Ed Note: This article will appear in our April 11 print edition.

Male:

EDDIE GALVIN, Junior-Basketball

• Western Maine Conference, second-team

• Kevin Brady Award winner

• Team MVP

• Captain

Galvin brought experience, energy and passion to a team that was competitive throughout this winter.

Galvin grew up in Cape Elizabeth and like so many boys in town, naturally gravitated to basketball, in part because his half-brother John Messina became a key player with the Capers program.

While he also plays soccer and jumps in outdoor track, Galvin makes his most noise on the hardwood in the winter.

Entering the season, Galvin and classmate Ethan Murphy were the lone players who had much experience at the varsity level and as a result, were forced into a leadership role.

While Cape Elizabeth struggled with the league’s elite teams (Falmouth, Greely and Yarmouth), the Capers were able to win 11 games and extend their postseason streak to 17 years.

Galvin, a guard/forward, who is quick with a smile and boasts great energy, featured steady numbers. He averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.

Cape Elizabeth made it to the Portland Exposition Building for a third meeting with Yarmouth in the quarterfinals and despite Galvin’s 11 points, lost a heartbreaker, 45-43.

“I felt like I had to step up this year and put the team on my shoulders,” Galvin said. “I”m the guy to do the dirty work. My teammates and coaches made me successful. Playing 1-on-1 with Murphy helped me develop too.”

Galvin will next look to build on his success in track (he was seventh in the long jump at last year’s Class B state meet). He also plays the keyboard, enjoys beach volleyball and is the captain of the Barbecue Team, a role he takes as seriously as does his duties on the court.

Galvin has one final season to influence the Capers program and if all goes well, lead them deep into the postseason.

Whether or not he plays at the next level, Eddie Galvin, Cape Elizabeth’s Winter Male Athlete of the Year, has made his mark as a basketball player, team leader and young man.

Coach Jim Ray’s comment: “Eddie, (along with Ethan Murphy), was the glue to a young and inexperienced team. He is a tremendous role model for all boys playing in our program. If we can get a few more returning players to work as hard as Eddie, then we could be a contender next year.”

Previous winners:

2012-13: Evan Long (Swimming)

2011-12: Nick Breed (Hockey)

2010-11: Theo Bowe (Basketball)

2009-10: Conor Maloney (Basketball)

2008-09: Alex Bowe (Basketball)

2007-08: Tommy Ray (Basketball)

2006-07: Graham Egan (Nordic skiing)

2005-06: Kevin Harrison (Track)

2004-05: Dan Rautenberg (Hockey)

2003-04: Ben Weimont (Track)

2002-03: Luke Holden (Hockey)

2001-02: Tom Alberi (Swimming)

Female:

SYDNEY WIGHT, Senior-Swimming

• Class B state champion, 200 freestyle

• Southwesterns champion, 200 free

• All-state, 200 free

• All-state, 400 free relay

• All-conference, 100 free

• All-conference, 200 free

• All-conference, 400 free relay

Wight didn’t just score a lot of points for her team, she also helped mold the team into a strong unit, one that was welcoming to swimmers of all abilities.

Wight grew up in Cape Elizabeth and started swimming at a young age. She also played soccer and softball growing up, but starting her junior year, she focused exclusively on swimming and the results were plain to see.

As a junior, Wight was part of a champion medley relay squad and became the second-fastest swimmer in Class A in the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly, helping the Capers win the state championship.

This season, she was even better.

Wight won the 100 free (55.23 seconds), helped lead the medley relay team to a first-place finish and placed second in the fly (59.01 seconds) at Southwesterns (leading Cape Elizabeth to the title).

At the state meet, Wight won her first title, taking the 200 free in 1 minute, 55.89 seconds (the best time in either state meet), and placing second in the fly in 57.72 seconds.

“It was exciting to win,” Wight said. “I was shocked. The 200 free isn’t really even my event. I had my best times at states. I was really happy.”

The Capers were second as a team to Mt. Desert Island and what a team they were, thanks in large part to Wight’s willingness to welcome others and provide a fun environment.

“Sydney spent time in practice every day working with younger swimmers,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Ben Raymond. “She’s a great teammate. She welcomes swimmers and athletes of all abilities and makes them feel like an important part of the team. One of her daily rituals is coming into practice every day and sharing a joke with her coaches. This may seem trivial, but it’s been an extremely important part of developing a relationship and making the pool a place people want to be.”

“It’s important to have a positive attitude,” said Wight. “I like having a happy atmosphere. My teammates drive me.”

Wight also swims for Coastal Maine Aquatics, gives swim lessons and lifeguards, volunteers at a dog shelter and takes part in Hope for Haiti. Wight hopes to swim in college and is in the process of deciding where she’ll take her talents.

Whichever program winds up with her will be quite fortunate. Sydney Wight, Cape Elizabeth’s Winter Female Athlete of the Year, is still getting better and that is a scary thought for the opposition.

Coach Ben Raymond‘s comment: “Sydney is a leader among her peers and has gained the respect of them all, as well as her teachers and other influential adults in the swimming community. She has been an extremely important part of our program. She is and always has been more concerned about the team than any individual awards and has always been a super teammate. She’s the type of person you need to have on the pool deck if you’re going to be successful and grow your program.”

Previous winners:

2012-13: Marlo Dell’Aquila (Basketball)

2011-12: Hannah Homans (Swimming)

2010-11: Emily Donovan (Basketball)

2009-10: Emily Attwood (Nordic skiing)

2008-09: Marita Stressenger (Track)

2007-08: Nora Daly (Swimming)

2006-07: Nora Daly (Swimming)

2005-06: Kinsey Tarbell (Swimming)

2004-05: Kate Barton (Nordic skiing)

2003-04: Taylor McFarlane (Swimming)

2002-03: Taylor McFarlane (Swimming)

2001-02: Whitney Rockwell (Swimming)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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Eddie Galvin

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