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Suffolk Times honors 2015-16 Athletes of the Year

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The spring season has a familiar rhythm to it for Meg Tuthill. She routinely wins track-and-field races, collects a lot of medals and, as it turns out, Athlete of the Year awards from Times Review Media Group.

On Thursday evening the Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School senior became only the second athlete in The Riverhead News-Review’s coverage area to win the award three times and the first to win it in three consecutive years. Tuthill is only the second McGann-Mercy athlete to receive a winner’s plaque more than once in the 32-year history of the awards, which recognize the top female and male athletes at each of the high schools in Times Review’s coverage area.

The only other three-time winner was Ellen Dougherty, who received the award in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Tuthill, a Southold resident who also ran cross country and winter track, isn’t the only multiple winner who was selected for the 2015-16 slate of winners. Another cross country and track standout, Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Katherine Lee, and Mattituck senior Joe Tardif, who excelled in soccer, basketball and baseball, were recipients for the second year in a row.

Lee became the first Shoreham girl to win the award more than once. Tardif is the third Mattituck boy to take two, following in the footsteps of Bret Moyer (2002-03 and 2003-04) and Keith Reda (1988-89 and 1989-90).

Also awarded were McGann-Mercy senior K.J. Santacroce (football, basketball), Riverhead seniors Luke Coulter (cross country, winter track, track and field) and Sam Dunn (basketball), Shoreham senior Jason Curran (football, basketball, lacrosse), Greenport senior Bayron Rivas (soccer, basketball, baseball), Greenport junior Toni Esposito (field hockey, basketball, softball), Mattituck senior Katie Hoeg (basketball, lacrosse), Southold junior Pat McFarland (basketball, baseball) and Southold senior Gina Anasagasti (volleyball, bowling).

Santacroce’s father, Kevin, was selected an Athlete of the Year in 1986 as a Southold athlete.

The awards were presented by Times Review Media Group, which publishes The Riverhead News-Review and The Suffolk Times, at the company’s headquarters in Mattituck.

Photo caption: The Suffolk Times Athletes of the Year (from left) Gina Anasagasti, Pat McFarland, Toni Esposito, Bayron Rivas, Meg Tuthill and K.J. Santacroce. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

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