Although Monday marks the first day of the NHIAA spring season with practices and tryouts happening on baseball and softball diamonds, lacrosse fields, tracks and tennis courts throughout the state, it’s been just over a week since the winter season concluded.

Now that all the championships have been contested and postseason accolades have been given out, it’s time for the Monitor sports department to highlight the top athletes in each sport out of the 15 area high schools in the Monitor coverage area.

Boys’ basketball Evan Berkeley, Pembroke

Berkeley was a leader for the Spartans since before the season began, but now he’s cemented himself as one of the best guards to play for Pembroke. The senior captain played every game on the road to winning the Division II championship, and he did so in style.

Berkeley was a true point guard, one of the team’s best shooters, functioned as the primary ball handler and distributor and was also a menace defensively. He was named the D-II Player of the Year by the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization for his exploits.

He led the team with 15.5 points, 1.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Moreover, he excelled on the boards as a guard with 2.9 rebounds per contest. He was a challenge for every team the Spartans faced, and he always found a way against strong defenses and tons of pressure.

While capable of dropping 30 points a game due to his prowess from long range, Berkeley’s ability and willingness to share the ball made his teammates better, which made Pembroke a nightmare to prepare for defensively.

Pembroke head coach Mike Donnell referred to Berkeley as the “most unselfish player I have ever coached.”

Girls’ basketball Kayla Smith, MV

Smith entered her senior season with 617 points, and by the end she had eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone to lead Merrimack Valley to the Division II quarterfinals, where the Pride narrowly lost in overtime to third-seeded Derryfield.

A D-II All-State Second Team player as a junior, her impressive offensive output and strong rebounding propelled her to a First Team spot this season. She was a cornerstone of MV’s game on both ends, and her toughness in the paint was unmatched in the division.

In 23 games this season, including the Capital Classic Holiday Tournament, Smith had 18 double-doubles, scored 408 points (17.7 points per game) and hauled in 312 rebounds (13.5 per game).

Although the Pride fell short in the second round of the playoffs, Smith left her mark on Merrimack Valley by becoming the seventh girl in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

“Finished with 1,025 in four years. So coachable, unbelievable team player and never misses a practice. Additionally, she is a softball stud and is going to play Central Connecticut State for softball,” MV head coach Bob McNutt, said.

Boys’ hockey Rowan Arndt, Concord

Senior forward Arndt finished his career with the Crimson Tide by scoring the Division I championship-winning goal in quadruple overtime against Bishop Guertin.

His heroics were not an isolated event – Arndt also scored two goals in the semifinal over Hanover to get the Tide there in the first place. Always poised and working hard on the forecheck, Arndt brought energy throughout the playoffs, which helped the Tide win it all.

His selflessness, leadership and commitment to the team made him an exemplary leader in the locker room. Many underclassmen performed exceptionally well alongside Arndt, and he was a big-impact player.

The Tide captain scored 12 goals and had 13 assists in 24 games played. And although he did not lead the team in either of those categories, his clutch factor was unique, leading Concord with a team-high five game-winning goals.

Girls’ hockey Brooke Nelson, Concord

Nelson, a sophomore, led the Crimson Tide in goals and assists in one of the school’s best campaigns in years, helping Concord earn the No. 2 seed with a 15-5-0 record and reaching the D-I semifinals.

With 38 goals, she was the premier threat throughout the season and had four hat tricks, including a five-goal performance in the quarterfinals against Kingswood.

Perhaps more impressively, she had 32 assists to set her team up for success.

She had the most goal contributions for the Tide and only spent 10 minutes in the penalty box all season, which helped the team remain focused and steady even in the toughest of games.

If this is what she has to offer as a sophomore, the future looks very bright for Nelson and the Crimson Tide.

Boys’ Alpine skiing Lucas Golden, Concord

Golden, a sophomore, reached the podium at every level he competed in this past winter, earning medals at the Division I championship and Meet of Champions and capping his season with the overall title at the Eastern High School Alpine Skiing Championships against the best skiers from all over the East Coast.

Golden defended his D-I GS title and finished second in the slalom to qualify for MOC, where he narrowly finished second in the slalom, took seventh in the GS and achieved his goal of representing New Hampshire at Easterns.

“The top 14 boys in New Hampshire (who qualify for the team), they’re mostly private school kids, the top of the top,” Concord head coach – and Lucas’ father – George Golden said. “Most of those kids aren’t even from New Hampshire; they attend the private schools and ski academies here. To be a public school kid (on the team) is quite an accomplishment.”

Golden didn’t just qualify, he won the overall title with the best combined score from his third-place finish in the GS and a seventh-place finish in the slalom, leading New Hampshire to second place as a team.

Girls’ Alpine skiing Ellie Worster, Concord

Despite dislocating her shoulder at the Division I state championship during the giant slalom, Worster wrapped it up, fought through it and went out to keep her team in contention for a championship.

She finished second in the morning GS behind teammate Mika Taylor and came back to finish second in the afternoon slalom using one pole and one arm in a sling.

Worster was the senior leader of a stacked Concord team, and the 1-2 punch of her and Taylor lifted the Crimson Tide to second place at the D-I championship.

Less than two weeks after her injury, Worster claimed the girls’ slalom title at the Meet of Champions with a combined time of 1 minute, 3.45 seconds, and also finished fourth in the GS. That performance earned her a spot on Team New Hampshire at the Eastern High School Alpine Skiing Championships. Worster finished fifth in both events at Easterns to help lead N.H. to the overall title over teams from New England and the mid-Atlantic.

Boys’ Nordic skiing Dean Ayotte, Concord

Ayotte, a junior, led the Crimson Tide all season long, including at the Division I championship, where he was the Tide’s top finisher in the classic (sixth) and freestyle (ninth) races to lead Concord to fourth place overall. He then cemented his status as the region’s best Nordic skier by finishing third at the Meet of Champions.

Perhaps more impressively, Ayotte earned All-State honors, the only Capital Area skier to do so, at the N.H. Nordic Coaches Series, a two-day, two-race event that includes both public and private schools from across the state.

Ayotte finished 10th in the freestyle race at White Mountains Regional High School on Jan. 25 and then sixth in the classic race at Whittaker Woods on Feb. 8. Around 130 skiers competed in the races, and Ayotte’s performances helped lead Concord to fifth out of 26 teams.

Girls’ Nordic skiing Reese Bove, Hopkinton

Hopkinton finished third in Division II and sixth out of 23 teams in the statewide Coaches Series competition thanks to an ensemble cast, making this selection especially difficult, but with a fifth-place finish at the Meet of Champions, Bove topped all other Capital Area skiers to earn the nod.

Bove tied for sixth in the freestyle and was 14th in the classic race to help lead the Hawks to third at the D-II championship. All the more impressive is that Bove, a senior, played basketball for her first two years of high school before switching to Nordic.

“Being an endurance athlete at heart, she immediately fell in love with the sport. I have never had a more hard-working and dedicated athlete in this sport,” Hopkinton head coach Rob Rothe said. “She has truly pushed herself outside her comfort zone and challenged her limits to become one of my top skiers in this short period of time. She is known for digging beyond deep and being willing to go into that zone that few others are able to do. With many new freshmen on the team this year, they have seen this as well and it serves as a great inspiration of what hard work and dedication can achieve.”

Boys’ swimming Tucker Raymond, Coe-Brown

With only four swimmers on the Coe-Brown Northwood Academy team, every single entry and performance counted this winter. Raymond, a sophomore, made the most of his opportunities, winning a pair of state titles and swimming on two scoring relays to lead the Bears to fifth place at the Division II championship.

Raymond won the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 56.69 seconds, more than 2 seconds ahead of the runner-up, and the 100-yard butterfly in an even more dominating fashion. His title-winning time of 53.49 seconds was 8 seconds faster than the nearest competition.

He also anchored the third-place 200 freestyle relay and swam a leg on the fourth-place 200 medley relay.

“While he possesses natural talent, it’s his work ethic and focus on continuous improvement that truly set him apart,” said Karyn Raymond, CBNA’s swim coach and Tucker’s mother. “Tucker consistently puts in the effort during training, refining his technique and pushing himself to be better.”

Girls’ swimming Lena Thompson, Bow

A four-year veteran of the Bow swimming program, Thompson concluded her senior season by helping the Falcons fly to fourth place at the Division II championship with a pair of state titles.

Thompson’s victories in the 100-yard butterfly (58.71 seconds) and 100-yard freestyle (54.43) both set school records. She also swam on the third-place 200 medley relay and anchored the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay.

“As her high school coach of four years, it is beyond words to describe the feeling of witnessing her win two D-II state championships, one right after the other,” Bow head coach Julie Guerrette said. “As an athlete, Lena has the perfect combination of athletic talent, work ethic, intrinsic motivation and gritty determination. … She trusted the process, never doubted her capability and proved that she was the very best.”

Boys’ indoor track Rio Calle, John Stark

Calle defended his title in the high jump, clearing a personal-best height of 6 feet, 4 inches, and finished second in the long jump for the second year in a row with a leap of 21-8.5 to lead the Generals to third place at the Division II championship. His performances accounted for 18 of John Stark’s 30 points.

Calle was consistently the best high jumper and one of the best long jumpers in the division. He is a student of the sport, and that has contributed to his improvement to even greater heights since last season.

“Rio is a very smart kid. He approaches jumping from a very methodical and analytical approach,” John Stark head coach Joel Kress said. “He went to a camp this summer; that helped him work out the kinks. This season he was consistently at 21, 20 feet. In the high jump, he was very fluid over the bar. When he makes a mistake, he sits down and thinks about how he will do it better next time.”

Calle’s results at the D-II championship earned him a spot at New Englands in both jumping events. He finished 12th in the high jump by clearing 6-3 and 21st in the long jump with a mark of 20-11.

Girls’ indoor track Ella Goulas, Concord

The Crimson Tide outperformed expectations to finish runner-up – just 10 points behind Bedford – at the Division I championship. Goulas contributed the most points to that effort, winning two titles.

Goulas, a senior, won the long jump title with a leap of 17 feet, 8.75 inches, finished third in the high jump by clearing 5 feet and ran a leg on the title-winning 4x200-meter relay.

Her marks in the jumps earned her New England qualification in both events, and she contributed to a 4x200 – along with senior Ballay Conteh and juniors Grace Saysaw and Chelsea Toenah – that was .88 seconds away from the D-I record and qualified for the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship in Boston.

Typically known for her talent in the high jump and triple jump, Goulas spent more time focusing on the long jump this winter, which helped the Tide be more competitive this past season.

“She’s been working on her technique much more consistently,” Concord head coach Zach Procek said. “(She) definitely exceeded expectations.”

Wrestling Jackson Hall, Bow

Hall has had quite the journey with the Falcons wrestling program. The team went from six athletes in his freshman year to two-time Division III champions, and Hall played a key role in helping turn Bow from a fledgling program into a juggernaut.

Hall won back-to-back D-III titles at 215 pounds and finished third at the Meet of Champions to advance to New Englands this season. But his role off the mat was equally valuable. As one of just two seniors on Bow’s roster, Hall was a captain of a relatively young team that didn’t have much experience at the varsity level and he rose to the occasion.

“There wasn’t a day that went by this season where I didn’t have him do a task for me or check in about something,” Bow head coach Bill Chavanelle said. “He’s just a workhorse. You ask him to do something (and) it’s, ‘Yes, Coach.’ He’s well-liked and respected by his peers both on our team and off of it. He’s well-liked by the teachers in school. He’s the ultimate leader. He truly saw the rebuild (of the program) from the ground up.”

Hall finished his career with an overall record of 94-29.