Meredith Messer, Maine- 2025
Meredith Messer has devoted 31 years to advancing girls’ and women’s sports in Maine. A math teacher and longtime head girls’ soccer coach at Camden Hills Regional High School (Maine), Messer has combined her passion for teaching with her love of the game to inspire countless student-athletes. Her ability to connect with her players while holding them to the highest standards has made her one of the state’s most respected and successful coaches.
Her teams’ accomplishments speak for themselves. Under her leadership, Camden Hills captured four consecutive Class A state championships from 2016 to 2019, during which the program compiled an astonishing 70 straight wins. Messer herself has surpassed 300 career victories, earning recognition at the state, regional, and national levels. Among her many honors, she has been named the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coach of the Year, twice received Northern Maine Coach of the Year honors, and was recognized as New England’s Regional Large School Coach of the Year.
Beyond the accolades and championships, Messer’s greatest impact has been her commitment to developing her players as leaders on and off the field. For nearly three decades, she has been an active member of the Maine Soccer Coaches Association, helping to strengthen and advocate for her sport statewide. Her philosophy emphasizes hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and the belief that team success must always come before individual glory. Through this approach, she has not only built winning teams but also strong young women who carry the lessons of resilience and commitment with them long after graduation.
Meredith Messer’s career is defined by her ability to instill a love of learning, perseverance, and the confidence that her athletes can achieve anything if they are willing to put in the work. Her legacy at Camden Hills and in Maine high school soccer as a whole extends far beyond the victories and championships – it is found in the lives of the players she has shaped and the standard of excellence she has set for girls’ and women’s athletics.