Milton’s Holley MacLellan has been named the Vermont high school girls soccer player of the year for the 2024 season, Gatorade announced Wednesday morning.The senior is the first ever girls soccer player from Milton to win this award which recognizes athletes for their on-field success, high academic achievement and exemplary character.More: Colchester star named Vermont’s best boys soccer player by Gatorade

The 5-foot-5 midfielder and forward led Milton to a 17-1 record in 2024 that ended with a state championship. MacLellan scored 27 goals including both goals in 2024 the D-II championship game and dished out 14 assists. MacLellan is a two-time state girls soccer champion helping the Yellowjackets win back-to-back Division II championships in 2023 and 2024.

The senior was the only Vermont girls soccer player to be named a 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-American and will be continuing her soccer career at Stonehill College in the fall.

“Holley is the most complete player in Vermont girls high school soccer,” Mount Mansfield coach Dustin Hess said in a press release. “She has all of the physical and mental skills to dominate and lead. She’s excellent on the dribble, can find brilliant passes, can shoot any time and is willing to do the work on the defensive side of the ball.”

Besides her talents on the soccer field, MacLellan won another state championship as a member of the Burlington/Colchester girls hockey team in 2024.

MacLellan has maintained a 4.34 weighted GPA in the classroom. Outside of athletics, the senior is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) and Math Honor Society. MacLellan also serves on the school’s athletic leadership council. She has volunteered locally as part of multiple community service initiatives in association with the NHS.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every player of the year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

High school sports coverage is very intense during the school year. There is only a small window between when one school year ends and the next school year begins. The Western Wayne News sports department will be taking a short break before summer and fall sports kick in. Before we do, we will recap some highlights from the 2025 spring sports season. This is not designed to be a comprehensive list of each and every event. It is more of a highlight reel of the spring season. The spring season for Wayne County athletes ended with the regional round of the IHSAA state golf tournament. 

Baseball — The four Wayne County rural schools have held a Wayne County baseball tournament for many years. A decision was made to discontinue it this season. Hagerstown repeated as the Tri-Eastern Conference champion in baseball. Hagerstown, Northeastern and Richmond all posted winning seasons, and Lincoln won 10 games, the most wins for the program in a decade. There were several no-hitters recorded. Tyson Tremain pitched two for Seton Catholic. Tremain no-hit Purdue Poly on April 3 and Liberty Christian on April 30. The Hagerstown all-freshman foursome of Jayke Troutwine, Kaden Hall, Heath Johnson and Fletcher Callahan combined to no-hit Muncie Burris on April 12. Centerville’s Chase Clark no-hit Tri High on April 15. The Lincoln duo of Dustin Lunsford and Braxton Dick no-hit Union on April 17 and the Lincoln duo of Ben Bates and Oliver Webb no-hit Seton Catholic on April 23. No Wayne County baseball team won a sectional. Kaagen Kendall, a left-handed pitcher from Hagerstown, was selected to play in the North-South All-Star baseball games by the Indiana Baseball Coaches Association. 

Golf — Centerville established a new school record for nine holes on May 19, when they posted a score of 153 in a win over Franklin County. Hagerstown won the Wayne County tournament and Northeastern won the sectional preview tournament. Northeastern also won the sectional for the first time in school history. Their sectional-winning score of 311 was a new Northeastern school record. Brady Moore from Centerville was the sectional medalist with a score of 69. Moore and teammate Boston Beatty both advanced to the regional as individuals. No Wayne County team or individual golfer qualified to advance to the state finals from the regional.

Tennis — The Centerville Lady Bulldogs continued their domination of Tri-Eastern Conference tennis. The program, coached by Randy and Susie Ecker, repeated as the Tri-Eastern Conference champion and as the Richmond sectional champion. It was the first time in program history that every Centerville player entered the TEC tournament finals match as the number one seed and won at every position to win the match 5-0. The Lady Bulldogs also swept the sectional championship match 5-0. For Makenna Hartman (No. 1 singles), Kylar Marshall (No. 2 singles), Ellie Cox (No. 3 singles), Myleigh Hartman and Madi Frakick (No. 1 doubles) and Natalie Hemlin and Kami Johnson (No. 2 doubles), it was their 12th shutout win of the season. 

Softball — Like the baseball tournament, a decision was made to discontinue the Wayne County softball tournament in 2025. After winning the Tri-Eastern Conference last season for the first time in program history, Hagerstown repeated as league champion in 2025, extending their TEC regular season win streak to 17 games. Hagerstown went on to win its first sectional in program history. Lincoln also won a sectional championship, their eighth in program history, but forfeited their regional game the next week. Centerville sophomore Madison Yount and Hagerstown seniors Allison Stinson and Rylan Young were named first-team all-state by the Softball Coaches Association. The Hagerstown duo of Young and Aaliyah Anderson combined to no-hit Morristown on April 21. The Northeastern duo of Makayla Hopkins and Hailey Elsrod combined to no-hit Richmond on April 28. Young and Yount both recorded perfect games during the season. Young pitched her perfect game against Cowan on May 13. Yount pitched her perfect game against Knightstown on May 15. Yount also established a new Centerville record for home runs in a season with nine. Stinson and Young were selected to play in the SCA North-South Softball All-Star games. 

Track and field — The Hagerstown boys won the 42nd annual Tiger Booster Invitational for the 11th consecutive year and the Wayne County meet. Centerville won the Wayne County girls meet. The Seton Catholic girls won the 12-team Park Tudor Invitational. Both the Richmond boys and girls teams won the 12-team Dean Stoltz Memorial Invitational in Eaton, Ohio. The  Richmond girls team was crowned the North Central Conference champion and Hunter Lambright was named NCC Coach of the Year. Sixteen Wayne County girls advanced from the sectional to the regional, but none of the regional qualifiers advanced to the state finals. 

Antione West from Richmond set a new sectional record with a time of 10.96 in the 100 meter as 15 Wayne County boys advanced from the sectional to the regional, with three advancing from the regional to the state finals. Maddox Pritchett from Centerville advanced in the long jump. Masson Heiny from Richmond advanced in the discus and Jacob Lindahl from Richmond advanced in the shot put. Lindahl was the only one of the three to make the awards podium, finishing seventh to earn a medal. 

For the first time since 2008, New Jersey high school baseball had an undefeated team. And to the surprise of some, it was a public program.

Gov. Livingston came into the season riding the success of a 2024 Group 2 state championship, but took its talents much further than just another state title. It ended the 2025 campaign without a single loss, forever etching themselves into N.J. baseball lore.

Northern Kentucky native and 4-star point guard Taylen Kinney is set to take an official visit to the University of Kentucky beginning June 24, according to Sam Kayser of League Ready

Kinney, a top-25 prospect in the class of 2026, currently plays for Overtime Elite (OTE) in Atlanta, Georgia. Known for his explosive first step, playmaking ability, and leadership at the point guard spot, Kinney has become one of the most sought-after backcourt players in his class.

His connection to the Wildcats, however, runs deep.

The in-state standout previously made an unofficial visit to Lexington last year. Since then, the relationship between Kinney and Kentucky has only strengthened.

Earlier this spring, Pope, along with assistant coaches Jason Hart and Cody Fueger, made an in-home visit to meet with Kinney and his family. It was a clear signal that the Wildcats view Kinney as a priority target for their 2026 recruiting class.

Kinney’s upcoming official visit offers the staff a chance to build on their relationship and get a closer look at Pope’s vision for the program and the revamped facilities. It is also an opportunity for Kinney to connect with current players and get a feel for the atmosphere in Lexington.

For Kentucky, locking in an in-state star like Kinney would be a major win, and for Kinney, it’s another step in evaluating what could be a homegrown path to college stardom.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Kentucky Wildcats news. And as always, Go CATS!!!

The Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair returned to downtown Riverbank this past week, with lots of fun activities for the youngsters who participated, and a number of bicycles given away.

The event was again organized by Central Valley Community Resources and Riverbank Police Services, and officials were extremely pleased with the 37 bicycles donated by people and organizations in the area.

Bikes were donated by Target, Aemitis, Fun Sports Bike Shop, 108 Sports Lounge, F&M Bank, Royal Neighbors of America, Paparazzi, and Hooked on Bling4Nails.

Donors also included Timeless Real Estate, Friends of Jacob Myers Park and Riverbank Police Services.

Booths at the event were sponsored by Royal Neighbors of America, Love Riverbank, Life Guards at the City of Riverbank.

They also included Riverbank Police Services, Red Robin, Hooked on Bling4Nails, Paparazzi Jewelry, United Way, Timeless Real Estate, Promatoras, and Kids Safe, through Doctors Hospital, which provided free bike helmets to young cyclists.

In years past, the Bike Rodeo started out being held on Santa Fe Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets, in front of the Community Center and Cardozo Middle School, but was moved downtown just a few years ago to take advantage of the shade on Third Street and Plaza del Rio Park.

Along with learning about bicycle safety and the rules of the road, attendees enjoyed some games and could do some craft projects, with a random drawing for the donated bicycles also a part of the evening.