From USM Public Affairs' Michael Kmack
 

What better way to honor two star athletes who ran rings around the competition than by putting rings around their fingers?

Jessica Knight Tremblay and Tyler Delorme returned to the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham to accept their Little East Conference (LEC) Hall of Fame rings. Separate ceremonies honoring each of them took place on April 22 during home games of their former teams.

TYLER DELORME

Nineteen years have passed since Delorme last wore a Huskies baseball uniform, but one thing about the program hasn't changed. Head Coach Ed Flaherty is still running the show.

Out of the hundreds of players Flaherty has coached, Delorme holds a special place in his memory. And Flaherty made sure to tell him that when they were reunited at the ring presentation before the first game of a doubleheader.

"He was a warrior. His future profession being a Green Beret was kinda what Tyler was," Flaherty said. "He's a big, strong warrior that was fearless, very aggressive hitter."

Delorme's impact on the program was immediate. In his freshman year, the Huskies won the 2000 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship and Delorme was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. His sophomore campaign was even better, culminating with LEC Player of the Year honors and a second straight regional title.

Long before the LEC Hall of Fame came calling, the Husky Hall of Fame welcomed Delorme into its ranks in 2014. Current players are still chasing the records he set. He remains the University leader for career RBI (193) and career total bases (406).

"I hope they're broken because if they're broken then that means the USM baseball program is still flourishing, still winning games, still being one of the premiere Division III baseball programs in the nation," Delorme said.

The team lived up to his hopes on the day of his ring ceremony. As Delorme watched from the stands, the Huskies went on to win both halves of their doubleheader against UMass Boston by scores of 3-1 and 9-3.

The success that Delorme experienced on the baseball field continued after graduation in 2004. He joined the U.S. Army, eventually becoming Green Beret. He was highly decorated for his service in Iraq.

When his military career ended, Delorme shifted into a different governmental role. He's now an FBI agent, operating out of the Boston field office. Outside of work, he's married with three children. Even among his many personal and professional accomplishments, Delorme treasures his time at USM.

"Some of the best memories of my life happened on this field," Delorme said. "I reminisce all the time about some of the great times that I've had on this field, of the friends I've met, teammates I still keep in contact with."

President Jacqueline Edmondson helped add a new memory to his collection by presenting Delorme with his LEC Hall of Fame ring as the Husky fans cheered their approval. It's a sound he remembered well.

JESSICA KNIGHT TREMBLAY

Knight Tremblay surrounded herself with an entourage to collect her LEC Hall of Fame ring during halftime of the women's lacrosse game at Hannaford Field. All four of her daughters were there. The two youngest clung to her side through most of the ceremony. That shyness disappears, however, when it's time to compete.

"I have four girls and they're all fighting over who is gonna break my records, so we'll just have to see," Knight Tremblay said.

That's no easy task considering three of those records have held for more than a decade. The first name in the University record book for goals in a season (77), career goals (209), and career points (248) is Jessica Knight Tremblay.

Her reputation for excellence extended conference wide. The shower of awards started early with LEC Rookie of the Year in 2007. That was followed by back-to-back LEC Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2009 and 2010.  READ MORE