Rosarian Academy celebrated its student-athletes in grades four through eight during its annual Athletics Banquet on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 in its Dining Hall. Parents, students, coaches, faculty and staff enjoyed fresh salad, baked ziti, meatballs and rigatoni bolognese catered by Lynora’s.
After dinner, Athletics Director Lindsey Beylo Kutner conducted the program that recognized each of Rosarian’s thirteen interscholastic athletic teams. Coaches of the teams’ which just concluded their seasons gave out awards including Most Valuable Player, Most Improved, Coaches’ Choice, and Grit. Additionally, the Athletics Department conducted a school-wide vote for major awards, including school-wide Rookie of the Year and Athlete of the Year. These awards were announced with celebrity guests of current students and alumni opening sealed envelopes to reveal the winner from among a list of finalists.
The final two awards carried some of the greatest honor the school could bestow on an athlete, as they were in recognition of two heroes of the school. The Oakley Debbs Red Sneaker Award for Excellence in Athletics was presented to a student-athlete who participated in all the major sports, received multiple awards in athletics throughout the year, and encompassed the traits of a true champion. The 2022 Oakley Debbs Red Sneaker Award for Excellence in Athletics went to eighth-grader Mercer Ward.
This award is named in honor of Oakley Debbs, a strong, kind, loving, and athletic young man who wore an infectious smile, the number 20, and his red sneakers. Tragically, Oakley passed away in 2016 due to an anaphylactic reaction from nut allergies. Through the Red Sneakers for Oakley Organization, awareness is raised about food allergies and how to prevent such tragedies in the future. With this annual award for excellence in athletics, Rosarian honors a student-athlete who encompasses all the exceptional qualities Oakley brought to the athletics field and those around him every day.
The final award of the evening was the inaugural Cathy Reader Golden Rule Award in memory of the late great Catherine Reader, who served the Rosarian Academy community as a physical education teacher; Athletics Director; softball, volleyball, basketball, and golf coach; Director of Theater Lighting; and Director of Facilities over her fifty years with the school. In honor of her memory, the award goes to a student-athlete who lives out the “Golden Rule,” do to others what you would have them do to you, on the field or court. The recipient of this award displays good sportsmanship, humility, fairness, and class in all of his or her interactions in athletic competition. This year’s recipient of the Cathy Reader Golden Rule Award was eighth-grader Trey Wagner.
The other awards earned by Rosarian student-athletes were:
Team of the Year – League-Champion Girls Varsity Basketball
Female Athlete of the Year – Ava Castro
Male Athlete of the Year – Pierce Johnson
Female Rookie of the Year – Tessa Brown
Male Rookie of the Year – Nicholas Coniglio
Girl’s Lacrosse
Most Valuable Player – Chloe Castro
Coaches’ Choice – Kayla Ugarte
Most Improved – Heidi Alcime
Grit Award – Mercer Ward
Boys Lacrosse
Defensive MVP – Nicholas Coniglio Offensive MVP – Jack Hansen
Most Improved – Brady Surovek
Grit Award – Mark Albury
Track and Field
Rosarian All-Star – Tessa Brown
Rookie of the Year – Madison Darsch
Coaches’ Choice – Lola Grande
Rosarian All-Star – Trey Wagner Rookie of the Year – Aleks Kharkov
Coaches’ Choice – Liam St. John
Swim Team
Most Valuable Player – Briana Johnson Coaches’ Choice – Luca Furlo
Most Improved – Olivia Addesa
Grit Award – Max Griffin
Girls Tennis
Most Valuable Player – Isla Brawn
Coaches’ Choice – Whitney Ray
Most Improved – Emma Flynn
Sportsmanship Award – Vivienne Angle
Boys Tennis
Most Valuable Player – George Weston
Coaches’ Choice – JoJo Walsh
Most Improved – Johnny Broncatelli
Sportsmanship – Brady Surovek
