Rowe, Lamothe VSSA May athletes of month
Toolbox
Published: July 3, 2009
The Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has named Hannah Rowe of St. Johnsbury Academy track and Buddy Lamothe of Lyndon Institute baseball as the state's top female and male Athletes of the Month for May.
Rowe and Lamothe are the first set of monthly winners for 2009-10 voted by the VSSA and are now eligible for the Vermont Athlete of the Year, the state's top sports award. The 100-member statewide association will honor the monthly winners — along with the state's other top sports award recipients — at the annual Vermont Athlete of the Year Banquet next spring at Plumley Armory at Norwich University.
Rowe compiled an impressive list of wins as she went undefeated in the month of May in Vermont in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, 300-hurdles and long jump. Rowe also had the fastest times in those three running events in the state this spring.
At the Burlington Invitational on May 1-2, Rowe won the 800 and 1500 meters; at a meet at Lyndon May 6, she posted the fastest time in Vermont in the 300 hurdles, and also placed first in the 1500 meters; at the Hartford, Conn. meet on May 9, she was ninth in the mile as Vermont's top finisher; during a home meet on May 13, Rowe took first in the 300 hurdles and 1500 meters; at the South Burlington Iverson Relays on May 16, Rowe helped destroy the SJA school mark in the 4x800 relay and also captured the distance medley; during a dual meet with Lyndon on May 20, Rowe won the long jump and 1500 meters; during the Hanover, N.H., Invitational on May 23, Rowe was third in the 1600 (fastest from Vermont) and qualified for New Englands. She also took first in the 800 meters; during a five-team home meet on May 26, she was first in the 1500 meters; Rowe closed out the month at the Essex Invitational on May 30 by winning the 800 meters with the fastest time in Vermont and also took the gold in the 1600 meters as she was named the Most Outstanding Track Runner at the meet.
Rowe, who completed her junior year, won the VSSA award by edging the other female nominees: track competitors Courtney Brooks and Mary Krug both of Essex High, and Hannah Kinsey of Lake Region, wrestler Erin Clodgo of Richmond and Northern Michigan University; softball pitchers Stephanie Frank of Essex and Ashley Sanderson of Otter Valley, lacrosse players Chloe Griffin of Mount Anthony, Katie Ritter of Middlebury Union and Hannah Wright of Rutland and marathoner Donna Smyers of Adamant.
Lamothe, who expects to attend Franklin Pierce University in the fall, pitched 23 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, while striking out 52 in May. He walked eight batters and hit one. He gave up one earned run in the month. His record during May was 3-0 with two saves. Lamothe no-hit Northfield – which made it to the Division III finals – one-hit Randolph and pitched a three-hitter against Harwood. Two wins were shutouts. During May he batted .322 (9-for-28) with two doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, seven walks and a .473 on-base percentage. For the season his ERA was 0.30, only giving up two earned runs. Opponents were batting 0.69 (6-for-87) against him. His record for the year was 7-0 with three saves.
Lamothe, who graduated from Lyndon this spring, won the VSSA honor by edging Coleman Gay of Stowe tennis, Richie Hackett of Lake Region track, Ben Brownlee of Burr & Burton lacrosse, marathoner Chuck Arnold of Burlington and baseball players Casey Harman of South Burlington and Clemson University, Corey Armstrong of Mount Anthony, Kyle Kayhart of Mount Abraham and Jordan Poutre of Lake Region.
This will mark the second straight year that Lamothe and Rowe will be honored at the statewide sports banquet. Lamothe won for baseball in May 2008, while Rowe captured the monthly VSSA award in Nov. 2008 for cross country.
The monthly winners are selected through statewide balloting after association members submit detailed written nominations about individual performances in the previous month. All full-time and part-time sportswriters and sportscasters, including play-by-play announcers and analysts covering Vermont, are eligible for VSSA membership.
More information about the VSSA is available by calling (802) 654-2442.
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