Excellence, commitment, success, and more were recognized among the athletes of many disciplines in the ECS on Thursday evening.
Several names already familiar to some were heard called frequently to the stage, and several seniors will leave a legacy of their own for other young people to follow.
When it came to the Female Athlete of the Year award, Tatiana Dutka and Morgan Fichter were hailed for a tie, and both were quite pleased to share the honor with the other.
"It feels great to share with my best friend for four years. We really worked hard together," expressed Fichter, with Dutka adding, "I wouldn't have wanted to win it with anyone else."
"I'm just going to take away all the knowledge that I've learned being on the basketball team, especially all the life skills our coach has taught us, and just take what I've learned with me next year," Fichter said, while Dutka added that their coaches have had an impact on her as well.
"They've taught me so many things, more than just sports. My coach Jessie Smoliak was a huge influence on me for basketball, and I'm going to take everything that my coaches taught me with all the life skills and how to be a really good person in life.
For the younger athletes now looking to step into the senior's shoes, Dutka also shared some advice for success.
"I would say always work hard. With all the awards tonight, I've noticed that hard work doesn't go unrecognized, so work hard and you'll have success in your athletics and life."
Herself and Fichter also reminisced on the memories spent as teammates, spending time as a group on the road and the ups and downs of victory and defeat.
The admonishment to hard work was echoed by Carter Davenport. The senior took home four different awards in several different sports, among them the Outstanding Male Sportsmanship Award, and shared his secret to success.
"Work ethic, that's all there is to it. If you don't have work ethic, then you're not going to be able to play sports unless you're just naturally athletic. Even if they have natural abilities, work ethic is going to get them to the next level and it's going to get them to be the overall better athlete that they can be."
"It feels really good," he said after his own work ethic was recognized with quite a bit of hardware, "because I put lots of hard work in, but it's also good to know that my hard work has translated to other people. The awards are not about myself, they're about everyone else, because it's always team before me."
A full list of the award winners is below...
Athletic Medals
Sr. Badminton
- Excellence..........Jean Rose Be
- Commitment..........Christian Prawdzik
- Success..........John Sasi
Sr. Girls Basketball
- Excellence..........Tatiana Dutka
- Commitment..........Sammy Wade
- Success..........Morgan Fichter
Sr. Boys Basketball
- Excellence..........John Sasi
- Commitment..........Carter Davenport
- Success..........John Andres
Cheerleading
- Excellence..........Kaitlyn Kobitz
- Commitment..........Ashley Tedford
- Success..........Madison Colbow
Cross Country
- Excellence..........Justin Hertes
- Commitment..........Jill Sehn
- Success..........Carter Davenport
Curling
- Excellence..........Caitlyn Green
- Commitment..........Kali Sorensen
- Success..........Parker Lavoie
Sr. Girls Volleyball
- Excellence..........Sammy Wade
- Commitment..........Aiden Miller
- Success..........Sarah Dacuycuy
Sr. Boys Volleyball
- Excellence..........Kayden Ludwig
- Commitment..........Lais Lindquist
- Success..........Devin Fichter
Junior Badminton
- Excellence..........Bethany Montebon
- Commitment..........Jada Gibson
- Success..........Kishi Rioferio
Jr. Girls Basketball
- Excellence..........Kishi Rioferio
- Commitment..........Brooklyn Brady
- Success..........Talissa Gervais
Jr. Boys Basketball
- Excellence..........Denys Bodnarus
- Commitment..........Brayden Shebaylo-Lajoi
- Success..........Reilly McGeough
Freshmen Boys Basketball
- Excellence..........John Albento
- Commitment..........Cole Sletten
- Success..........Jethro Algeria
Football
- Excellence..........Hunter Eagles
- Commitment..........Carter Davenport and Carson Ford
- Success..........Nigel Mack
Sr. Golf
- Excellence..........Jace Carlisle
- Commitment..........Jayden Dudas
- Success..........Chase Gedak
Sr. Girls Soccer
- Excellence..........Madison Zandee
- Commitment..........Kyra Barabash
- Success..........Cazlynn Barnstable
Rodeo Club
- Excellence..........Janna Friess
- Commitment..........Karleigh MacKenzie
- Success..........Tatum Hirsch
Table Tennis
- Excellence..........Bernadette Pangman
- Commitment..........James Kim
- Success..........Jean Rose Be
Pingpongpalooza
- Award Winner..........Jean Rose Be
Track and Field
- Excellence..........Morgan Fichter and Tatiana Dutka
- Commitment..........Carter Davenport
- Success..........Chelsea McLenehan
Jr. Golf
- Excellence..........Bailey Farr
- Commitment..........Clay McKersie
- Success..........Kyler Dutka
Junior Girls Volleyball
- Excellence..........Mya Waloshin
- Commitment..........Bethany Montebon
- Success..........Brynn Waloshin
Junior Boys Volleyball
- Excellence..........Dylan Hall
- Commitment..........Jake Wade
- Success..........Mason Elford
Outstanding Female Sportsmanship Award..........Jean Rose Be
Outstanding Male Sportsmanship Award..........Carter Davenport
Female Athlete of the Year..........Tatiana Dutka and Morgan Fichter
Male Athlete of the Year..........John Sasi