The Orient chooses the male and female "Athlete of the Season" based on his and her exemplary performance, leadership, and commitment to their respective programs. The winners are selected by the editors of the Orient.
Ellery Gould ’12
It is rare to find a forward in soccer who emphasizes selflessness and team play. And when that forward has been the leading scorer over the last two seasons and received numerous league recognitions, such an unselfish teammate becomes truly exceptional. After only two seasons on the women's soccer team, Ellery Gould '12 is that player.
Gould led the team in scoring for the second straight season, notching 14 goals, including a team-high three game winners. The team rewarded Gould by naming her junior captain for the 2010 season, along with the league recognition of being named to the all-NESCAC first team.
Although the statistics alone speak to Gould's success (already 22 goals for her career), her teammates instead pointed to her dedication and desire. "What makes Ellery stand out is her work ethic and ambition," said tri-captain Dana Riker '10. "Her success comes from her desire to achieve the goals she has set for herself, and her willingness to put in the hard work that it takes to make it."
Gould explained her determination as not only beneficial to her as a player, but central to her role as a team leader as well.
"I'm a player who leads by example. I go into every game trying my hardest and giving a full effort, and I think people are inspired by that," Gould said.
Gould's motivation for excellence comes from more than just a love of the game, explaining that both her parents had always urged her to try her hardest growing up playing youth soccer.
She added, "My mom passed away recently, and she has always been an inspiration to me. Our motto is 'never give up,' and I try to live my life like she did."
A strong team leader requires more than athletic talent, and Riker described Gould's many contributions to the team.
"Ellery personifies everything that a student athlete should be," she said. "She is fiercely committed and competitive on the field, and a loving and supportive teammate and friend off the field. Her quiet leadership speaks volumes about the type of person that she is."
"Ellery is an incredibly humble teammate. She does not draw attention to herself, nor does she act as the center of attention," said Head Coach Maren Rojas. "She is a very unselfish player and, like unselfish players, often passes to give others a chance. I'd like to see her take more risks in the attack because I feel she has the talent to succeed."
Rojas knows that her new captain will not show up next season satisfied to rest on past accomplishments.
"One of her greatest assets is that she still has room to grow as a player, and she's the type of person who will work hard to develop that potential in the offseason," said Rojas. "Complacency is not a word in Ellery's vocabulary."
Runners up: Ella Curren '12 (Field hockey), Gilliam Page '10 (Volleyball).
Pat Noone ’12
When teammates describe Pat Noone '12, the words 'humble', 'quiet' and 'team-player' continuously arise.
The sophomore wide receiver had an impressive season this year, but his teammates say still manages to remain modest, even after being named to the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-New England team this week.
"I was really surprised," said Noone. "I didn't really expect it. I try not to pay attention to any of the stats during the season, so I didn't realize that I'd done all that until after the last game."
Noone began playing football when he was only in second grade. Twelve years later, he made the decision to continue playing in college.
"I really love the game, so I knew I wanted to play in college. Bowdoin seemed like a good fit," said Noone. "I had a good relationship with Coach Caputi, who recruited me...I felt like he really wanted me on the team so that made me want to come here more."
Noone played exceptionally well this season and broke Bowdoin's single-season receiving records for receptions, yards, and touchdown catches. He also broke the NESCAC record for single-season receptions with 76.
In the first game of the season against Middlebury, his 12 catches set a new single-game mark.
Quarterback Oliver Kell '10 said he is not surprised Noone has been named Athlete of the Season.
"He without a question deserves this. He is the best wide receiver I've played with," said Kell. "He's unbelievably good at finding open spots and holes in the defense."
After catching only seven passes in his first season, Noone dominated this season to become the first Bowdoin football player to be named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week.
Teammate Greg Pierce '12 said, "He's a team-first kind of guy. He's probably one of the most competitive kids on the team. He stays even keel. I know he's picked me up a couple of times during the game."
Pierce said a game in which Noone's contributions were particularly important was against Wesleyan.
"The coaches knew Pat would make a play," he said. "They gave him the ball because he'd been making plays all season, knowing he'd put the team on his shoulders."
While the Polar Bears had a tough loss of 43-39 to Wesleyan, Noone succeeded in making several big plays during the game including a 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown. By the end, Noone caught fourteen balls for a total of 201 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the team's disappointing finish, but Noone is confident of the team's future.
"We had kind of a disappointing season record wise, but we had a really good year as an offensive team, and hopefully we can make more wins out of it next year and the year after that," said Noone.
Runners up: Oliver Kell '10 (football), Dan Hicks '11 (soccer).