Last fall, Newton North High School (NNHS) athlete Sasha Selivan and two NNHS coaches, Roy Dow and Kristen Smith, were among those honored in the Boston Globe’s Fall 2024 All-Scholastic Awards featuring 39 Athletes of the Year and 38 Coaches of the Year. They recently shared reflections with Fig City News.
A panel of Globe writers and editors makes these selections across Massachusetts based on statistics, awards, notes, recommendations, and observations, according to the Globe. NNHS competes in Division 1.
Sasha Selivan, Athlete of the Year
Selivan, a sophomore and volleyball player, said that being named an Athlete of the Year was meaningful because it spoke not only to her dedication on the court but also to her hard work in the classroom.
“Receiving the award is special to me because it highlights my academics, which I work hard to keep up,” she said. “It’s just an honor to receive recognition for that and volleyball.”
The recognition marked the end of a successful fall season for Selivan, which culminated in the NNHS girls’ volleyball team winning the Division 1 state championship. Selivan said that she credits much of the team’s success to its supportive and uplifting culture.
“My team works hard, and we always push to make each other and ourselves better,” she said. “We push ourselves past other high-school teams, and that allows us to be prepared and ready for each game leading to the championship.”
The victory marked the team’s third consecutive and sixth all-time championship win. Selivan said that she is already looking ahead to next fall.
“A goal for the next season is to come out strong and build our young team up so everyone gets better individually,” she said. “[That] sets us up for success and hopefully another championship.”
Roy Dow, Coach of the Year
Roy Dow, head coach of the NNHS boys’ varsity soccer team, was one of two NNHS coaches named Coach of the Year. He said that the recognition means a lot to him and that he is thankful for other members of the coaching team who helped the soccer program succeed.
“People definitely do not coach for personal recognition, but to get honored in such a way is something special,” he said. “A big thanks has to go out to varsity assistant coach Ed Jenkinson, JV coach Peter Goddard, and freshman coaches Ben Ramos and Athul Sahadevan who all coached in the program this year and were all there for the tournament run supporting the team.”
Despite beginning the Division 1 tournament seeded 31st, the NNHS boys’ soccer team pulled off a first-time state tournament win. The victory made them the lowest seed to win an MIAA championship since the rankings were first introduced four years ago, according to the Globe.
Dow said that the team’s hard work and resilience made the championship victory particularly significant.
“I still can’t put into words what winning has meant. I am only now wrapping my head around the fact that we did it,” he said. “We didn’t start the season well – 1 win and 7 losses – and could have put our heads down and felt bad for ourselves and just counted down the days until the end of the season. Instead, the guys rose to the challenge and made a playoff push.”
Kristen Smith, Coach of the Year
Kristen Smith, head coach of the NNHS girls’ varsity swim and dive team, was also named Coach of the Year. She said that this season, she approached coaching the team with new enthusiasm.
“In addition to the water part of coaching and the nutrition piece we introduced to the team last year, we brought in a team of motivational speakers to help educate us on the mental aspect of swimming and/or life in general,” she said. “Some of the team really bought into the program and learned different tricks to help keep us motivated and work on the mental aspect of the sport. All of the skills can really apply to our daily lives.”
Smith said that she had not anticipated receiving the recognition and that it came as a nice surprise.
“It was an honor to receive the award. I was super surprised when my athletic director, Mike Jackson, reached out and told me,” she said. “The coaching staff has worked hard to keep pace and change with high schoolers and swimming over the years and it was a nice recognition for us and the team.”
Theo Younkin is a Fig City News student reporter, a junior at Newton South High School, and Co-Managing Editor of the NSHS Lion’s Roar.
