Male:

JACK MULLEN, Senior-Baseball

Contributed photo

File photo

• SMAA all-star, second-team
• SMAA All-Academic team
• Senior All-Star
• Maine All-Star
• Captain

Statistics didn’t do justice in regards to Mullen’s contributions to his team this year, as he went head-to-head with the league’s best every time he took the mound and helped the Stags to another strong season.

Mullen started playing baseball in Little League and it quickly became his top sport, as he immediately took to pitching.

“I love the mental aspect of baseball,” Mullen said. “There are so many situations to think about. You have to be on your toes.”

Mullen, who also played four years of high school soccer, joined the Cheverus baseball varsity team as a sophomore and went 2-0 with a 2.19 earned run average, helping the Stags reach the Class A South Final. As a junior, Mullen led Cheverus back to the regional final, going 4-1 with a 1.39 ERA.

Mullen then went out and produced a 1.33 ERA this spring, but his record wound up 3-4, thanks in large part to having to face the likes of Portland’s Donnie Tocci, Scarborough’s Nick Thompson and South Portland’s Hunter Owen. Mullen did throw a five-hitter to beat eventual regional semifinalist Marshwood and saved his best for last, going 6.1 shutout innings and fanning eight batters in a preliminary round playoff victory over Noble. For the season, Mullen threw 71 percent strikes and 68 percent first-pitch strikes. He struck out 52 batters in 47.3 innings.

“It was a little frustrating at times, but I knew I had to be a leader,” said Mullen. “I loved the challenge. It made me play better. I just wanted to be the best player I could be.”

Mullen also belonged to Cheverus’ Key Club and was a co-founder of the school’s Recycling Club. He’s playing for the Maine Lightning travel team this summer and will attend and play baseball at Bowdoin College next year.

Jack Mullen, Cheverus’ Spring Male Athlete of the Year, took on the biggest challenges and stood tall. His time in a Stags uniform will be remembered fondly.

Coach Mac McKew’s comment: “Jack has been a mainstay of our pitching staff since his sophomore year. He was a strike-throwing machine. Beyond that, he has been an exemplary student, athlete and Cheverian. He’s one of the finest student-athletes I’ve had the pleasure of coaching. He’s an example of what every student-athlete can look up to. He did it the right way. Cheverus’ loss will be Bowdoin’s gain.”

Previous winners:

2018 Griffin Watson (baseball)

2017 Jared Brooks (baseball)

2016 Frank Curran (lacrosse)

2015 Jake Dixon (track)

2014 Isaac Yeobah (track)

2013 Thomas Lawson (lacrosse)

2012 Louie DiStasio (baseball)

2011 Nic Lops (baseball)

2010 Jack Terwilliger (track)

2009 Mick DiStasio (baseball)

2008 Topher Pochebit (lacrosse)

2007 Todd Keneborus (baseball)

2006 Michael Antoniou (lacrosse)

2005 Ben Michaud (track)

2004 Ben Michaud (track)

Female:

ZOE MAZUR, Senior-Lacrosse

Contributed photo

File photo

• SMAA all-star, first-team
• SMAA All-Academic team
• Senior All-Star

Mazur was an unstoppable force for a Stags team which got better and better as the season progressed and nearly pulled off a seismic playoff upset.

Mazur hails from an accomplished athletic family and while she grew up loving hockey the most, she also starred in soccer and basketball before trying lacrosse in middle school. She quickly took to the sport as her speed, strength and athleticism made her a star in the midfield.

“I started playing lacrosse to be with my friends, and my friends and coaches made me love it,” Mazur said. “I love that I can be outside and play. It’s just fun. Lacrosse has created so many relationships. I’m very competitive. It’s a family thing. Any family event we have turns into something competitive.”

Mazur spent her freshman and sophomore years at the former Maine Girls’ Academy and came to Cheverus for her junior year and thanks in part to a growth spurt, she performed well enough to be named to the All-Conference second-team.

This spring, she took her game to a stratospheric level, scoring 56 goals, adding 16 assists, winning 84 draws, collecting 71 ground balls and forcing 19 turnovers. Mazur would consistently win possession for her team, then finish on the offensive end and if the opposition got the ball, she’d simply take it away. Highlights included four goals in a win over Scarborough and the tying goal, with 0.4 seconds left in regulation, in a come-from-behind overtime victory over Marshwood.

Mazur played for her grandfather, Bill Fenton, her junior season, but this spring, Lauren Lessard took over as coach and Mazur helped make for a smooth transition, guiding the Stags through some bumps in the road and leading them to the playoffs, where they won decisively at Oxford Hills in the Class A North quarterfinals before taking defending (and eventual repeat) champion Falmouth to the wire in a thrilling one-goal loss in the semifinals. Mazur bowed out with three goals, an assist, eight draw wins and a game-high 12 ground balls.

“We lost so many good players from the year before and had a new coach, but we finished strong,” Mazur said. “It was so exciting to play Falmouth close like that.”

Mazur plans to play hockey and lacrosse next year at the Gunnery School, a prep school in Connecticut, then figures to have some promising college options.

Zoe Mazur, Cheverus’ Spring Female Athlete of the Year, won’t soon be forgotten for her high school accomplishments. She keeps getting better and isn’t yet close to reaching her athletic ceiling.

Coach Lauren Lessard’s comment: “Whenever Zoe stepped on the field, for a practice, home game or away game, her presence was known. I had the privilege of coaching Zoe this year in my first year as head coach and right away, I could tell she had the lacrosse IQ, skills and work ethic of a college-caliber player. I often said to her before the game, ‘Control the tempo.’ When she won the draw, we had that positive, ‘nothing-can-stop-us’ tempo. She the tone. She’s a force in the midfield, a key player in transition and unstoppable on offense. On defense, she communicated well with her teammates and caused multiple turnovers per game. Zoe is no doubt one of the most talented high school athletes and lacrosse players I’ve coached. She’s going to accomplish some great things.”

Previous winners:

2018 Victoria Bossong (track)

2017 Emma Gallant (track)

2016 Emily Turner (track)

2015 Abby Biegel (lacrosse)

2014 Brittany Bell (softball)

2013 Alex Logan (lacrosse)

2012 Meredith Willard (lacrosse)

2011 Paige Lucas (lacrosse)

2010 Theresa Hendrix (softball)

2009 Theresa Hendrix (softball)

2008 Theresa Hendrix (softball)

2007 Dana Proscia (lacrosse)

2006 Dana Proscia (lacrosse)

2005 Meaghan Morris (track)

2004 Kate McLaughlin (track)

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