Submitted by Experience Olympia & Beyond
Nominations have flooded in from community members shining the light on local athletes and sports leaders in Thurston County. The 2018 Sports Awards, hosted by Thurston County’s Sports Commission, recognizes local athletes and game changers in our community.
Seven award winners will be announced at the Sports Awards from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on June 19 at Indian Summer Golf & Country Club. The awards are emceed by local broadcasting personality Jon Jensen and guests will hear a special keynote from Marco Azurdia, executive director of the Northwest Athletic Conference. Representing some of the Northwest’s premier community colleges, Azurdia is a driver in bringing tournaments to the region. His success as a college basketball coach still fuels coaching techniques for teams around the state.
“Sports and sports tourism are important to our local economy. We want to honor the athletes, coaches and leaders that give it their all to the sport they love. Recognizing our local athletes and sports contributors at not only the high school level, but the collegiate and recreational levels captures the breadth of talent in our region and the important role sports plays in our destination,” said Shauna Stewart, chief experience officer at Experience Olympia & Beyond.
2018 Sports Awards
Men’s Sport Star of the Year (College) and Women’s Sport Star of the Year (College)
Nominees must be a female or male athlete enrolled full-time at any time during the 2017-2018 school year in a Thurston County college or a native to Thurston County. Nominees must also have participated for a minimum of one year in at least one collegiate sport, exemplify strong leadership, dedication and sportsmanship with good school behavior.
Men’s Sport Star of the Year (College) Nominees:
- Nolan Black, South Puget Sound Community College, Basketball
- Luke Chavez, Saint Martin’s University, Basketball
- Issa Hassan, The Evergreen State College, Soccer
- Aubrey (AJ) Hodges, South Puget Sound Community College, Basketball
- Brandon Madsen, Saint Martin’s University, Soccer
- Cade Otton, University of Washington, Football
- Wesley (Wes) Reynolds, South Puget Sound Community College, Basketball
- Brad Wallace, Western Washington University, Basketball
Women’s Sports Star of the Year (College) Nominees:
- Brianna Attwood, Bellevue College, Softball
- Deanna Avalos, Saint Martin’s University, Track and Field
- Cheyenne Baird, The Evergreen State College, Volleyball
- Jamie Connally, Centralia College, Women’s Basketball
- Haley Harn, South Puget Sound Community College, Volleyball and Basketball
Boy’s Sport Star of the Year (High School) and Girl’s Sport Star of the Year (High School)
Nominees must be a female or male athlete enrolled full-time in a Thurston County high school. Nominees must have participated for a minimum of one year in at least one high school sport, exemplify strong leadership, dedication and sportsmanship with good school behavior.
Boy’s Sport Star of the Year (High School) Nominees:
- Michael Barnes, Timberline High School, Track and Football
- Cato Cannizzo, River Ridge High School, Cross Country, Track and Swimming
- Ibi Ceesay, Pope John Paul II, Basketball and Football
Alex Wright, Olympia High School, Swimming
Girl’s Sport Star of the Year (High School) Nominees:
- Elianna Summers, Northwest Christian High School, Track and Cross Country
- Jadynne Thomas, River Ridge High School, Soccer
Contributor of the Year
Nominees must be passionate about the growth and success of sports in Thurston County and can include coaches, nonprofit organizations providing access to sports for individuals and/or large monetary donors to sports initiatives. Nominees must have demonstrated commitment to sports for a minimum of one year.
Nominees:
- Eddie Gentry, North Thurston High School, Athletic Director
- Aaron Landon, South Puget Sound Community College, Head Coach Men’s Basketball
- Andrew Mohl, Yelm Youth Tornados, Head Coach Football & Cheer
- Alex Pribble, Saint Martin’s University, Head Coach Men’s Basketball
Sports Moment of the Year
Nominees can be a team or individual that has achieved national or local recognition for their sports moment during the 2017-2018 academic year. This moment would have taken place during a play in a single game or individual match or event for an individual or team. Nominees can include individuals with either inspiring stories, remarkable sports moments and or outstanding performances throughout the 2017-2018 season.
Nominees:
- Luke Chavez, Saint Martin’s University
- Saint Martin’s University Men’s Basketball Team
- Timberline High School Boy’s Basketball Team
- Alex Wright, Olympia High School
- Yelm High School Football Team
Thurston County Sports Legend
Nominees must be an individual (over the age of 18) that was born or resided in Thurston County for a minimum of five years and must be passionate about the growth and success of sports in Thurston County. The nominee must have maintained and continue to maintain ties to Thurston County through philanthropic events and/or financial donations to support sports in the community. Ideally, nominees would have played either collegiate or professional sports or had a significant impact in the Thurston County sports community.
Nominees:
- Jeff Carpenter, Olympia School District
- John Kiley, Olympia High School
- Sid Otton, Tumwater High School
The Thurston County Sports Commission, a division of Experience Olympia & Beyond, helps drive sports events to the region through direct outreach and assisting event organizers in finding venues, hotels and services. The Thurston County Sports Commission works in partnership with our local cities, schools and facilities to drive sports tourism to the region.
