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    • Cast your vote for the Sportswoman of the Year 2023-2024
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    Cast your vote for the Sportswoman of the Year 2023-2024

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    Another eventful year of high school sports activities has come to an end in the Greater Taunton area.

    Once again, the area was home to two state championship teams, but this time they were both on the girls’ side, as Taunton softball earned its fourth straight Division 1 title and Dighton-Rehoboth softball won its first Division 3 title since 1990. Elsewhere, several local wrestlers, runners and pitchers were crowned individual state champions, with the MIAA hosting its first girls wrestling championship this winter. One basketball team had its best season in more than a decade, while another advanced to the Elite Eight and another softball team returned to the top of its league.

    With all these achievements and more, it is now up to our readers to vote for the 2023-24 Taunton Daily Gazette Female Athlete of the Year. Choose from 20 nominees, polls run until noon on August 4.

    These are the nominees:

    Reese Bartlett, Bridgewater-Raynham

    The Colby-bound Girls Basketball Player of the Year capped 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 in 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, scoring an area record 91 goals and 18 assists for 109 points. She also recorded 112 draw controls, 39 ground balls and caused 18 turnovers. She is also a member of the field hockey team.

    Corinne Braga, Dighton-Rehoboth

    The Volleyball Player of the Year, who also was softball captain, solidified her position as the best libero to come out of the Falcons program, becoming the first DR player ever to reach 1,000 career digs. On the court this spring, she scored seven runs and drove in three RBIs as she finished 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 Tigers’ top distance runner this year. This spring, she was crowned Hockomock League champion in both the 800 meters (2:26.08) and the mile (5:09.07). In the fall, she finished 13th at the Hockomock Cross Country Championship (20:47.1) and in the winter, she finished seventh in the two miles (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 that this three-sport star shone brightest, scoring a team-high 64 goals and 57 draw controls while reaching 100 career goals. In basketball, she was nearly always at the top of the scoreboard and was an active presence on the court in the fall.

    Abby Fernandes, Taunton

    The swimmer of the year finished sixth at the Hockomock Championships in both the 50-meter freestyle (0:27.99) and 100-meter freestyle (1:00.59) and was part of the 200-meter freestyle relay team that finished fifth with a time of 1:56.24.

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

    The girls hockey player of the year, 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 all-sport athletes, she was named Field Hockey All-Scholastic, Girls Indoor Track All-Scholastic and Girls Lacrosse All-Scholastic. While she was the leading 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 relay team (4:22.44), she shined most on the lacrosse field. This spring, she scored 75 goals and 36 assists for an area record 111 points and eclipsed the 200-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 goalie in the fall, she recorded eight clean sheets in net. On the field, 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 a team-high 16 walks.

    Nicole Kimball, Bridgewater-Raynham

    The Girls Tennis Player of the Year continued her dominance on the court, going a perfect 14-0 at first singles en route to a fourth consecutive Southeast Conference MVP award. She is also a member of the volleyball team.

    Lucy Latour, Dighton-Rehoboth

    The three-sport star from Worcester Polytechnic Institute was named Volleyball All-Scholastic, Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and Softball All-Scholastic for the third straight year. Despite missing a combined 20 games between the fall and winter due to injury, she still recorded 44 kills and 14 blocks in volleyball and led the Falcons in both points (120) and assists (122) in basketball. But once again, her biggest shine was on the court, leading the Falcons in batting average (.586), hits (58), singles (34) and doubles (14), while also belting seven home runs and posting a perfect fielding percentage. On the final swing of her high school career, she hit a walk-off triple to exit as Division 3 champions.

    Cailee Leonard, Dighton-Rehoboth

    The Girls Soccer Player of the Year emerged as the region’s top scoring player this fall, scoring 22 goals and adding eight assists to mark the program’s tenth consecutive season as the highest scoring team in history.

    Sam Lincoln, Taunton

    The back-to-back Softball Player of the Year for Texas Tech was once again not only the best softball player in the state, but one of the best in the country. In 133 innings, she surrendered just four earned runs (0.21 ERA) on 38 hits and struck out 284. A 20-0 hitter in the circle, she threw 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, posting a .393 batting average 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 court, she led the Tiger offense with 44 goals and 22 assists for 66 points, as well as 99 draw controls and 37 ground balls. She will 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, an improvement of nearly 20 seconds from her SEC Championship time of just 10 days earlier. She was also part of the school record-setting Sprint Medley Relay 1,600-meter team (4:20.76) at the MHS Relay Invitational at Wheaton College. She also placed second (19:34.7) at the SEC Girls Cross Country Championship and was a defensive leader in lacrosse.

    Olivia Polansky, Bridgewater-Raynham

    She is a Wrestling All-Scholastic and was crowned champion in the 107 lb. class at the inaugural Division 2 Girls Wrestling Championship.

    Camden Strandberg, Bridgewater-Raynham

    The back-to-back Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, and both a Girls Basketball All-Scholastic and Girls Track and Field All-Scholastic, she is another of the top three all-sport athletes in the region. This fall, she was crowned 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 track, she had a breakout year, leading the Trojans in points per game (13.4). This spring, she captured the SEC crowns in the two-mile (12:52.1) and high jump (5′) and was a member of 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 teams, was crowned the 114 lb. champion at the inaugural Division 3 Girls Wrestling Championship. She placed second at both All-State and the New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship, totaling 32 wins and 20 pins in both boys and girls bouts.

    Rowan Whittaker, Dighton-Rehoboth

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

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