The Sports Commission Awards presented by Elliot Lodging and Blevins Asphalt – a summer awards show honoring the top high school athletes of southwest Missouri from the 2018-2019 academic year – announced the finalists for fall and winter sports on Thursday, weeks before the ceremony.
The awards are hosted by the Springfield Sports Commission, with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame assisting for a second consecutive year. A total of 28 categories are being 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. An Inspiration Award also will be bestowed during the program.
A selection committee narrows down each category to the top five athletes, or six if one school is represented by two athletes in one sport. A list of more than 70 finalists so far can be found at www.mosportshalloffame.com, and on a list below.
The ceremony is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, June 17 at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield. Sponsorship tables of eight are $350, while individual tickets are $30. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is taking table and ticket orders at 417-889-3100. Numerous other sponsorships are available, including congratulatory ads.
“We want to roll out the red carpet for athletes who have made it a memorable year yet again,” said Lance Kettering, Executive Director of the Springfield Sports Commission. “This event drew nearly 900 last year, and we expect it to draw an even larger crowd this year.”
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. Spring sports finalists, including a category for Bass Fishing, will be announced in early June.
“I’ve always believed that high school athletics and activities can build the character of young people and that we should celebrate their successes. 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.”
FINALISTS
FALL SPORTS
Girls Tennis: Erin Jarvis, Springfield Catholic High School, Mattie Leigh Miles, Logan-Rogersville High School, Lyndsey Hood & Kassidy Anderson, Mount Vernon High School, Kaitlyn Snyder, Republic High School, Evelyn VanDenBerg & Madeleine Lona Fulk of Springfield Central High School, Claire Griesener & Ashley Andrews, Springfield Catholic High School.
Girls Golf: Elizabeth Freeman, Ozark High School; Wriley Hiebert, Glendale High School; Kayla Pfitzner, Springfield Catholic High School; Jenna Teeter, Carl Junction High School; Brooke Wagner, Logan-Rogersville High School; Reagan Zibliski, Springfield Catholic High School
Girls Cross Country: Anna Bandy, Bolivar High School, Alexis Barber, Ozark High School; Brocklyn Barber, Ozark High School; Kaylee Hatley, West Plains High School; Alanza Montez, Carl Junction High School; Mia Harris, West Plains High School
Boys Swimming & Diving: Andrew Atwood, Logan-Rogersville High School; Alex Crawford, Joplin High School; Gabriel Austin, Kickapoo High School; Sam Beatty, Glendale High School; Cole Earl, Glendale High School; Ben Hines, Nevada High School
Boys Soccer: Hunter Daniels, Nixa High School; Jaxon Riddle, Kickapoo High School; Nick Rushing, Ozark High School; Mitch Stephens, Glendale High School; Jason Puente, Monett High School
Boys Cross Country: Brady Bauder, Kickapoo High School; Keifer Dooley, Branson High School; Kolin Overstreet, Lamar High School; Caleb Pyle, Bolivar High School; Clayton Whitehead, Carthage High School
Volleyball: Birdie Hendrickson, Logan-Rogersville High School; Madison Hicks, Crane High School; Tayte Kozlowski, Kickapoo High School; Julia McCown, Ozark High School, Ashton Wildermuth, Willard High School.
Football: Will Boswell, Mount Vernon High School; Paxton Delaurent, Camdenton High School; Brayden Lidgard, West Plains High School; Tyson Riley, Springfield Catholic High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School
Girls Wrestling: Erin Bohmont, Branson High School; Gracie Lawon, Willard High School; Quincy Glendenning, Lebanon High School; Lizzie Miller, Buffalo High School; Justice Seely, Waynesville High School; Jazzmine Seely, Waynesville High School
Girls Swimming: Ashley Baldwin, Glendale High School; Mary Bean, Liberal High School; Faith Guyer, Summit Prep Academy; Cabrini Johnson, Logan-Rogersville High School; Maggie Moore, Summit Prep Academy; Oliva Stoneman, Nixa High School
Boys Wrestling: Cayden Auch, Neosho High School; Braxton Barnes, Neosho High School; Karter Brink, Monett High School; Hayden Burks, Bolivar High School; Kale Schrader, Carthage High School; Floyd Miller, Buffalo High School; Jay Strausbaugh, Logan-Rogersville High School
Girls Basketball: Paiton Acord, Parkview High School; Alana Findley, Fair Grove High School; Hayley Frank, Strafford High School; Faith Gilkey, Walnut Grove High School; Priscilla Williams, Branson High School
Boys Basketball: Daniel Abreu, Willard High School; Jake Branham, Springfield Catholic High School; Anton Brookshire, Kickapoo High School; Aminu Mohammed, Greenwood Laboratory School; Luke Vandersnick, Logan-Rogersville High School
Marching Band: Camdenton High School, Kickapoo High School, Nixa High School, Ozark High School, Willard High School
Dance Team: Branson High School, Carthage High School, Glendale High School, Kickapoo High School, Logan-Rogersville High School, Republic High School
Bass Fishing: Bolivar High School — Caleb Welch and Nathan Young; Camdenton High School – Payton Sapp and Gage Erickson; Clever High School – Hunter Williams and Logan Clifford Ozark High School – Emily Freeman and Ethan Middleton; Parkview High School – Caleb Haines and Devon Rathbun
Boys Tennis: Asa Borup & Kaden Seward, Joplin High School; Garrett Lewis, Joplin High School; Payton LaFevers, Glendale High School; Luke Steiner, Springfield Catholic High School; Jarrett Teel, Forsyth High School; Matthew Zengel, Kickapoo High School
Boys Golf: Dawson Meek, Glendale High School; Connor Obert, Glendale High School; Cooper Hess, Lebanon High School; Gregory Mitchals, Willard High School; Presten Richardson, Miller High School; Walker Tynes, Springfield Catholic High School
Girls Field: Kennedy Aurentz, Kickapoo High School; Tassilyn Bolin, Willard High School; Kaesha George, Monett High School; Tayte Kozlowski, Kickapoo High School; Olivia Lyon, Ozark High School
Boys Field: Nate Baldwin, Sarcoxie High School; Gabriel Kurtz, Camdenton High School; Wallace Squibb; Springfield Catholic High School; Reagan Ulrich, Branson High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School
Girls Track: Alexis Barber, Ozark High School; Brocklyn Barber, Ozark High School; Natalie Basham, Camdenton High School; Brianna Utecht, Marshfield High School; Danielle Wilson, Greenwood Laboratory
Boys Track: Zachary Gebhard, Springfield Catholic High School; Lance Ward, Carl Junction High School; Clayton Whitehead, Carthage High School; Evan Smith, Chadwick High School; Zakary Taylor, Marian C. Early (Morrisville) High School
Girls Soccer: Jadyn Easley, Ozark High School; Kaitlin Knetzke, Springfield Catholic High School; Jalyn McClean, Kickapoo High School; Emma Miller, Glendale High School; Kourtney Tucker, Springfield Central High School; Lexie Rasmussen, Nixa High School
Baseball: Mason Auer, Kickapoo High School; Will Duff, Springfield Catholic High School; Garrett Rice, Willard High School; Gage Singer, Aurora High School; Ty Wilmsmeyer, Glendale High School
Girls Team of the Year: Blue Eye High School Girls Track & Field Team; Bolivar High School Girls Cross Country Team; Lebanon High School Girls Wrestling; Logan-Rogersville High School Volleyball Team; Strafford High School Girls Basketball; Walnut Grove Girls Basketball Team
Boys Team of the Year: Greenwood High School Boys Basketball Team; Monett High School Wrestling; Neosho High School Wrestling Team; Springfield Catholic High School Basketball Team
Girls Athlete of the Year: Natalie Basham, Camdenton High School; Sadie Chisum, Hartville High School; Alana Findley, Fair Grove High School; Hayley Frank, Strafford High School; Tayte Kozlowski, Kickapoo High School
Boys Athlete of the Year: Trevor Christian, Lebanon High School; Blake Delacruz, Parkview High School; Tyson Riley, Springfield Catholic High School; Jay Strausbaugh, Logan-Rogersville High School; Zach Westmoreland, Joplin High School
