Gastonguay to be inducted into Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame
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Paul Gastonguay ’89 |
LEWISTON, Maine — Bates men’s and women’s tennis coach Paul Gastonguay will be inducted into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame at its 23rd Annual Awards & Induction Banquet on April 30 at Lost Valley. Bates seniors Will Boe-Wiegaard and Keelin Godsey will also be honored at the event with the Chamber President’s Award for their outstanding accomplishments as local student-athletes.
A Lewiston native, Gastgonguay was a state singles finalist in 1985 at Lewiston High School and led the team to two team state titles as well before coming to Bates. At Bates, Gastonguay ’89 became the school’s second-ever All-American in tennis during his senior year, a year in which he was also a finalist for the prestigious NCAA Arthur Ashe Award honoring leadership and sportsmanship. Gastonguay left Bates as the winningest player in school history, finishing his career with a combined record of 149-41. He also set three of the top four single-season marks in school history.
Gastonguay competed professionally in International Tennis Federation Satellite, Challenger and ATP Tour events, where he achieved world rankings in singles and doubles. He served as a practice partner for former world number one top-ranked player Ivan Lendl during the last four years of his career.
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Will Boe-Wiegaard ’06 |
Ten seasons ago, Gastonguay returned to Bates to take the helm of the men’s tennis program and begin his collegiate coaching career. Twice honored as the NESCAC Coach of the Year, Gastonguay has led the men’s program to one of the longest periods of sustained excellence of any sport in school history. The team has qualified for the NESCAC tournament each year since it began in 2001 and is expected to qualify for its seventh consecutive NCAA Championship when the field is announced on Monday. The streak of NCAA Tournament appearances is believed to be the longest in Bates athletic history.
In 2002, Gastongay was selected as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Northeast Region Men’s Coach of the Year. Four years ago, Gastonguay became the head tennis coach of the Bates women’s program as well, and he was named NESCAC Women’s Coach of the Year in 2003.
Boe-Wiegaard, recently named Bates’ Male Athlete of the Year, is a three-time All-American tennis player and the school’s first since Gastonguay. The senior qualified for the NCAA Championship in singles in each of the past three seasons, and last year he was the national runner-up.
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Keelin Godsey ’06 |
Godsey is the most decorated track and field athlete in Bates history, with 13 All-America honors thus far, as well as the Division III national title in the hammer throw last spring. Godsey will join the nation’s best track and field athletes at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis in June.
Joining Gastonguay in the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006 will be Harry Angelides, Bob Boucher and Dick Giroux, honored for baseball, hockey and basketball, respectively. The four inductees will bring the number of athletes inducted into the hall since its creation in 1983 to 98. The hall seeks to honor outstanding athletic achievements by individuals and teams from the Lewiston-Auburn areas who have received state, regional or national recognition.