More than 140 student-athletes and 28 teams representing southwest Missouri high schools will be honored during the Sports Commission Awards sponsored by Elliott Lodging and presented by Blevins Asphalt on Monday, June 15.
The Springfield Sports Commission and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame have been working atogether for months to bring the ceremony together. Directors of both organizations not only unveiled finalists on Tuesday but emphasized that recommendations of local and state public health officials will be closely monitored over the next several weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Set for a 6 p.m. dinner at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield, the awards ceremony celebrates the Ozarks’ top athletes from the 2019-2020 academic year. A total of 31 categories will be recognized. They cover 24 sports as well as categories for Girls Team of the Year, Boys Team of the Year, Girls Athlete of the Year, Boys Athlete of the Year, Marching Band, Cheerleading and Dance Team. Inspiration Awards also will be bestowed on a Dora High School basketball fan, 8-year-old Damon Emery, Willard High School senior wrestler Michael Finley and Anya Smith, a fifth-grader supported by the Logan-Rogersville High School Dance Team.
A selection committee narrowed down each category to the top five athletes, or six if one school is represented by two athletes in one sport. Some categories, such as football, were extended because of the number of outstanding players this past season. A list of finalists can be found at www.mosportshalloffame.com.
Sponsorship tables of eight are $350, while individual tickets are $40 in advance, or $50 at the door. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is taking table and ticket orders at 417-889-3100.
“High school athletes put in a ton of work this school year, and we are excited to tell their stories,” said Lance Kettering, Executive Director of the Springfield Sports Commission. “We also know it is important to recognize spring sports athletes who, unfortunately, had their seasons end prematurely.”
Categories cover football, volleyball, baseball and softball as well as sports offered to both boys and girls: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, track and field, tennis and wrestling. Track and field are now four separate categories (track events, field events), while wrestling will feature divisions for weight classes from 106 pounds to 152 and then 160 to 285.
“I’ve always believed that high school athletics and activities are great ways to build character, and this ceremony is a nice way to honor their success. That is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is delighted to help the Springfield Sports Commission with this important event,” said Jerald Andrews, President & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. “We hope all of southwest Missouri will support the Sports Commission Awards, especially during a year when some athletes were not able to realize the completion of their season.”
SPORTS COMMISSION AWARDS – JUNE 15, 2020
FINALISTS
FALL SPORTS
GIRLS TENNIS: Evelyn VanDenBerg, Central High School; Madeleine Fulk, Central High School; Erin Jarvis, Springfield-Catholic High School; Claire Griesemer, Springfield Catholic High School; Lucy Huang, Glendale High School
BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING: Brayden Cole, Carthage High School; Alex Crawford, Joplin High School; Trey Flouer, Glendale High School; Ben Hines, Nevada High School; Michael Jasinski, Glendale High School; Gavin Schulte, Camdenton High School.
GIRLS GOLF: Wriley Hiebert, Glendale High School; Kayla Pfitzner, Springfield Catholic High School; Kyleigh Pfitzner, Springfield Catholic High School; Jenna Teeter, Carl Junction High School; Brooke Wagner, Logan-Rogersville High School; Reagan Zibilski, Springfield Catholic High School
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Avery Arnold, Blue Eye High School; Riley Arnold, Blue Eye High School; Alicen Ashley, Nixa High School; Klaire Brown, Kickapoo High School; Mia Harris, West Plains High School; Jenari Lopez, Carthage High School.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Daelen Ackley, El Dorado Springs High School; Joe Dawson, Webb City High School; Riley Simpson, West Plains High School; Jay Strausbaugh, Logan-Rogersville High School; Eros Sustaita, Nixa High School.
SOFTBALL: Katie Brooks, Bolivar High School; Izzy Erickson, Reeds Spring High School; Kaesha George, Monett High School; Emme Hall, Bolivar High School; Chloe Merced, Kickapoo High School; Whitney Kinser, McDonald County High School.
BOYS SOCCER: Grant Compere, Glendale High School; Troy Davidson, Ozark High School; Colby Fritz, Springfield Catholic High School; Jung So, Central High School; Kyle Sutton, Branson High School; Diego Vargas, Neosho High School.
VOLLEYBALL: Maddy Bushnell, Willard High School; Lexie Gregory, Nixa High School; Birdie Hendrickson, Logan-Rogersville High School; Tayte Kozklowski, Kickapoo High School; Salma Lewis, Carl Junction High School.
FOOTBALL: Patrick Carlton, Carthage High School; Zach Coenen, Cassville High School; Isaiah Davis, Joplin High School; Paxton DeLaurent, Camdenton High School; Terrell Kabala, Webb City High School; Kayden Myers, Ava High School; Blake Tash, Joplin High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School
MARCHING BAND: Camdenton High School, Kickapoo, High School, Nixa High School, Ozark High School, Willard High School.
WINTER SPORTS
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING: Maddie Atwood, Logan-Rogersville High School; Chloe Cothern, Kickapoo High School; Audrey Duschsherer, Parkview High School; Faith Guyer, Summit Prep Academy; Cabrini Johnson, Logan-Rogersville High School; Maggie Moore, Summit Prep Academy.
GIRLS WRESTLING: Ashlyn Eli, Nixa High School; Antionna Cunningham, Lebanon High School; Ashlynn Loechner, Lebanon High School; Lizzie Miller, Buffalo High School; Kriten Fugitt, Nixa High School; Claire Pritchett, Nevada High School
BOYS WRESTLING 106-152: Cayden Auch, Neosho High School; Christian Finley, Willard High School; Kolton Sanders, Neosho High School; Gaven Sax, Waynesville High School; Joey Semerad, Monett High School; Jay Strausbaugh, Logan-Rogersville High School
BOYS WRESTLING 160-285: Hayden Burks, Bolivar High School; Jesse Cassatt, Carl Junction High School; Trevor Christian, Lebanon High School; Jeremiah Larson, Neosho High School; Harrison Merriman, Monett High School; Drayke Perry, Neosho High School.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Faith Gilkey, Walnut Grove High School; Karlee Holland, Licking High School; Katie Scott, Carl Junction High School; Lacy Stokes, Mount Vernon High School; Priscilla Williams, Branson High School;
BOYS BASKETBALL: Daniel Abreu, Willard High School; Anton Brookshire, Kickapoo High School; Isaac Haney, Dora High School; Aminu Mohammed, Greenwood Laboratory School; Quenton Shelton, Lebanon High School.
DANCE TEAM: Branson High School, Glendale High School; Kickapoo High School; Logan-Rogersville High School; Monett High School; Republic High School.
CHEERLEADING: Glendale High School, Kickapoo High School, Nixa High School, Ozark High School, Republic High School, Seneca High School
SPRING SPORTS
BOYS TENNIS: Asa Borup, Joplin High School; Bryson Crowell, Lebanon High School; Sage Riddle, Central High School; Luke Steiner, Springfield Catholic High School; Matthew Zengel, Kickapoo High School
BOYS GOLF: Dawson Meek, Glendale High School; Greg Mitchals, Willard High School; Connor Obert, Glendale High School; Presten Richardson, Miller High School; Walker Tynes, Springfield Catholic High School
GIRLS TRACK: Ashley Childers, Ozark High School; Jenna Glendenning, Lebanon High School; Alliyah Joiner, Marshfield High School; Brianna Utecht, Marshfield High School; Jaden Wiley, Kickapoo High School
GIRLS FIELD: Tassilyn Bolin, Willard High School; Kaitlyn Burson, Willard High School; Octavia Duncan, Webb City High School; Kaesha George, Monett High School; Sadie Heisner, Mount Vernon High School; Tayte Kozlowski, Kickapoo High School
BOYS TRACK: Elijah Aye, Willard High School; Micah Bruggeman, Joplin High School; Blade Hancock, Bolivar High School; Lance Ward, Carl Junction High School; Kolin Overstreet, Lamar High School
BOYS FIELD: Nate Baldwin, Sarcoxie High School; Taris Jackson, Carthage High School; Marshall Swadley, Willard High School; Reagan Ulrich, Branson High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School
GIRLS SOCCER: Aeryn Kennedy, Camdenton High School; Jalyn McClean, Kickapoo High School; Sophia Nixon, Logan-Rogersville High School; Macie Stephens, Glendale High School; Kourtney Tucker, Central High School
BASEBALL: Ace Akers, Nixa High School; Mason Foley, Strafford High School; Andrew Martinez, Purdy High School; Garrett Rice, Willard High School; Ethan Thompson, Willard High School; Drew Wheeler, Stockton High School.
GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR: Blue Eye High School Girls Cross Country; Carl Junction High School Girls Basketball; Nixa High School Volleyball; Springfield Catholic High School Girls Golf; Strafford High School Girls Basketball; Walnut Grove Girls Basketball.
BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: Hartville High School Boys Basketball; Neosho High School Boys Wrestling; Joplin High School Football; Dora High School Boys Basketball; Ava High School Football.
GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Kaesha George, Monett High School; Logan Jones, Strafford High School; Tayte Kozlowski, Kickapoo High School; Lacy Stokes, Mount Vernon High School, Faith Gilkey, Walnut Grove High School; Josie Sullivan, Norwood High School.
BOYS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jed Brandon, Willard High School; Isaiah Davis, Joplin High School; Terrell Kabala, Webb City High School; Kale Schrader, Carthage High School; Jay Strausbaugh, Logan-Rogersville High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School.
