GORHAM, Maine –  Graduate student Jake Peavey (South China, Maine/Erskine Academy) of the wrestling team and senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Hills) of the softball team have been selected as the student-athlete speakers for the 24^th Annual University of Southern Maine Seniors Honors Banquet sponsored by Norway Savings Bank, with additional support from University Credit Union and Yankee Ford.
 
An annual year-end tradition, the Huskies' Senior Honors Banquet brings together USM Athletics staff, the departing members of the student-athlete community and their families to celebrate the significant contributions, academic achievements and outstanding playing careers of USM's senior student-athletes from the Huskies' 22 NCAA Division III intercollegiate teams. 
 
A Nursing student, Miller is an All-Little East Conference outfielder for the Huskies' softball team, and a four-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete.  A 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Scholar Athlete, Miller was the 2022 recipient of the Department's Roland Wirths Memorial Award.
 
"Lauren's journey as a student-athlete has been remarkable," said Southern Maine head softball coach Sarah Jamo.  "She took on every challenge and acquired new skills each year to make herself better for the team.  Her commitment to our team, program and herself allowed her to progress from being a bench player to turning into an all-conference outfielder.  She has been instrumental in taking our program to new heights.  Through her work ethic and relentless pursuit of improving herself, she has become an example and leader on our team.  She is the best teammate – selfless, kind and compassionate.  Her impact on the team has been a marvel to witness and her example of dedication and growth will continue to impact our program for years to come."
 
Pursuing his master's degree in Leadership Studies, Peavey is a member of the wrestling team. A four-time National Wrestling Coaches' Association Scholar All-American, Peavey is a two-year captain for USM, and earned NCAA Division III All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship. Earning multiple NCAA Northeast All-Region honors in his career, Peavey was the 2023 NCAA Northeast Champion in the 285 lb division.
 
"Jake fully committed himself to being the best student-athlete he could be," said Husky wrestling coach Mike Morin '10.  "Coming in as a non-starter, he worked his way up to being an NCAA All-American. He is among the best team captains I've had, if not the best. He leads by example in everything he does, and is such a positive role model for the other student-athletes on our team. I am grateful for the time we've had Jake in our program; he is someone you can't replace."
 
The 2023 Huskies' Senior Honors Banquet will be held on Sunday, April 23 at Sheraton at Sable Oaks in South Portland, Maine.  As part of the evening's celebration, student-athletes and their families along with members of the Athletic Department and University administration will enjoy a dinner, and departing seniors will receive a commemorative plaque featuring an action photo from their playing career sponsored by Norway Savings Bank.
 
"Student-athletes at the University of Southern Maine are known and recognized for their sportsmanship, scholarship, integrity and their significant contributions to campus life and community service," said Director of Athletics Al Bean.  "The Athletics Department Honors Night is one of our staff's favorite events to attend. It is a grand tradition that allows us to thank our student-athletes for their time, hard work, commitment, and for representing the University of Southern Maine with distinction."
 
During the evening, Huskies' Athletics will also recognize several student-athletes for their outstanding academic, athletic and community service contributions, and will announce the recipients of this year's department awards: the Paula D. Hodgdon Leadership Award, the Roland Wirths Memorial Award, the Mike Beveridge Humanitarian Award, the Kimberly M. Turner Award, and the Albert D. Bean, Jr. Leadership Award. 
 
The Hodgdon Leadership Award is presented annually to the female student-athlete who exemplifies the qualities of the former USM Field Hockey Coach/faculty member who was a pioneer in women's athletics: the recipient is a valuable member to their team, displays loyalty, leadership, dedication, and commitment. 
 
Five student-athletes were nominated for the prestigious Hodgdon Award, including track & field's Hannah Corbett (Sebago, Maine/Bonny Eagle), field hockey's Julianna Kiklis (York, Maine), volleyball's Sophie Lindsay (Sierra Madre, Calif./Pasadena), softball's Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) and track & field's Sophia Slovenski (Cape Neddick, Maine/Phillips Academy). Slovenski was the 2022 award winner.
 
Presented annually since 1980, the Wirths Award is named in honor of the former Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram sportswriter who was a strong supporter of USM Athletics.  The award is given to a student-athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics of Wirths and his writing.  Wirths often wrote about the overachiever, the person small in stature who made a big difference.  He was interested in stories of the heart, people who made a real difference, and the inspirational leader.
 
The 2023 Wirths Memorial Award nominees span eight University teams and include track & field's Alyas Ahmady (South Portland, Maine), soccer and lacrosse's Kiaya Gatchell (Portland, Maine/Deering), track & field's Antoine Grace (Queensbury, N.Y.), lacrosse's Derek Malinowski (West Gardiner, Maine), ice hockey's Tanner McClure (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle), baseball's Arlo Pike (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle), and softball's Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine).
 
The Kimberly M. Turner Award and the Albert D. Bean, Jr. Leadership Award are in their sixth year as department initiatives.  The Turner Award is given annually to a student-employee or volunteer who has consistently made significant contributions to the USM Athletic Department and has demonstrated the many positive traits synonymous with Turner: work ethic, leadership, extraordinary commitment, respect, attention to detail, and compassion.
 
Representing and nominated from a critical and hard-working pool of Athletics' student employees, the nominees for the Turner Student Employee Award, include Athletics Communications student-employees Deja Driscoll Smith and track & field's Riley Peterson (Barnet, Vermont/St. Johnsbury), Study Table and Event Management student-employee softball's Madison Day (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills), Building Management student-employees ice hockey's Tyler Gardiner (Watertown, Mass.) and track & field's Sophia Slovenski, and assistant men's lacrosse coach Tim Talbot.
 
The Bean Leadership award will be presented annually to the junior or senior male student-athletes who demonstrate the leadership qualities of compassion, respect, guidance, and worth ethic displayed by Al Bean. 
 
Eight student-athletes representing six different sports were nominated for this high honor from the athletic department including Gardiner, tennis' Ryan Geary (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy), Grace, lacrosse's Nick James (Portland, Maine/Deering), McClure, Peavey, Pike, and ice hockey's Nick Ritmo (Niskayuna, NY). Peavey was the 2022 Bean Leadership Award winner.
 
The Huskies' newest department level award, the Mike Beveridge Humanitarian Award, is named in honor of the former long-time assistant ice hockey coach Mike Beveridge, who passed away in the fall of 2021.  Presented annually to a member of the University of Southern Maine hockey community who consistently displays the characteristics of care, compassion, generosity, and selflessness that were synonymous with Coach Beveridge.  Senior Nick Ritmo (Niskayuna, NY) was the inaugural winner in 2022.
 
The 2023 USM Athletics Honors Banquet promises to be an event celebrating all of the accomplishments of Husky student-athletes while recognizing the conclusion of many outstanding academic and athletic careers of 61 of USM's ~450 student-athletes  who participate in one or more of the University's 22 Division III intercollegiate teams. 
 
Huskies' athletics proudly embraces the NCAA Division III philosophy and places the highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students' academic programs, maintaining an environment in which a student-athlete's athletic activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete's educational experience. USM Athletics achieves this through the five key developmental areas: Academic Achievement, Athletic Performance, Personal Development, Career Development and Service to Community.  Forty-four different majors are represented by the Huskies' student-athletes with pursuits ranging from Theatre to Social Behavioral Sciences, to Physics and Liberal Studies.
 
 Collectively, the Huskies' student-athletes have an outstanding 3.21 grade point average and 224 student-athletes were recognized this year as William B. Wise Scholar-Athletes. Each of the Huskies' 22 intercollegiate programs has representation among the 224 student-athletes that were honored.