More than 150 student-athletes and 10 teams from southwest Missouri high schools will be honored at the annual Sports Commission Awards this summer. Each individual finalist in attendance will receive a personalized challenge coin in a commemorative box.
Sponsored by Elliott Lodging and presented by Blevins Asphalt, the Sports Commission Awards are set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
Here’s a rundown:
— The ceremony is hosted by the Springfield Sports Commission and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. A total of 32 categories will feature the top athletes from across the Ozarks during the 2020-2021 school year, with each nominee chosen by a selection committee.
— A video celebrating the success of each athlete in each sport will be shown during the evening, with finalists introduced on stage and a winner of that category announced shortly thereafter.
— The printed program will include athletes’ bios detailing their successes during the school year.
— New this year, each individual finalist in attendance will be given a commemorative keepsake, a two-sided, personalized coin for display in special box that features the athlete’s name.
— Each winner in the various categories will receive a trophy honoring their achievements.
Athletes will be recognized in tennis, golf, swimming and diving, cross country, softball, soccer, volleyball, football, wrestling, basketball, track and field, bass fishing and baseball. Sports offered to girls and boys are split into their respective categories.
Football now has finalists for offensive skill positions, defense and linemen. Wrestling will include lower weights and upper weights.
Additionally, the Sports Commission Awards also will feature finalists for boys and girls Teams of the Year and Athletes of the Year, along with a new category—Performance of the Year. The SCAs also will highlight Inspiration Awards.
All finalists for fall and winter sports can now be found at www.mosportshalloffame.com, and spring sports will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sponsorship tables of eight are $350, while individual tickets are $40 in advance, or $50 at the door. Numerous sponsorships also are available, as well as congratulatory ads for the event program. Call the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100 for more information.
“We are always excited to celebrate the success of our high school athletes here in the Ozarks,” said Lance Kettering, Executive Director of the Springfield Sports Commission. “And they deserve recognition for all the hard work they’ve put in. It’s great that we can tell their stories once more.”
This marks the fourth year with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s involvement. The Hall of Fame is led by CEO & Executive Director Jerald Andrews, a former multi-sport athlete himself at Bolivar High School in the late 1960s.
“I’ve always believed that high school athletics are great ways to build character, and this ceremony is a wonderful way to honor the success of student-athletes,” Andrews said. “That is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is delighted to help the Springfield Sports Commission with this important event. We hope all of southwest Missouri will throw its collective support behind these deserving student-athletes.”
SPORTS COMMISSION AWARDS-FINALISTS
GIRLS TENNIS
- Lexi Berry & Megan Roberts – Bolivar High School
- McKenna Cox & Taylor Reese – Willow Springs High School
- Elsie Crawford – Republic High School
- Lucy Huang – Glendale High School
- Erin Jarvis – Springfield Catholic High School
- Melissa Peralta-Sanchez – Ozark High School
- Lexi Phipps – Lamar High School
GIRLS GOLF
- Lily Allman – McDonald County High School
- Hailey Bryant – Carthage High School
- Lyla Louderbaugh — Springfield Catholic High School
- Kyleigh Pfitzner — Springfield Catholic High School
- Brooke Wagner — Logan-Rogersville High School
- Raegan Zibilski — Springfield Catholic High School
BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING
- Gabriel Austin – Kickapoo High School
- Lucas Chadwell – Glendale High School
- Caleb Chrestman – Ozark High School
- Ben Hines – Nevada High School
- Michael Jasinski – Glendale High School
- Colin McNew – Glendale High School
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
- Riley Arnold – Blue Eye High School
- Alicen Ashley — Nixa High School
- Klaire Brown – Kickapoo High School
- Jennalee Dunn – Joplin High School
- Brayden Kantola – West Plains High School
- Jordan Kantola – West Plains High School
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
- Daelen Ackley – El Dorado Springs High School
- Tyler Harris – Kickapoo High School
- Joe Kremp – Lamar High School
- Sam Shuman – Spokane High School
- Riley Simpson – West Plains High School
SOFTBALL
- Haidyn Berry — Webb City High School
- Katie Brooks – Bolivar High School
- Ellie Facklam — Kickapoo High School
- Jayden LaBarge — Kickapoo High School
- Madeline McCall — McDonald County High School
- Chloe Merced — Kickapoo High School
- Halle Miles — Logan-Rogersville High School
BOYS SOCCER
- Luke Courtney – Kickapoo High School
- Carlton Epps – Branson High School
- Jack Gintz – Glendale High School
- Dillon Holesapple – Ozark High School
- Camden Meyer – Glendale High School
- Joshua Patino — Monett High School
- Alberto Robledo – Neosho High School
VOLLEYBALL
- Maddy Bushnell — Willard High School
- Jaycee Fixsen — Nixa High School
- Sydney Golden – Nixa High School
- Salma Lewis – Carl Junction High School
- Kate Owen – Kickapoo High School
- Payton Van Veen – Willard High School
FOOTBALL – OFFENSE SKILL POSITIONS
- Patrick Carlton – Carthage High School
- Cooper Ezard – Camdenton High School
- Jericho Farris – Cassville High School
- Titus Seley – West Plains High School
- Case Tucker – Lamar High School
- Devrin Weathers – Webb City High School
FOOTBALL DEFENSE – LINEBACKERS & DEFENSIVE BACKS
- Zach Coenen – Cassville High School
- Luke Gall – Carthage High School
- Connor Lair – West Plains High School
- Treghan Parker – Webb City High School
- Steven Ward – Nixa High School
- Austin Wilkerson – Lamar High School
FOOTBALL-LINEMEN
- John Gholson – Nixa High School
- Grant Goltra – Webb City High School
- Aiden Logan – Carthage High School
- Jack Roweton – Bolivar High School
- Tristan Wilson – Lebanon High School
- Rylan Wooldridge – Lamar High School
WINTER SPORTS
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING
- Maddie Atwood – Logan-Rogersville High School
- Emma Lacey – Carl Junction High School
- Karissa Metzger – Republic High School
- Chloe Miller – Carl Junction High School
- Ashlyn Moore – Kickapoo High School
- Maggie Moore – New Covenant Academy
GIRLS WRESTLING
- Halea Bartel – Lebanon High School
- Breyna Crahan – Nixa High School
- Catherine Dutton – Central High School
- Ashlyn Eli – Nixa High School
- Annie Moore — Cassville High School
- Skyler Maverick – Buffalo High School
BOYS WRESTLING – LOWER WEIGHTS
- Elias Barrientos – Monett High School
- Christian Finley – Willard High School
- Zan Fugitt – Nixa High School
- Kyshin Isringhausen – Branson High School
- Tyson Moore – Bolivar High School
- Brady Roark – Seneca High School
- Braxton Strick – Ozark High School
BOYS WRESTLING – UPPER WEIGHTS
- Cayden Auch – Neosho High School
- Jesse Cassatt – Carl Junction High School
- John Golson – Nixa High School
- Daylon Kannengieter – Marshfield High School
- Jeremiah Larson – Neosho High School
- Hunter Tennison – Ozark High School
- Ethan Umfleet – Monett High School
GIRLS BASKETBALL
- Bug Bailey – Hollister High School
- Kaemyn Bekemeier – Republic High School
- Makaiya Brooks – Central High School
- Faith Gilkey – Walnut Grove High School
- Indya Green – Kickapoo High School
- Bella Fontleroy – Kickapoo High School
- Ashton Judd – West Plains High School
- Lacy Stokes – Mount Vernon High School
BOYS BASKETBALL
- Anton Brookshire – Kickapoo High School
- Isaac Haney – Kickapoo High School
- Zach Howell – Springfield Catholic High School
- Drew McMillin – Republic High School
- Aminu Mohammed – Greenwood Laboratory School
- Ryce Piper – Hartville High School
- Kyle Pock – Bolivar High School
- Colin Ruffin –Nixa High School
