On a chilly night at Western Albemarle High School, this year’s exceptional winter sports athletes were honored.
“For 330-some high schools in the state, there are over 200,000 students competing in athletics each year,” Principal Darah Bonham told a packed grandstand of students, parents, coaches and supporters March 2. “At the beginning of each season everyone starts at 0-0, with an opportunity to come out and do their best. Obviously, at the varsity level, one of the main goals is to be the team that, at the end of the season, doesn’t lose their last game. And maybe we’re a little spoiled in that our teams so often have a shot at being one of those teams. But even though not everyone ends up on a banner, the most important thing is what you accomplish from the time you start training, during tryouts, and throughout the season. To juggle the load of being a student-athlete, succeeding both in the classroom and out, that’s a huge accomplishment, and above all we want to recognize and honor that dedication and commitment.”
Following the principal’s congratulatory introduction, as the crowd cheered and clapped, coaches from each sport honored the following exemplary athletes in an emotional display of hugs and kind superlatives:
Varsity Boys Basketball
- Ryan Ingram, MVP
- Jed Strickland, Sportsmanship Award
JV Boys Basketball
- Tommy Mangrum, MVP
- Ricky Weikle, Sportsmanship Award
Freshman Boys Basketball
- Evan Hajek, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Girls Basketball
- Eleri Hayden, Warrior Award
- Ellie Plantz, Sportsmanship Award
JV Girls Basketball
- Anna Kreienbaum and Sydney Sherman, Warrior Awards
- Caity Driver, Sportsmanship Award
Freshman Girls Basketball
- Kate Wallace,Warrior Award
- Ineke La Fleur, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Girls Swim & Dive
- Morgan James, MVP
- Julia Perrone, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Boys Swim & Dive
- August Lamb, MVP
- Andrew Holzwarth, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Wrestling
- Nate Riley, MVP
- Will Davis, Second MVP
- Jake Jackson, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Boys Indoor Track
- Will Koester, Best Runner
- Jackson Smith, Best Field Matthew Capshaw, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Girls Indoor Track
- Averi Witt, MVP
- Ella Flanders, Sportsmanship Award
Varsity Cheerleading
- Tiffany Smith, MVP
- Kaitlyn Graves, Sportsmanship Award
Scholastic Bowl
- Jack Emery, Sportsmanship Award