2009 MALE FALL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:

CHRIS GILLESPIE, Senior-Soccer

*  Western C Regional All-Star

*  WMC All-Star, Class C first team

Prior to 2009, the long-dominant Waynflete boys’ soccer team had never posted 12 victories in a regular season. Ever.

Unfortunately for the Flyers, their title dreams ended with a stunning quarterfinal round playoff loss to visiting Georges Valley, but the campaign was something special.

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As was the team’s goalie.

Chris Gillespie was a four-year standout for Waynflete and was dominant in his final go-round. He helped his team emerge into one of the finest in the state and make history in the process.

He stymied the opposition, exhorted his teammates and was a winner through and through. Gillespie is also The Forecaster’s choice for Waynflete’s 2009 Fall Male Athlete of the Year.

Gillespie lives in Arundel, started playing soccer at a young age and gravitated to the goal naturally. His father played goalie at the University of Rhode Island. Gillespie started playing goalie in middle school and came to Waynflete for his freshman year. He stepped right in as varsity goalie and kept the position for 60 games.

As a junior, Gillespie and his teammates enjoyed an unexpected and storybook ride to the Class C Final. This fall, they set out to post a better regular season mark and finish the job.

Gillespie would post nine shutouts in 15 outings, allowing just six goals in the process. The Flyers outscored the opposition, 45-7, and had their record marred only by a 1-0 home loss to North Yarmouth Academy and a 0-0 tie at Class B Lake Region.

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Waynflete felt it had what it took to get back to the state final and win it all, but despite carrying play for 80 minutes, the Flyers were ousted by Georges Valley in their first playoff test, painfully bringing the curtain down on the season.

Gillespie, who had 18 shutouts in his career and allowed just five goals in seven career playoff games, earned recognition as a league and regional all-star.

He plays with the Maine Coast United premier soccer program and takes part on the Waynflete boys’ tennis team in the spring. He also works with kids at Reiche School. Gillespie hopes to play in college and is in the process of selecting a school.

Rest assured, there will be a big hole in the Flyers’ goal in 2010. While he figures to have moved on to bigger and better things, Chris Gillespie, Waynflete’s 2009 Fall Male Athlete of the Year, is leaving behind a powerful legacy.

Coach Brandon Salway’s Comment: “Chris was everything you want in a goalkeeper. He was dependable, consistent and tough. He improved every season through his dedication and offseason workouts. He gave everything he had to the team. It will be challenging to ever find a keeper that will start four years and be as solid as he was.”

2008 winner: Josh Bloom (Soccer)

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2007 winner: Tristan Corriveau (Soccer)

2006 winner: Tristan Corriveau (Soccer)

2005 winner: Dan Black (Soccer)

2004 winner: Matt Lacasse (Soccer)

2009 FALL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:

AMY ALLEN, Senior-Cross Country

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* Western C regional champion

* New England qualifier

* WMC All-Star, first team

* Senior Scholar-Athlete

It might come as a surprise that Amy Allen was so dominant her first season running cross country. After all, prior to this fall, Allen had never run competitively, yet she still managed to win an individual regional crown and lead the Flyers to another Class C state title.

Beginner’s luck?

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Hardly.

If you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that Allen can do it all. She’s won state titles in soccer and lacrosse, is an accomplished musician and has even traveled halfway around the world to help better the lives of others.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see that a few steep trails and a little mud never had a chance.

For becoming a cross country standout virtually overnight, for excelling with the pressure on and for being such a well-rounded person as well as great athlete, Amy Allen is The Forecaster’s selection for Waynflete’s 2009 Fall Female Athlete of the Year.

Allen came to Waynflete in the fourth grade and watched older sisters Amanda and Ashley enjoy athletic success. Entering her senior year, Amy had already won back-to-back lacrosse titles and was part of a state champion soccer team her junior season. This year, however, she wanted to try something different to get into lacrosse shape and while she’s long been a runner, she’d never tried it competitively.

After the cross country team graduated standout Adele Espy, it appeared its run of state titles was going to come to an end, but the addition of Allen (along with standout freshman Martha Veroneau) ensured status quo.

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Allen finished 11th at her first regular season meet, then rose up through the ranks. She was ninth at the Western Maine Conference championships (against some of the finest runners in the state), placed second in the regular season finale the following week, then won the Western C individual title with a time of 21 minutes, 31.87 seconds.

At the state meet a week later, Allen came in second (by 16 seconds) to Veroneau, but played a major role in keeping the Flyers atop Class C. Her time of 21:20 qualified her for New Englands and there, in the mud, Allen had a time of 21:43.

As much as she loves sports, Allen calls playing the guitar her passion. She’s played for eight years and opens for the local band, “Jerks of Grass.” She spent two weeks last summer with boyfriend Ezra Wolfinger (who coincidentally won Cape Elizabeth’s Fall Male Athlete of the Year award) working in an orphanage in Tanzania and wants to someday work internationally as a nurse.

While she’s already accomplished more than most, it’s safe to say that she’ll keep raising the bar. Amy Allen, Waynflete’s 2009 Fall Female Athlete of the Year, dazzled as a runner this season, but is far more impressive as an all-around young lady.

Coach Ziggy Gillespie’s Comment: “I’ve seen very few runners do what Amy did this fall. She was certainly a big reason for our success. From Day 1, I asked her to trust me and be patient. I would teach her how to train and race, staying healthy was the key to success. I felt she had the ability to be a top runner in the state. She went for it and the rest is history.”

2008 winner: Adele Espy (Cross country)

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2007 winner: Adele Espy (Cross country)

2006 winner: Alex Woodhouse (Soccer)

2005 winner: Tess Crain (Cross country)

2004 winner: Anina Hewey (Soccer)

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