Vermont Academy Honors Winter Athletes

Students, faculty, and staff gathered in Shepardson Dining Hall last night to honor the achievements of our fall athletes.
The senior speaker Daniel Baker ’19 reflected on his experience as an athlete at Vermont Academy. Over his four years at VA, he grew from a small rather unathletic student to a member of the boys’ varsity soccer team and captain of the Nordic team. He stressed the importance of hard work and thanked all his coaches and teammates for an unforgettable experience.

The award winners are listed below by sport:

Basketball
Boys’ JV Basketball Most Improved Player: Jake Davidson ’21
Boys’ Varsity Basketball Most Improved Player: Jake Cook ’20
Boys’ Varsity Basketball Most Valuable Player: Symir Torrence ’19

Greatest Contribution Award: Tommy O’Neil ’19
Is awarded to the player or manager who has made the greatest contribution to the team. The contribution is to be measured by his interest in and enthusiasm for the game; intensity of his effort; his sportsmanship as shown by his spirit in victory or defeat; and most of all by his constructive influence on other members of the team.

The Keron Deshields ’11 Award: Travis Evee ’19
Is awarded to a member of the boys’ varsity basketball team, who, like Keron, will not let any circumstance deter him from an unyielding commitment to the team and Vermont Academy as a whole.

Girls’ Varsity Basketball Most Improved Player: Savannah Mouyos ’20
Girls’ Varsity Basketball Most Valuable Player: Saige Roberts ’19

Greatest Contribution Award: Ani Kapral ’19
Is awarded to the player or manager who has made the greatest contribution to the team. The contribution is to be measured by her interest in and enthusiasm for the game; intensity of her effort; her sportsmanship as shown by her spirit in victory or defeat; and most of all by her constructive influence on other members of the team.

Dance
Most Improved Dancer: Kelly Mosase ’19
Greatest Contribution: Devin Goldstein ’19

Hockey
Girls’ JV Hockey Most Improved Player: Alex Paluszek ’20

Mark Peabody Award: Zoee Blossom ’19
Is given annually to the person who shows the most enthusiasm and love for the sport Mark so enjoyed.

Boys’ JV Hockey Most Improved Player: Cam Feloney ’20
Boys’ JV Hockey Perseverance Award: Svent Bossart ’19
Girls’ Varsity Hockey Most Valuable Player: Kristyna Kaltounkova ’20
Boys’ Varsity Hockey Most Improved Player: John Guay ’20

The Daniel MacFayden Award: Dylan Regan ’19
Is named after a former faculty member and coach, this award is given annually to that member of the boys’ varsity hockey team who has made the greatest contribution, measured by his spirit in practice and games, by his positive influence on his teammates and his sportsmanship exhibited in both winning and losing.

The Eric Charles Ostebo ’83 Award: Charles-Olivier Gagnon ’20
Is given in memory of Eric C. Ostebo ’83 whose cheerful attitude, devotion, and hard work often went unnoticed. Eric was a player who was easily coached, would play any position asked of him, and often played when injured without complaint. Although not a flashy hockey player, Eric typified the “coach’s player.” He was steady, dependable, and a hard-working team player.

Sports on Snow
Rec Skiing Most Dedicated: James Hubbard ’19
Nordic Skiing Most Improved Skier: Patrick Wu ’21 and Mathilde Depery ’20

The Roger D. Emerson ‘42 Award: Trevor Palmiotto ’21
Is awarded to a boy and a girl athlete from the Nordic Ski team “for excellence in all-around performance in practice and competition.”

The Roger D. Emerson Award ’42: Sami Paprin ’20
Is awarded to a member of the Alpine Ski team “for excellence in all-around performance in practice and competition.”

Freestyle Ski Most Improved Skier: Taylor Hennum ’20

The Burton Snowboards Award: Kalaya Hudziec ’22 and Logan McAllister ’20
Is awarded to a boy and girl rider who has shown the greatest improvement in his or her snowboard racing ability over the course of the season.

Most Valuable Rider: Lucy Saunders ’19 and Matt Bartelli ’19

The J. Peter MacKechnie ’54 Award: Daniel Baker ’19
Is given annually to a member of the VA Ski Program whose quiet determination and perseverance reflect the honor at Vermont Academy and it’s ski program. Their contributions are not measured by statistics, but rather by their industrious and conscientious approach to snow sports which exemplifies a genuine love for the sport. This is considered the highest award for the snow sports program.

Robotics
Innovator Award: Aaron Gong ’19 and Marco Arias Lezcano ’19
Inspire Award: Huxley Holcombe ’22

Table Tennis
Most Improved: Peter Zhao ’20

Theatre
Most Dedicated: Miranda Fuller ’19

The evening culminated with athletes receiving recognition for their participation, earning a varsity letter, pin, or certificate as applicable.
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Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.