Head coaches from two different sports and 32 high-school senior athletes were among those honored at this year’s annual Better Sports Club of Arlington’s awards banquet.
The 69th awards event was held Wednesday night (May 28) at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
A total of 32 seniors throughout Arlington were honored for their overall excellence during competition, in the classroom and for their involvement in the community.
Club president Dave Sterling gave the opening welcome and closing remarks, and Washington-Liberty High School multi-sports announcer Doug Hughes was the master of ceremonies.
As each student-athlete winner was introduced, Hughes read some of their many accomplishments, added where some will attend college in the fall, then each athlete added a few words.
Among the honorees:
• Wakefield High School’s Olivia Stafford was chosen the Female High School Student-Athlete of the Year. Washington-Liberty’s Jon Malatesta was the Male High School Student-Athlete of the Year.
• The two high-school Coaches of the Year were Washington-Liberty High School head track-and-field and cross-country coach John Bacon and Yorktown High School girls field hockey coach Olivia Shipley.
• The club’s Arlington Sportsperson of the Year was Mike Murray, president of Arlington Senior Babe Ruth.
• The club’s President’s Award went to Taylor Triggs, recently completing a two-year term as president of the Better Sports Club.
• The Challenger Sportsperson of the Year award went to Matthew Hatfield.
High-school Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards were presented to:
Washington-Liberty’s Jack Keane, baseball; Washington-Liberty’s Julia Kelly, girls basketball; Yorktown’s Brennan Pilot, boys basketball; Yorktown’s Mary Frances Dempsey, cheer; Washington-Liberty’s Sasha Klein, girls crew; Washington-Liberty’s Jude Roggen, boys crew; Washington-Liberty’s Alba Edsall, girls cross country; Washington-Liberty’s Emmett Englehardt, boys cross country; Washington-Liberty’s Paula Lopez-Landeo, dance; Bishop O’Connell’s Madi Sullivan, field hockey; Washington-Liberty’s Ian Crowley, football; Washington-Liberty’s Malia Perry, girls golf; Washington-Liberty’s James Hall, boys golf; Washington-Liberty’s Severine Reid, gymnastics; Washington-Liberty’s Joel Vizard, ice hockey; Yorktown’s Corinne Rigoli, girls lacrosse; Wakefield’s Max Thompson, boys lacrosse; Wakefield’s James Mazel, rifle; Washington-Liberty’s Danicka Miller, girls soccer; Yorktown’s Quinn Belt, boys soccer; and Yorktown’s Sophia Giambalvo, softball.
Also, Yorktown’s Nora Sherman, girls swim and dive; Bishop O’Connell’s Timothy Adye, boys swim and dive; Washington-Liberty’s Ines Kapur, girls tennis; Washington-Liberty’s Quinn Breed, boys tennis; Yorktown’s Ellen Malloy, girls track and field; Yorktown’s Reid Dalley, boys track and field; Washington-Liberty’s Cora McCabe, girls ultimate disc; Washington-Liberty’s Lincoln Eberly, boys ultimate disc; Bishop O’Connell’s Jocelyn Pye, girls volleyball; Wakefield’s Cameron Millsapps, girls wrestling; and Washington-Liberty’s Daniel Kirsch, boys wrestling.
