St. Thomas Aquinas' Toriello, Portsmouth/Newmarket's Eaton win Athletes of the Week

Brandon Brown, Portsmouth Herald

The Seacoast high school Athletes of the Week winners for the week of Jan. 15-20 are Portsmouth/Newmarket hockey player Dom Eaton and St. Thomas Aquinas High School basketball player Emma Toriello. The awards are chosen by readers' votes and presented by York County Community College.

Eaton joins previous winners: Exeter hockey player West Vaillant, Somersworth/Coe-Brown hockey player Tully Keefe and Oyster River basketball players Ethan Brewer and Matthew Jernigan.

Toriello joins Portsmouth basketball player Mackenzie Lombardi, Exeter basketball player Anna McGuinness, Spaulding wrestler Sadie Nadeau and Dover basketball player Avery Littlefield as this winter season's girls winners.

York County College presents the Seacoast high school Athletes of the Week.
York County College presents the Seacoast high school Athletes of the Week.

The weekly poll runs each Monday through midnight Thursday, and can be found at seacoastonline.com/sports and fosters.com/sports.

More on girls winner Emma Toriello of St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Emma Toriello
Emma Toriello

Toriello received nearly 32% of the online votes, for a total of 443, to earn the weekly honor. Exeter basketball player Lexy Rogers finished second with 413 votes.

Portsmouth track and field athlete Mariam Nada had 257 votes, Marshwood basketball player Isabelle Tice had 171 votes and Spaulding basketball player Ellie Averill with 109 votes rounded out the top five.

Toriello scored 11 points in the Saints' Division III win over Raymond. She scored a career-high 22 points, including six 3-pointers, in the Saints' win over Newfound.

"Can’t begin to tell you how excited the St. Thomas Aquinas community is for this recognition for Emma, so well deserved," St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Kevin Giannino said. "Such a hard worker and a delight to coach. Emma plays in overdrive all the time except when she’s picking herself off the floor. She possesses outstanding blow by quickness off the dribble and the ability to knock down a three-pointer. Defensively, she averages nearly three steals per game and is night after night the fastest player on the court. Just love watching her play."

More on boys winner Dom Eaton of Portsmouth/Newmarket

Marshwood/Sanford/Noble's Aydan Lockard makes a move towards the net during the second period in the Heuchling & Swift Memorial Classic at the Whittemore Center in Durham.
Marshwood/Sanford/Noble's Aydan Lockard makes a move towards the net during the second period in the Heuchling & Swift Memorial Classic at the Whittemore Center in Durham.

Eaton collected just over 36% of the online votes, for a total of 360 votes, which earned him the weekly honor. Dover hockey player Carter Bell had 276 votes to finish second in the race.

Winnacunnet hockey player Alex Santora had 142 votes, York basketball player Reece Macdonald had 116 votes and Marshwood alpine skier Quinn Maguire had 102 votes, for third through fifth, respectively.

Eaton's second goal of the game proved to be the game-winning goal in overtime for Portsmouth/Newmarket in a Division II win over Sanborn last Monday.

"We are very happy for Dom (Eaton)," Portsmouth/Newmarket head coach Joel Brown said. "He's a hard worker at practice and gives 100% effort in the games. As a senior, he's also stepped up in the locker room encouraging our younger players."

How you can make Athletes of the Week nominations

While winners cannot be repeated in the same season, nominees can be in the poll as many times until the season is over. Coaches can nominate players by emailing sports editor Jay Pinsonnault at jpinsonnault@seacoastonline.com or staff writer Brandon Brown at BEBrown@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Emma Toriello, Dom Eaton Seacoast Athletes of the Week winners

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