RHAM Scholar-Athletes: Whitmore and Nylen

Grace Whitmore and Max Nylen were selected as RHAM High School’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year. 
 
Seniors Grace Whitmore and Max Nylen were selected as RHAM High School’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the 2022-2023 school year. 
           
The Scholar-Athlete Program annually recognizes two high school seniors from each member high school of the Connecticut Association of Schools/Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS/CIAC) whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are a model to others, and who possess high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.
           
The pair was honored at the 40th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on May 7.
           
Whitmore Sets Standard of Excellence
           
Whitmore was also a two-sport captain, leading the way on soccer fields and basketball courts, and earning multiple Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) All-Academic honors.
           
She was selected all-conference for her play on the soccer fields as a senior, captaining the team as a defensive midfielder and playing every minute of every game under first year under head coach Matt Cameron. 
           
“She never came out of any game,” recalled Cameron. “That says a lot about her and she helped lay a marker in terms of setting really high standards for next year’s group and those beyond.”
           
Cameron added that Whitmore’s demeanor allowed the other players on the team to shine, referring to her as “the perfect leader” and an “A+ kid.”
           
“She was super selfless, extremely humble. It’s not a guarantee that you get someone like her every year” stated Cameron, whose tenure started with 10 losses in the first 11 games before the team rebounded by finishing 3-1-1 down the stretch.  
           
“It took us a long time to get grounded this year and we didn’t settle in until well into the season,” recalled Cameron. “Our results turned around dramatically and our believer turned around dramatically. We would have never been able to do that without Grace.”
           
Whitmore was also a volunteer youth soccer coach in Hebron.
           
On the basketball courts, she the starting point guard and led the Raptors is assists –– dishing out over four per game –– as the team 13 regular season games and qualified for the state tournament.  
           
Whitmore will attend Providence college and study nursing.
           
Record-Breaking Running Back
           
Nylen was a two-sport captain, playing both football and baseball, and earning multiple Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) All-Academic honors.
           
He etched his name in the history books on the gridiron, breaking the program’s record for most all-purpose touchdowns. This past fall he scored 24 touchdowns — including a record eight in one game — and rushed for over 1,500 yards as the Raptors qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the history of the program.
           
RHAM”s football head coach Dakota Fleming said that Nylen was “like having a coach on the field.”
           
“Max is a great kid, he deserves the scholar-athlete award,” added Fleming. “It was a pleasure to coach him and I wish him the best as he moves on with his life.”
           
After losing his sophomore season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nylen literally hit the ground running as the Raptors main ball carrier during junior season, making all-conference in each of the last two seasons.  
           
Along with being the team’s main offensive threat, Nylen was a standout in all three phases, playing linebacker on defense and returning kicks on special teams.
           
Fleming, who took over the varsity program during the COVID-year, said Nylen helped him implement his brand of football, saying, “I wouldn’t be the coach I am today without him.”  
           
“He believed in everything we were doing. Even the times when I questioned myself, Max was giving 100% effort in everything we do and teach” added Fleming. “The other players followed his lead.”
           
Nylen is currently wrapping up his senior season on the diamond, playing catcher for a Raptors team that will be playing in the Class L tourney, which starts next week.  
           
​Following graduation, Nylen will attend Bryant College and study business.