The Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame announces their Induction Class for 2024. Seven individuals from the midcoast area will be honored at the 17th annual Induction Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Rockland Elks Lodge. Those being inducted are; Angel Tibbetts Ames, Melissa Hodgdon, Patrick Kelly, Matthew Lash, Leon Oliver, Christopher Perry and Paula Roberts.

Angel Tibbetts Ames – Angel was a 1990 graduate of Boothbay Region High School where she was an outstanding track and field athlete. She won 55 individual events during her high school career, which included 6 Mid-Maine Conference championships, 3 in the discus, 2 in the shot put and 1 in the javelin. She won 5 Class C State Championships, 3 in the discus and 2 in the shot put, and 1 All State Championship in the discus. In that meet she set the state record for the discus throw, a record that stood for 25 years. Unfortunately an injury incurred while playing basketball her senior year ended her throwing career. Angel continued to promote Boothbay track and field by volunteering as a coach, and most recently has been hired as a paid assistant coach.

Melissa Hodgdon – Melissa was a 1987 graduate of Boothbay Region High School where she excelled in field hockey and basketball. She was selected All State in field hockey in 1986. Her most notable sport though was basketball. She was the first player, male or female, to be a 1,000 point scorer for Boothbay. She was a member of the Class C State Championship team in 1983-84, plus her team won the Mid Maine
Conference Championship in 1986-87. She was team captain in 1986-87, was voted the team MVP, was a McDonald’s All Star and voted All State Honorable Mention. Melissa went on to Springfield College where she lettered for four years on the women’s basketball team, still holding the single game assist record and voted captain and team MVP twice. Melissa’s greatest accomplishments in basketball though may have come as a coach. She has been a coach at the collegiate level. She has been an assistant coach at Framingham State, Niagara University, Holy Cross and the University of New Hampshire and head coach at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Wheaton College. She was head coach at Wheaton from 2003 to 2019 where she holds the school record for most wins in a career at 214. Twice she was voted Conference Coach of the Year. In 2019 Melissa took the top assistant coach job at the University of Hartford and was the interim head coach in 2021-22.

Patrick Kelly - Patrick was a 1982 graduate of Camden-Rockport High School where he was an outstanding member of the wrestling team. He accumulated a 94-4 record during his 4-year career at CRHS. He went undefeated his sophomore and senior years, going 22-0 and 28-0 respectively, winning the Regional and State Class A Championship his senior year, after placing 2nd in the State his junior year. Patrick went on to the University of Maine where he captained the Black Bear Wrestling Club, was a four time All Academic Athletic Scholar, having 122 wins versus 20 defeats. His junior year he placed 1st in the NCAA Northeast Championships and 2nd during his senior year. Patrick has been the wrestling coach at Camden Hills Regional High School for 19 years where his teams have accumulated 453 wins versus 39 losses. His teams have won 7 State Titles, 9 Regional Titles, 11 KVAC Championships. His wrestlers have won 31 Individual State Championships, 3 Individual All State Championships, 5 New England Placers
and 1 Individual New England Champion. In 2007 Patrick was inducted into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.

Matthew Lash - Matt is a 1993 graduate of Medomak Valley High School where he was a varsity letter winner in basketball and track. He went on to the University of Maine at Machias where he was a four-year letter winner in basketball, being selected as team captain his senior year. He graduated from UMM in 1997. He was assistant men’s basketball coach in 1998/99 and head men’s basketball coach from 2000 to 2003. In 2003 he took over as the athletic administrator at Medomak Valley High School and has been in that position ever since. In 2009 he was chosen KVAC Athletic Administrator of the Year, has received the MIAAA Past President Special Achievement Award, the Guest Speaker Award, the President of MIAAA Award, the Leadership Award and the 20 Year Service Award. He has served on the MPA Wrestling Committee as chairman and also on the Basketball Tournament Committee. Matt is the longest serving athletic administrator in Medomak Valley history.

Leon Oliver – Leon is a 1982 graduate of Lincoln Academy. where he was a varsity letter winner in cross country, golf and basketball. In basketball twice he scored 40 points in a game and during his junior year he was the second leading scorer in the Mid Maine Conference. Golf is where Leon had his most accomplishments. He qualified for the States 3 out of 4 years. At age 15 he was the youngest ever Wawenock Golf Club Champion, winning 3 other Wawenock Club titles before turning pro at age 20. Leon has 4 course record scores at Lemon Bay GC, Wawenock GC, Bath GC and Sheepscot Links GC. He has won 2 Maine Chapter Golf Championships in 1998 and 1999, 2 Maine Pro Championships in 1994 and 2004, was Maine Chapter Player of the Year in 2017, 3 Pro Senior Championships and in 2022 he was inducted into the Lincoln Academy Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Golf Hall of Fame. Leon has coached the golf teams at Lincoln Academy, Morse and Wiscasset high schools, is a 25-year member of the PGA and presently is the owner of Sheepscot Links Golf Course.

Christopher Perry – Chris is a 1984 graduate of Lincoln Academy where he won 12 varsity letters in soccer, wrestling and baseball. In wrestling he won 4 regional titles, 1 State Runner-up award and 2 State wrestling titles. Chris went on to Springfield College where he was a 4-year letter winner in wrestling, twice achieving Northeast runner-up. After graduation from Springfield in 1988 Chris embarked on a teaching and coaching career that has been exemplary. In 1990 he became the physical education teacher and athletic administrator at Bristol Consolidated School where he has coached various sports for the past 35 years. He has very successfully coached coed soccer, baseball, Jump Rope Demonstration Team, wrestling and basketball in Bristol and Lincoln Academy. In 2012 Chris was inducted into the first class of the Lincoln Academy Sports Hall of Fame.

Paula Roberts – Paula was a 1975 graduate of Lincoln Academy where she was on the field hockey, basketball, gymnastics and softball teams. She went on to Springfield College where she played 4 years of college field hockey, graduating in 1979. Paula returned to Lincoln Academy as the women’s field hockey coach, a position she held for 11 years. Her teams accumulated 106 wins against 45 losses and 13 ties. In 1987 the team won the Eastern Maine Class B Title and State Class B Championship. Her teams also won the Mid Maine Conference Championship in 1985 and 1989. Paula may be best known though as the sports writer for the Lincoln County News. She has covered Lincoln County sports for over 30 years, being totally dedicated to the faithful and comprehensive coverage of sports in that area.

In 2023 the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame initiated a Legends category, recognizing individuals that have done a lot through sports for their community. This year, four more individuals will be recognized.

Kevin Burnham – Kevin was a 1975 graduate of Boothbay Region High School where he participated in football, basketball and track and field as a student athlete. He has covered Boothbay area sports for the Boothbay Register for over 35 years. His dedication to covering local sports has preserved the history of sport for the area. He also has served as the timekeeper for the high school field hockey program and coached girls basketball for BRHS. Kevin is currently the editor for the Boothbay Register.

Leigh Campbell (posthumous) – Leigh was a graduate of Wiscasset High School. He was always an avid follower of local sports teams and players. Leigh served for 39 years as director of financial aid at Bates College. Leigh was a lifelong fan of basketball, serving as the official scorer for the MPA Tournament in Augusta for many, many years. He was also the official scorer for Bates men’s basketball for nearly 50 years. Leigh was inducted into the Bates College Scholar/Athlete Society in 2012 and in 2019 was recognized by the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame as a Legend. Leigh passed away in 2020.

Gene Drinkwater (posthumous) – Gene was a 1971 graduate of Georges Valley High School. He was a lifelong lobsterman. For over 40 years Gene was a fixture in youth sports in the Rockland area. He helped coach football at the junior high and high school level in Rockland and was instrumental in getting the Pee Wee Football program started there. He also coached youth softball, with his team winning the
Busline League Championship the 2nd year of coaching them. Gene knew that coaching was not all about X’s and O’s. He worked diligently to positively affect the lives of each and every player. He was known to be a positive mentor to the players, helping them keep their grades up or providing equipment for ones that could not afford it. Even as Gene’s health failed he continued to coach, providing a very positive image for those he touched. Gene passed away in 2015.

Bill Stuart – Bill has been a lifelong resident of the Tenants Harbor/St George area. He played sports himself as a youth but is most noted for his dedication and commitment to youth sports in that area as a coach, volunteer and mentor. He has been a sports official for many years in soccer, basketball and baseball, serving numerous schools in the Midcoast Area. Bill also ran the BJ Stuart Memorial Scholarship program that was a fundraiser to help send local youth to summer sports camps. Bill has served as president of the Little League program and coached St George Middle School basketball.

The 17th annual Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Banquet, where all these individuals will be recognized, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Rockland Elks Lodge starting at 5 p.m. For ticket information contact Dave Ames at (207)789-5118 or damesref@tidewater.net.