Two Golden Warriors awarded with Michael Muldoon Scholarship, honoring late Andover sportswriter

Jul. 6—Aside from his family, there was nothing late sportswriter Michael Muldoon — who was born and raised in Andover — cared more for than the athletes of the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire.

For 35 years, the Andover High graduate chronicled the athletes and their exploits in The Eagle-Tribune and Andover Townsman, taking great pride in highlighting the unsung heroes, the overlooked, the scholar-athletes and those that overcame adversity.

So when Muldoon passed away at 60-years-old last spring, his family and loved ones established "The Michael Muldoon Student-Athlete Memorial Scholarship Fund" to honor those athletes he spent his career covering.

This past week, nine local athletes — including two from Andover High — who graduated this spring were announced as recipients of the 2023 Michael Muldoon Student-Athlete Memorial Scholarships. They are Golden Warriors Andrew Wetterwald and basketball state champion Kathleen Yates, along with Jordy Ortega of Greater Lawrence Tech in Andover, Lawrence High's Mya Rivera and Isaiah Ogunbare, Methuen High's Conor Mottram, Central Catholic's Cameron Jankowski and Olivia Guillet and Timberlane's Tucker Hadwen.

Each athlete received a $500 scholarship, and a framed copy of Muldoon's beloved "Athlete's Oath" column that has run in The Eagle-Tribune sports section every year since 2001 and offers athletes such important wisdom as, "Do the right things now, reap the benefits for the next 70 years."

The sports the 2023 honorees participated in range from track and field — a sport that held a special place in Muldoon's heart because "the numbers don't like" — to basketball, baseball, hockey, softball, wrestling, golf, football and cross country.

Both Guillet and Hadwen noted they were interviewed by Muldoon for his "Unsung Heroes" feature. All upheld the spirit of what Muldoon loved to write about.

Here's a look at each of the 2023 honorees:

KATHLEEN YATES

High School: Andover High

Sports: Soccer, Basketball, Track

College: UMass Amherst

Andover AD Wayne Puglisi: "She is a consistent, hard working and blue-collar athlete. She was never the superstar nor acted like one. She has an unweighted GPA of 3.959 (one A-minus her junior year and one B-plus her senior year. The rest are A's). She lost her mother when she was younger, and has taken on a very significant role for her family since."

ANDREW WETTERWALD

High School: Andover High

Sports: Football, Wrestling

College: Trinity

Andover football coach E.J. Perry: "Andrew was a three-year varsity starter. He was a record-setting field goal kicker and an outstanding wide receiver and defensive back. His most amazing game was vs. Haverhill, when he scored 19 of Andover's 30 points in a 30-29 victory. Andrew had a field goal, a two-point conversion, two TDs and two extra points in the game. He had a 3.342 GPA."

Andover AD Wayne Puglisi: "Andrew suffered two significant injuries (knee in his junior year, shoulder in his senior year). He had a 3.342 GPA. Andrew is a young man who has worked very hard to overcome two season ending injuries. He is polite and sincere and has represented Andover High and his family with pride."

CAMERON JANKOWSKI

High School: Central Catholic

Sports: Hockey, Baseball

College: Mass. Maritime

Central hockey coach D.J. Conte: "Cam never stood out from the crowd for his exceptional athleticism or skating ability. He was the ultimate team player who always had the interests of his team in front of his own. His competitive spirit, dedication to his school and sportsmanship are what elevated Cam to lead his team as a captain. He had an unwavering commitment to make those around him better."

OLIVIA GUILLET

High School: Central Catholic

Sports: Cross Country, Track

College: Merrimack

Central girls cross country and track distance coach Colette Madore: "Olivia is one of the most well-rounded athletes that I have ever coached. She is in good academic standing, is coachable, works daily with humility, and trains tremendously hard for her success. Olivia's improvement as a distance runner has been remarkable. She has made a name for herself as a top distance runner in the MVC. She has lived and breathed distance running"

JORDY ORTEGA

High School: Greater Lawrence Tech

Sports: Football, Basketball, Track

College: Curry

Greater Lawrence AD Mike Nelson: "Without question, Jordy is one of the most sincere, nicest, genuine and authentic student-athletes at Greater Lawrence Tech. Over the past four years, Jordy has been the voice to get others involved in sports. He's attended countless cheering competitions, games, school events, etc., to support others in their sports. He has a huge smile, big personality, and is always willing to give a hug or knuckles to anybody he encounters. The other kids respect him as a player and the coaches and teachers just love him."

ISAIAH "TOBI" OGUNBARE

High School: Lawrence High

Sport: Basketball

College: Millersville University (Penn.)

Lawrence boys basketball coach Jesus Moore: "Tobi is a phenomenal young man. A gentle giant. He's one of the best young men to come through our program. Tobi moved to Lawrence from Ireland going into his junior year. He has excelled in the classroom with a 3.6 GPA, as well as on the court. Tobi has sacrificed a lot to be in the position he is. He's a selfless young man that we would have to push to be more assertive. He really embodies what we want our young men in the city to be like."

MYA RIVERA

High School: Lawrence High

Sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Softball

College: Merrimack

Lawrence girls basketball coach Suzanne Lessard: "Mya was a three-sport athlete, in volleyball for four years, basketball for four years — three as a varsity starter and captain — and varsity softball for two years. She was a National Honor Society recipient and is a life-long dancer. She has a top-notch work ethic, is kind and respectful. She epitomizes the term 'student.' It has been an honor to coach her."

CONOR MOTTRAM

High School: Methuen High

Sports: Golf, Basketball, Baseball

College: Rivier

Methuen AD Matt Curran: "Conor epitomizes what Mike Muldoon was all about — team first, help teammates, cheer on your teammates. When basketball teammates would be in jeopardy of missing practice, he would offer them rides. When a newcomer to this country made the baseball team and had no cell phone and no way of communicating with coaches, Conor set him up with a Facebook account and assisted with getting his google classroom account situated. Even if he wasn't playing, Conor was always the first one up off the bench to cheer on a teammate"

TUCKER HADWEN

High School: Timberlane Regional

Sports: Wrestling, Track

College: University of New Hampshire

Timberlane AD Angelo Fantasia: "Tucker was a great teammate and always represented the school with dignity, even in the face of defeat."

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