William E. “Pinky” Newell spent 27 years as Purdue’s athletic trainer and started the National Athletic Trainers Association in the 1950s.
Now, three local trainers have been nominated for the Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.
“This is really a prestigious honor,” said Steve Souder, a trainer at Columbus North for the past four decades. “It’s probably one of the top awards in the country for trainers.”
Southern Indiana Orthopedics nominated Souder and Brown County trainer Sara Boyer, along with Amanda Mang, who serves as trainer at both South Decatur and North Decatur.
People can vote for one of the three candidates online through Nov. 12 by going to https://www.southerninortho.com/ and clicking on the tab when information about the Newell Award is displayed.
The winner will be entered in the regional competition, from which national finalists will be selected. The national winner receives $10,000, plus $2,500 for their school.
Locals earn academic honors
Twenty-six local girls and 11 local boys have been selected to this year’s Indiana Soccer Coaches Association Academic All-State teams.
The girls selections include Columbus North seniors Tanner Johnson, Rose Sardina and Elise Whitley and juniors Kaylyn Bates, Alayne Davis, Hannah Grimes, Caroline Hollenkamp, Abigail Hovis and Riley Stevens and Columbus East seniors Annie Bastian, Sarah Park and Kamebry Wagner and juniors Jaeda Berkemeier, Maya Federle, Emily Stiles, Elena Stoughton and Lindsey Stoughton.
Also making the girls team were Jennings County seniors Andrea Reitman and Callie Wilder and juniors Lauren Green, Sonya Miller, Emily Montgomery and Katie Pappenheim and Trinity Lutheran senior Lauren Fleetwood and juniors Ashley Goecker and Alyssa Schultz.
Boys selections include North senior Zach Friend and juniors Andrew Goble, Graham Keele, Vish Lella and Ben Malone; East seniors Daniel Boggs and Kyle Pittman and juniors Jorge Nieto and Thomas Soedel; and Jennings seniors Dylan Boswell and Alex Hendrix.
To be eligible for ISCA Academic All-State selection, players must be a junior or senior and have at least a 3.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale and be a varsity-rostered player.
Sophomore wins golf MVP
Sophomore Nathaly Munnicha, who led Columbus North to a seventh-place finish in the Girls Golf State Finals, has been named the Bull Dogs MVP.
Munnicha also earned the award for having the team’s top grade point average. Her sister, senior Alex Munnicha, won the Bull Dog Award.
North presents soccer awards
Junior Graham Keele and freshman Jenna Lang have been named MVPs of the Columbus North boys and girls soccer teams.
For the boys, senior Noah Kestler won the Bull Dog Award, and sophomore Kurt Nusterer won Most Improved. Junior Sotaro Kaneda won the David Green Spirit of the Game Award, and junior Ben Malone won the ISCA Top Team Player Award.
On the girls side, senior Tanner Johnson won the Bull Dog Award, junior Caroline Hollenkamp was Offensive Player of the Year, senior Elise Whitley was Defensive Player of the Year and senior Morgan Blankenhorn won both Most Improved and the ISCA Top Team Player Award. Freshman Rion Stevens won junior varsity MVP.
Tourney to benefit East golf
Columbus East’s boys and girls golf teams will host the Chili-Dip Golf Tournament at 11 a.m. Saturday at Otter Creek.
Cost is $50 and includes greens fees, cart, chili and other goodies. Hole sponsorships also are available for $100. Proceeds will go toward golf instruction for the winter months and to help purchase uniforms, bats and with other expenses for the boys and girls teams.
To register, or to sponsor a hole, text Matt Steinwedel at 812-343-3003 or e-mail him at [email protected].
