 and Dighton-Rehoboth softball took home the Division 3 title for the program’s first since 1990. Elsewhere, several local wrestlers, runners and throwers were crowned individual state champions, with the MIAA holding a girls wrestling championship for the first time this winter. A basketball team had its best season in over a decade while another made it to the Elite Eight and another softball team made its return to among the top of its league.

With all of those accomplishments and more, now its up to our readers to vote for the 2023-24 Taunton Daily Gazette Female Athlete of the Year. Choose from 20 nominees, with polls are through noon on Aug. 4.

Here are the nominees:

Reese Bartlett, Bridgewater-Raynham

The Colby-bound Girls Basketball Player of the Year wrapped up a strong high school sports career as the Trojans’ “floor general,” with a team-high in rebounds per game (5.8). She was No. 2 for BR points per game (11.6), assists per game (3.2) and steals per game (1.9). A strong shooter from range, she recorded 48 3-pointers to finish her high school career with 147.

Karina Bosco, Dighton-Rehoboth

The back-to-back-to-back Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year had another strong spring for the Falcons, netting an area best 91 goals as well as 18 assists for 109 points. She also recorded 112 draw controls, 39 ground balls and caused 18 turnovers. She’s also a member of the field hockey team.

Corinne Braga, Dighton-Rehoboth

The Volleyball Player of the Year, as well as a softball captain, solidified her place as the best libero to come through the Falcons’ program, becoming the first ever DR player to reach 1,000 career digs. On the diamond this spring, she scored seven runs and drove in three RBIs as she ended her high school career as a state champion.

Emersyn DePonte, Taunton

The Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, who was also a Girls Cross Country All-Scholastic and a Girls Indoor Track All-Scholastic, continued to be the top distance runner for the Tigers this year. This spring, she was crowned the Hockomock League champion in both the 800 meters (2:26.08) and the mile (5:09.07). Back in the fall, she finished 13th at the Hockomock Cross Country Championship (20:47.1) and in the winter finished seventh in the two mile (11:46.14) at the Division 1 Championship.

Emma Ericson, Bristol-Plymouth

Both a Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and a Girls Lacrosse All-Scholastic, as well as a member of the soccer team, it was on the lacrosse field where this three-sport star shined brightest, recording a team-high 64 goals and 57 draw controls and achieving 100 career goals. In basketball, she was almost always on top of the score sheet and was an active presence on the pitch in the fall.

Abby Fernandes, Taunton

The Girls Swimmer of the Year finished sixth at the Hockomock Championship in both the 50 yard freestyle (0:27.99) and 100 yard freestyle (1:00.59) and was part in the 200 yard freestyle relay team that finished fifth with a time of 1 :56.24.

Abby Gropman, West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham/Bristol-Plymouth/Southeastern/Middleboro

The Girls Hockey Player of the Year, who was an eighth grader at Bridgewater Middle School, led the Wild Vikings with 11 goals and six assists for a total of 17 points.

Emily Keefe, Bridgewater-Raynham

One of the area’s top three-sport athletes, she was a Field Hockey All-Scholastic, Girls Indoor Track All-Scholastic and a Girls Lacrosse All-Scholastic. While she was the key transition player in field hockey and a Southeast Conference champion in both the 600 meters (1:45.22) and as part of the 4×400 meter relay team (4:22.44), she shined brightest on the lacrosse field. This spring, she recorded 75 goals and 36 assists for an area-best 111 points and surpassed the 200 career point mark.

Haleigh Kelley, Dighton-Rehoboth

Another local three-sport star, she was a Girls Soccer All-Scholastic and Softball All-Scholastic, as well as a member of the basketball team. As a captain and goalkeeper in the fall, she recorded eight clean sheets in net. On the diamond, she batted .412 with 33 hits, including seven home runs, while driving in 34 runs, including the walk-off winner in the Division 3 title game, and three RBIs , as well as drew a team-high 16 walks .

Nicole Kimball, Bridgewater-Raynham

The Girls Tennis Player of the Year continued to display her domination on the court, going a perfect 14-0 from first singles on her way to a fourth straight Southeast Conference MVP award. She is also a member of the volleyball team.

Lucy Latour, Dighton-Rehoboth

The Worcester Polytechnic Institute-bound three-sport star was a Volleyball All-Scholastic, Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and Softball All-Scholastic for the third year in a row. Despite missing a combined 20 games between the fall and winter due to an injury, she still recorded 44 kills and and 14 blocks in volleyball and led the Falcons in both points (120) and assists (122) in basketball. Once again, though, it was on the diamond where she shined brightest: leading the Falcons in batting average (.586), hits (58), singles (34) and doubles (14) while also hitting seven home runs and recording a perfect fielding percentage. With the last swing of her high school career, she hit a walk-off triple to go out as a Division 3 champion.

Cailee Leonard, Dighton-Rehoboth

The Girls Soccer Player of the Year established herself as the area’s preeminent scoring threat this fall, recording 22 goals and eight assists for the 10th-best scoring season in program history.

Sam Lincoln, Taunton

The Texas Tech-bound back-to-back Softball Player of the Year was once again not just the best softball player in the state, but one of the best in the country. In 133 innings, she gave up just four earned runs (0.21 ERA) on 38 hits while striking out 284. Going 20-0 in the circle, she tossed perfect games against Sharon, Milford and No. 30 Lexington in the Division 1 Round of 32. She also stepped up at the plate this spring, batting .393 with four home runs and 21 RBIs.

Cali Melo, Taunton

The Nichols-bound three-sport star athlete was a Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and a Girls Lacrosse All-Scholastic, as well as a member of the soccer team. On the court, she averaged 10 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and four steals per game. On the lacrosse field, she led the way the Tiger offense 44 goals and 22 assists for 66 points, as well as 99 draw controls and 37 ground balls. She’ll play both basketball and lacrosse for the Bison next year.

Lily Moreira, Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater

The Gymnast of the Year won the All-Around at the Cranberry League Championship with a combined score of 36.95, earning a 9.4 on both the bars and beam.

Sydney O’Donnell, Bridgewater-Raynham

The Stonehill-bound Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year was also a Girls Cross Country All-Scholastic and a Girls Lacrosse Second Team All-Scholastic. This winter, she was crowned SEC champion in both the 1,000 meters (3:22.82) and the mile (5:33.84). She broke both a personal and school record in the 1,000 meters at the MIAA Division 2 Championship, finishing fifth with a time of 3:02.96, a nearly 20 second improvement on her SEC Championship time just 10 days earlier. She also was part of the school record-breaking Sprint Medley Relay 1,600 meter team (4:20.76) at the MHS Relay Invitational at Wheaton College. She also finished second (19:34.7) at the SEC Girls Cross Country Championship and was a defensive leader in lacrosse.

Olivia Polansky, Bridgewater-Raynham

A Wrestling All-Scholastic, she was crowned the 107 lb. champion at the inaugural Division 2 Girls Wrestling Championship.

Camden Strandberg, Bridgewater-Raynham

The back-to-back Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, as well as both a Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and Girls Track and Field All-Scholastic, she is another of the area’s top three-sport athletes. This fall, she was crowned the Southeast Conference Girls Cross Country champion (19:26.4) and won the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Small/Medium Sophomore 5K (19:09.8, personal best). On the court, she had a breakout year, leading the Trojans in points per game (13.4). This jump, she took the SEC crown in the two mile (12:52.1) and high jump (5′) as well as part of the the 4×100 meter relay team (4:22.7).

Brooke Weafer, Bristol-Plymouth

The Girls Wrestler of the Year, who is also a member of the soccer and track and field teams, was crowned the 114 lb. champion at the inaugural Division 3 Girls Wrestling Championship. She finished runner up both at All-State and the New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship while compiling a total of 32 wins and 20 pins competing against boys and girls.

Rowan Whittaker, Dighton-Rehoboth

The Framingham State-bound Field Hockey Player of the Year wrapped up her high school career as perhaps the best shot stopper in the South Coast Conference. This fall, she recorded 173 saves on over 200 shots for a save percentage of 87%, notching a 30-save performance against rivals Somerset Berkley.