January:

St. Nathy's College U-16 girls' team (Basketball)

The St. Nathy's College U-16 girls basketball team are the January winners of the Roscommon Herald/SuperValu Sportstar of the Year Awards.

The Ballaghaderreen College captured the All-Ireland C Schools Cup Final in tremendous fashion at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght last Tuesday week by defeating St. Mary's Charleville (Cork).

Coached by the highly regarded Frances Dunne, St. Nathy's trailed for practically the entire match. However, in a stunning final quarter, St. Mary's were left shell-shocked as the Ballaghaderreen produced some marvellous basketball to win on a 27-24 scoreline.

Susie Enow was named the games MVP while others to impress in a brilliant team performance included Amy Corrigan and Stephanie Coleman.

This was St. Nathy's third All-Ireland title at this level, having won the U-19 boys in 2001 and the U-16 girls in 2004.

February:

St. Joseph's College, Summerhill (Soccer)

The St. Joseph's College, Summerhill senior girls soccer team are the February winners of the Roscommon Herald/SuperValu Sportstar of the Year Awards.

The team, managed by previous overall winner Michael Gallagher, pulled off a remarkable achievement to capture the All-Ireland senior A final at Portlaoise, knocking reigning champions for the past two seasons, Castletroy from Limerick, off the podium.

In what was a game of immense quality, Aine and Martina O'Brien scored the goals in Summerhill's 2-1 victory.

Champions at first year, U-13, U-14, U-16, U-18 and now senior, all in the space of six years, Summerhill's rise to excellence among the country's elite in soccer is a wonderful achievement.

With every title except the senior A title in the bag, Summerhill put in a huge effort this season. In the Connacht final, Summerhill won a cracking game against Roscommon Convent of Mercy, a game, which was played in Skyvalley. In the semi-final, Summerhill defeated Ulster champions Moville in Letterkenny.

SUMMERHILL PANEL:

Sarah Finnerty, Rosa Shine, Alicia Colgan, Martina O'Brien, Claire Shanagher, Ciara Fallon, Ruth Finlass, Louise Igoe, Siobhan Mulloly, Jenny Downey, Aine O'Brien, Leanne O'Brien, Aisling Byrne, Grace O'Brien, Mairead Farrell, Maeve Gately, Louise Lenord, Aishling Curley, Niamh O'Brien, Kelly Fitzgibbon.

March:

Anna McCormack (Soccer)

Anna McCormack is the March winner of the Roscommon Herald/SuperValu Sportstar of the Year Awards.

The Ballyforan native was selected on the Republic of Ireland U-17 ladies soccer squad for a four-team invitational tournament in Holland during Easter.

Having trained with 60 other hopefuls during March, the transitition year student at the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon was chosen as part of the 18-strong squad for the games against Moldova Sweden and The Netherlands.

She has represented Connacht and the Republic of Ireland at schools level. She also played for the Republic of Ireland U-15 squad in Germany last summer.

A player with a proven pedigree with her province and country, Anna hopes to play for her country as senior level.

April:

Liam Murray (Hurling)

St. Dominic's and Roscommon hurler Liam Murray is the Roscommon Herald/SuperValu Sportstar of the Month award winner for April.

The stylish wing-back played a major role in helping the county secure Division Three Hurling League honours with a number of fantastic displays, culminating in a Man of the Match performance against Sligo in the final at Kingspan Breffni Park, Cavan.

Murray has been one of the most consistent performers on the county's hurling scene for nearly 15 years. A regular with his club and county, the dual player has also lined out for the county's junior football team and and his own club at intermediate level.

One of the finest hurling ambassadors in the county, this award is richly deserved ahead of a busy season for his club while he will also be helping Roscommon capture the Nicky Rackard Cup later this summer.

May Winner 1:

Donal Ward (Boxing)

Loughglynn Boxing Club's Donal Ward became the first boxer from County Roscommon to win four national titles (two of them back to back).

He was crowned U-19 champion at 75 kgs in May.

His titles include juvenile boys 44 kgs, youth 1 50 kgs and intermediate 71 kgs.

In the U-19 championships, he defeated David Anita in the semi-final on a 12-8 scoreline after both boxers were level, 7-7, after the second round.

Donal was always control in the final and produced a devastating display of boxing to defeat Ian Carmicheal 12-3.

Donal will represent Ireland at the European U-19 Championships later this year.

May Winner 2:

Henry Loughnane (Soccer)

Henry Loughnane was in terrific form as his goals helped Ballinasloe Town to an unprecedented treble this season.

They won the league, Challenge Cup and premier division cup, the first side in the Roscommon and District League to do so in the one season.

While Loughnane was a regular in the scoring charts during the league, he also made his mark on the Challenge Cup where he picked up the Player of the Match award in the final.

Ballinasloe's historic 2-1 success against reigning cup holders Castlerea Celtic owed much to Loughnane's all-action performance where his experience proved crucial in guiding his side to ultimate honours.

June:

St. Joseph's Boys National School, Boyle (Soccer)

The MDL Grounds in Navan will forever hold special memories for the boys of St. Joseph's National School, Boyle and their coach Paul Coughlan.

They were crowned All-Ireland champions in the B section of the Ribena Toothkind five-a-side soccer finals.

Conor Nerney, Enda Smith, Colin Goldrick, Jeff Gunning, Michael Lavin, Eoin Lavin, Joseph Sweeney and Jamie Sutherland arrived back in Boyle as the town's latest heroes after a memorable tournament in Navan.

St. Joseph's defeated St. Mary's, Limerick 4-1, St. Ciaran's, Athlone and Clonmanny National School, Donegal 2-0 to become the best team in Ireland.

July:

Michael Higgins (Basketball)

Ballaghadereen's Michael Higgins is an exceptional young basketballer with a very bright future ahead of him.

Michael was selected to play for the Ireland basketball team that competed at the European U-18 Basketball Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria in July.

Michael joined the Ireland U-18 development squad in January 2006 with 32 other hopefuls and made the final cut of 12 for this year's championship.

Michael's commitment to his sport is truly admirable when the sacrifices he makes are considered. On one particular weekend this season, Michael played for his school, St. Nathy's College in All-Ireland Colleges play-offs on Friday. The following day, he lined out for his club, Sligo All-Stars in a Northern Conference Superleague game before training with the Irish team back in Sligo.

Under the careful tutelage of Irish U-18 team manager and Irish senior men's captain, Michael Bree, Michael has developed into one of Ireland's brightest basketball prospects.

The young man from Ballaghaderreen has already represented St. Nathy's in five All-Ireland basketball finals at different age groups. Although an All-Ireland title has so far eluded him, his coach, Frances Dunne, has high hopes for next year, when Michael enters sixth year.

August:

Micheal Kelly (Hurling)

2007 was a wonderful year for Roscommon hurling. The senior team completed the double - winning the Division Three League and Nicky Rackard Cup while the U-21 team won the All-Ireland B Championship.

Micheal Kelly was a key figure on both teams. He lined out at midfield on the U-21 team and played a key role in Roscommon's defeat of Kildare in the All-Ireland U-21 semi-final, a game fondly remembered by followers for its sheer brilliance as a contest.

That performance in Clonkill against the Lilywhites set the tone for the following couple of weeks.

In the final, Micheal stepped up to the mark in the second half against Kerry when he was most needed. It was fitting that he scored the final point of the game before receiving the trophy as captain in the stand at Semple Stadium, Thurles, the home of hurling.

The U-21 celebrations were put on hold as the senior team prepared for the Nicky Rackard Cup final. Lining out at centre-back, he gave another quality display as Roscommon hurling completed a unique treble.

Although he's still very young, Micheal Kelly has established himself as a very influential figure on the Roscommon senior team. It was only a matter of time before he became a household figure on the senior stage after delivering dozens of top class displays over the years in the underage grades, both in the colours of Roscommon and his club team Four Roads.

2007 has been a great year for Roscommon hurling and Micheal Kelly has played as big a role as any player in the team's fortunes.

September:

Lauren O'Riordan (Handball)

St. Coman's handballer Lauren O'Riordan upset all the odds when she defeated pre-match favourite Aine Casey to capture the All-Ireland U-15 Singles 60 x 30 Final. She triumphed on a 21-14, 21-11 scoreline.

A first year student at the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon, Lauren has made massive strides since she took up the game as a ten-year-old.

She has already won a Community Games gold medal and two interschools' titles. She won the U-15 singles title as a 13-year-old. Earlier this year, she won the U-15 40 x 20 All-Ireland doubles crown with Joan McHugh from Curraghboy.

Lauren trains four days per week and plays matches at the weekend. She is coached by Michael and Anne Naughton who see her as one of the brightest prospects in the sport.

October:

Mervyn Connaughton (Hurling)

For the second year running, Mervyn Connaughton has won a monthly award. One of the finest hurlers Athleague and County Roscommon has ever produced, Mervyn ignited Athleague's county championship in October when his club needed him most.

In the semi-final against Oran, he contributed eight points from midfield, including four from play. He added another five points, including two from play, in the replay as Athleague comfortably disposed of the opposition to reach the senior hurling final against Padraig Pearses.

He produced a Man of the Match display in the drawn game, controlling midfield and dragging his side back into contention when things weren't going their way. In the replay, he received the official Man of the Match award as Athleague finally saw off the challenge of Pearses by four points.

A broken finger prevented Mervyn from helping his side throughout their provincial campaign. However, no one in Athleague will argue with his contribution during a historic year for the club as it put back-to-back senior titles together for the first time since 1936/1937.

November:

Cathal McHugh (Gaelic Football)

One of the brightest young stars on the Roscommon GAA scene, Cathal McHugh played an integral part in St. Brigid's march to a provincial final showdown against Ballina Stephenites in mid-November.

Cathal was one of his side's most consistent performers in the local championship, producing a series of excellent displays to keep his club's bid for three-in-a-row on track. He went on to score three points from play in the final as St. Brigid's confirmed their superiority in Roscommon.

After a six-week break, St. Brigid's tackled Killererin in the last four of the Connacht Club Championship. Cathal played his part in a memorable team performance, scoring his side's second goal and giving the Galway side's defence a torrid time.

Despite St. Brigid's defeat against Ballina, the corner-forward enhanced his reputation with another gutsy display in testing conditions.

December:

Elphin Community College (Volleyball)

Elphin Community College made the headlines in December by becoming the first Roscommon school to become All-Ireland senior schools' volleyball champions at A level.

It capped a remarkable journey for coach Paul Noone who introduced the sport to the school in the late eighties.

Hoping to make up for the disappointment of losing the final 12 months previously, Elphin were yet again pitted against their arch-rivals, St. Brigid's from Loughrea.

The Elphin players produced the game of their lives to secure a famous 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 27-15 success.

There were many memorable moments as Elphin responded to adversity on numerous occasions.

The sheer determination to become the best team in the land and create volleyball history in the process was the main driving force behind this marvellous achievement.

Team members included Fintan Cregg, Frankie Cregg, Gerard Brady, Kevin Brady, Keiv Reynolds, Brian Oates, Michael Kielty, David Kellegher and David McDermott.

Fintan Cregg, a member of Roscommon's all-conquering minor football team in 2006, scooped the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Elphin Community College's selection as December winners completes the line-up for this year's Roscommon Herald/SuperValu Sportstar of the Year awards.