BUZZARDS BAY, Mass – Our final awards of Senior Awards Week are the Male and Female Athlete of the Year. These awards are presented annually to a male and female senior student-athlete who have exemplified what it means to be a Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buccaneer on and off the field throughout their four years at the Academy. 

On behalf of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Alumni Association it is our pleasure to present to you our Female and Male Athlete of the Year, from women's soccer and women's lacrosse, Anna Deely, and from Football and Track & field, Colin McCabe!

Our Female Athlete of the Year, Barnstable's Anna Deely, was a three-year member of the women's soccer team and a standout four-year member of the women's lacrosse program, playing in the midfield for both programs.

On the soccer pitch, Deely played in 45 games in three seasons, starting 44 of them. She scored five goals in her career with three assists. Her best season came in 2018 when she scored four goals and had an assist.

On the lacrosse field, Anna was a standout for the Buccaneers. A jack of all trades, she was consistent and effective every time she stepped on the field. Deely played in 40 of a possible 40 games in her career for the Buccaneer women's lacrosse team, having started all 40 of those games as well. In those 40 games she racked up 103 goals, 23 assists, 146 ground balls, 260 draw controls, caused 66 turnovers and has a career 78.9 shots on goal percentage. In program history, her 260 draw controls and 146 ground balls rank first all-time, while her 65 caused turnovers are second all-time. Her 103 goals are third all-time in program history and her 23 assists are eighth all-time. Deely currently holds the single-season records for most ground balls with 67, draw controls with 116, and caused turnovers with 35; all of which occurred in 2019. She also holds the single-game ground balls record with 11 against Salem State in 2018.

"Anna has been a leader on this team since her freshman year when she mastered the draw control," said head women's lacrosse coach Marc Palombo. "Her tenacity and commitment to excellence is rivaled only by a few athletes I have seen in my lifetime. I know she will continue on with that same passion in her next chapter of her professional life. We can't wait to see what she accomplishes next."

Our Male Athlete of the Year, Dartmouth's Colin McCabe, was a three-year member of both the football and track & field teams, playing on the defensive line in football and throwing the shot put in track & field.

On the football field, McCabe played in 30 of a possible 30 games in three seasons. An integral part of one of the best defensive lines in the MASCAC during his time with the Bucs, Colin racked up 91 solo tackles and 52 assisted tackles in his career. He added 21 career sacks, 35 career tackles for loss, forced four fumbles, recovered five fumbles and scored one iconic touchdown in the Buccaneer's Homecoming game against Worcester State in 2019. During his career, McCabe was named to MASCAC All-Conference teams all three seasons. He was named to the First Team Defense in 2018 and the Second Team defense in 2017 and 2019. In 2019, Colin was third in the Conference in sacks with 9.5, fourth in tackles for loss with 15.5 and led the conference in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries with three and four respectively.

"Enough could not be said about Colin as a football player, competitor and teammate," said head football coach Jeremy Cameron. "He was always working, whether it was in the gym or on the field, to get better at his position for the betterment of himself and his teammates. With his work ethic and ability to adapt we know that he will go on to continue to do great things." Added Cameron.

In the shot put circle Colin excelled and certainly helped put Mass Maritime track & field on the regional and national map. Though he only competed in two seasons McCabe broke records and did something no other track & field athlete had done at Maritime, and something that had not been done by a Maritime student-athlete since 1999, he earned the title of All-American at the NCAA Championships in Ohio in 2019.

In the 2019 season, Colin dominated the field at the Buccaneer's regular season meets, winning at all but one meet, which he finished second in. He consistently broke his own record, which was and still is the Maritime school record (17.37m), and went into the postseason meets with an incredible amount of momentum. At the MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships and then at the Division III New England Championships, Colin impressed once again winning the shot put at both to qualify for the All-New England Championships and ultimately the NCAA Championships as he was one of the top 20 shot put throwers in the nation at the Division III level.

Heading into the NCAA Championships in Geneva, Ohio, McCabe was ranked fourth in the country. As one of the best throwers in the nation, against the best throwers in the nation, with the eyes of the Academy community on him, Colin threw a 17.36 meter toss in the finals of the event which earned him third place in the Championships and the title of All-American.

"Colin is a fierce competitor whether on the football field or in the shot put circle," said head track and field coach Cathy Lohse. "He has a quiet demeanor when it comes to throwing, the complete opposite of football, but that's what makes him an exemplary athlete. He never bragged or boasted about his successes and is as humble as they come. Everyone in the MASCAC has the utmost respect for Colin and that is extraordinary in itself. Colin was asked why he didn't go to a Division I program with his talent and his response was that his academics and future were more important. Overall, Colin was a pleasure to coach and to have on our team."

Congratulations to Anna Deely and Colin McCabe and on being named Female and Male Athlete of the Year!