WATERVILLE, Maine - University of Maine at Farmington standout two-sport athlete Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) has been named a finalist for the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Man of the Year, the conference office announced earlier today.
The NAC Man of the Year award mirrors the NCAA Woman of the Year award, which is awarded annually to a graduating student-athlete, honoring their academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service, leadership, and also including a written personal statement. The personal statement is intended to illustrate how the student-athletes' community service and experiences as a scholar, an athlete, and a leader on their campus and in their community have influenced their life and shaped them into the person they are today.
Member institutions of the NAC nominate student-athletes from their own institutions. The Conference's Athletic Directors and Senior Women Administrators vote to select the NAC Man of the Year. The scoring for academic excellence is based on the student-athletes' grade point average while also taking into consideration academic honors. The athletic success portion of the award is scored based on the nominee's honors and accomplishments, both individually and team-based. The leadership and service responsibilities section is scored based on the nominee's leadership activities, detailing roles they have held throughout their college careers. The community service portion is scored based upon the student-athletes' involvement in volunteer and community service events. Lastly, each institution scores each of the nominated student-athletes' personal statements to determine a final score for each nominee.
The NAC Man of the Year award is the greatest honor given out by the conference office on an annual basis.
Harriman has made a meaningful impact as a member of both the men's basketball and baseball teams over the past four seasons. As a member of the men's basketball team, Harriman has served as a captain each of the past two seasons while serving as a captain during his senior season on the baseball team.
During his four-year career on the court, Harriman made 68 appearances and 39 starts, including 24 during the 2024-25 season. Harriman finished his career averaging 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5% from the floor. After playing sparingly during his first two seasons on the team, Harriman averaged 24 minutes a game during his junior and senior seasons, totaling 401 points in 40 games played. Possessing an uncanny ability to finish around the hoop, Harriman's breakout performance came as a junior at home against Dean College. Harriman finished with a career-high 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field, drilling 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Following the performance, Harriman was named the NAC and Maine Men's Basketball Coaches and Writers Association Player of the Week.
On the diamond, Harriman served as a reliable starter on the mound for the Beavers. Across his four seasons, Harriman made 33 appearances, 31 of which were as a starter, posting a 3-18 record with a 7.29 ERA. During the 2025 season, Harriman made six appearances and five starts before suffering an injury on April 4th, forcing him to miss most of the rest of the season. He returned to throw just one inning on April 29th against the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Harriman was named the North Atlantic Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year following the 2025 baseball season.
Academically, Harriman completed his Bachelor's Degree in Biology/Pre-Med in May and will be heading to the University of New England this fall to pursue a Master's Degree in Biology. Harriman has been named to the NAC Academic All-Conference team in both baseball and basketball each of the last four years. Additionally, he has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for basketball during the 2024-25 season, as well as for baseball following the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The injury suffered in baseball halted his ability to receive CSC Academic All-District honors for a third consecutive season. He has also been named to the Dean's List in all eight semesters at Farmington and was named the UMF Athletics Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year at the 2025 year-end banquet.
A well-represented scholar, Harriman has served as a course-based tutor for Biology, a Research Assistant, and obtained an Undergraduate Research Fellowship through the INBRE branch of Maine. As part of his position as a Research Assistant, Harriman became a published author through the General and Comparative Endocrinology Journal.
Harriman also spent a good portion of his time giving back to the Farmington and Biddeford communities. He served as a volunteer coach for Biddeford High School boys' basketball junior varsity team during the summer, a basketball camp coach at numerous camps in the Farmington and Biddeford areas, as well as helping set up concerts for the city of Biddeford during the summer.
Harriman was very involved and became well-versed throughout his time at Farmington. He states, "Balancing a rigorous Pre-Med/Biology major while playing two sports taught me persistence, adaptability, and how to prioritize effectively. I've worked hard to excel in challenging science courses, while staying closely connected to my campus community."
The winner of the NAC Man of the Year award is set to be released by the conference office next Tuesday, July 1st. Click here to read the full NAC release.
