Orono, Maine – The University of Maine Athletic Department is proud to announce that Abby Kraemer (women's soccer) and Connor Goodman (baseball) are the recipients of the 2024 'M' Club Dean Smith awards.

The 'M' Club Dean Smith award is the most prestigious award presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes at the University of Maine. To be considered for this award, athletes are nominated by their coaches and must have demonstrated outstanding academic and athletic achievement, be of outstanding character and a contributor and leader within their community.

It was in 1993 that the 'M' Club named the award after former UMaine student-athletes standout Dean Smith. In 1990, Smith had the top grade-point average among electrical engineering majors at UMaine and was the Northeast Atlantic Conference scoring leader in men's basketball. He was a three-time Academic All-American, and he received the prestigious NCAA Walter Byers Award as the nation's top scholar-athlete.

Kraemer, a junior biochemistry major from Waterloo, Ontario, with an accumulative grade point average of 3.924, was recognized as a NCAA Division I Women's Soccer First Team Scholar All-American and was named to the NCAA Division I 2023 Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team. Kraemer became just the third Black Bear in history to be named the America East Women's Soccer Scholar of the Year. Additionally, she was honored to the America East All-Academic Team and is an undergraduate researcher on campus in the Maginnis Laboratory studying the cellular and molecular basis of viral disease.

On the pitch, Kraemer produced one of the best single seasons in program history and helped the program to its first-ever America East Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Kraemer became the first All-American in program history in December, earning Second Team honors. The recognition was the first time an America East women's soccer student athlete had received All-American status since 2012. Additionally, Kraemer was named a 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team selection, the only non-power five school player chosen for the team. Kraemer also earned America East Striker of the Year honors and received America East All-Conference First Team accolades after leading the league in points (30), points per game (1.76), goals (13), goals per game (0.72), game-winning goals (6), shots (68) and shots per game (3.78) and consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in those same categories throughout the season. Her 13 goals marked the most for an America East player in a single season since 2018 and her six game-winning goals on the year are tied for the most by an America East player since 2019.

Kraemer has dedicated her spare time to giving back to the Orono community in numerous ways over her years with the Black Bears. The junior forward has served as a volunteer with the Christine B. Foundation as well as with the Solidarity Harvest. Kraemer has volunteered numerous hours to local food drive initiatives, spent time as a coach with the Mighty Mite Soccer program, and visited the Old Town school district as a lunch time activity volunteer.

Goodman, a native of Miami Beach, Fla., earned a bachelor of science degree in business management in the spring of 2023 and currently has achieved a 3.898 postgraduate grade point average as he pursues his masters in business administration. He recently passed the LSAT exam with future plans to attend Law School.

Throughout his tenure at UMaine, Goodman is a seven-time Dean's List recipient and a three-time America East Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll selection. Goodman, who graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors, was named the 2023 America East Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as earning the league's Elite-18 honor for having the highest GPA of any championship game participant. A 2023 America East Presidential Scholar Athlete, Goodman is a three-time America East All-Academic Team honoree and two-time TEAM MAINE recipient for achieving the highest GPA on the baseball team.

On the diamond, Goodman guided Maine to the 2023 America East title while earning a spot on the America East All-Conference First Team. Goodman was named to the 2022 America East All-Tournament Team and, entering this year, was a .301 career hitter with 151 hits in 139 games to go along with 90 RBI, 23 doubles, 80 runs scored, and 67 walks. During his 2023 First Team All-Conference season, Goodman hit .311 with a pair of home runs and 47 RBI.

Goodman's achievements off the field are some of the most impressive community service efforts of any student-athlete in UMaine history. Goodman has created two service initiatives in his hometown of Miami, partnering with the Miami Marlins on each, before launching another initiative in the Orono community. Goodman started 'Marlins' MVPs when he was 10 years old alongside Major League Baseball player Logan Morrison. Goodman, who lost his father when he was nine, began Marlins MVPs to provide kids who have lost a parent with the opportunity to enjoy a day at the ballpark, take in a Marlins game, and interact with the professional ballplayers. Goodman's second initiative is "Connor's Champions: Choose Gloves, Not Drugs." This program, which he created in high school, also partnered with the Miami Marlins as well as the Boys and Girls Club to raise money to provide new or gently used baseball equipment for underprivileged kids. Earlier this year, Goodman launched 'Goody's Gloves'. The program raises money to use towards the purchase of baseball gloves in which Goodman donates to local Maine communities. In the first year, Goodman was able to donate 104 gloves to the Orono and Old Town communities. Earlier, he was named an Honorable Mention for the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team. The accolade honors those who demonstrate a substantial commitment to their community through service and philanthropy, embody the generous spirit and character of Lou Gehrig, and make a remarkable contribution to the success of their respective team.

The M Club, founded in 1932, is the letter winner association of the University of Maine and has been a fixture in supporting athletics since then. Varsity athletic competitions began at the University in 1881, and over 22,000 men and women have earned their letter in more than 30 different sports. It is through active letter winner and honorary member dues that the club has given financial support back to the athletic development for 92 years. The club's motto reads; "dedicated to Maine Athletics: past, present and future."

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