Showing posts with label GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month. Show all posts

Thursday, April 18, 2013

GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month Nominees for April

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Below are the nominees for the month of April for the NHSCA/GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month Award.


April 2013

Kaitlyn Cook (Softball) Parkside HS (Salisbury, MD)
Kaitlyn is a three-sport athlete who is a leader in sports and in the classroom.  Kaitlyn, who has been the captain of her softball team since her junior year, also plays volleyball and basketball for her school.  She carries a 4.3 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, is the Senior Class Historian, plus a member of the Math Team and is Vice-President of the Future Educators Association. Kaitlyn’s softball coach says she’s a natural leader.  Outside of school she has logged over 120 community service hours.

Chasen Ford (Baseball) El Toro HS (Lake Forest, CA)
Ford is not only one of the top high school baseball pitchers in the country, but he is also one of the smartest.  Ford is currently wrapping-up his high school career before he heads east to set his sights on a college baseball and academic career at Yale University.  He carries a 4.80 GPA with AP courses in English, history, calculus and physics. He was a perfect 11-0 as a junior with an ERA of 1.06 to help his school to its 6th straight league title.  He also served as Secretary General for the National Model United Nations conference.

Candice Holmquist (Softball) Knightsdale HS (Knightsdale, NC)
Candice carries a weighted 4.7 GPA as a two-sport athlete playing volleyball and softball for her school.  She’s an active member of the National Honor Society, the school’s Athletic Boosters and Future Farmers of America.  Every year that she has played varsity sports she’s been named to the Greater Neuse River Conference All-Academic Team.

Kevin James (Water Polo) Coral Springs HS (Coral Springs, FL)
Aside from being an outstanding defender on his school’s water polo team, James is incredible in the classroom. He is senior class valedictorian with a weighted GPA of 5.4388 with an ACT composite score of 30.  Kevin’s taken over 17 AP courses over his four years in high school and is president of Mu Alpha Theta and a member of the National Honor Society.  He’s won seven varsity letters as a member of the school’s water polo and swim teams.

Brittany Neeley (Track & Field) Eastern HS (Greentown, IN)
Brittany, who has a twin sister, is a three-sport athlete that will continue her college career running track & field and cross country at Indiana University.  She carries a 4.5 GPA, which ranks her second in her class. She’s a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Spanish Club, Key Club and Students Against Drunk Driving.  Aside from being her school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball, she’s a three-time state finalist in track & field and a two-time state finalist in cross-country.


Dan Rafuse (Track & Field) Norton HS (Norton, MA)
This senior came of age in both basketball and track & field during his junior year when he led the school to its first league championship in basketball in 24 years and led the track team to its first undefeated season.  As a senior he’s kept his GPA high a 3.75 while taking a challenging course load in AP and Honors’ courses.  He’s a member of the school’s Leadership Council and works with younger students throughout the district, serving as a role model and peer leader. This season in basketball he was the team’s leading scorer. In December Rafuse was named MIAA Student-Athlete of the Month for he outstanding achievements in sports and in the classroom.

If you want to have your student-athlete considered, email me at jeff@highschoolfootballamerica.com.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

October GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Edward Cheserek, a junior cross country runner at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey, is the October GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month.

At the Passaic Coaches Invitational on September 24th, Cheserek not only won the boys 5K race, he won by nearly two minutes.  With a time of 14 minutes, 53 seconds, Cheserek not only broke the Garret Mountain course record, he shattered it by 22 seconds.

Ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by xcnation.com, Cheserek finished second in the Nike Cross Nationals last year, two seconds behind last year’s NHSCA National High School Senior Athlete of the Year, Lukas Verzbicas.

Cheserek came to the United States 15 months ago after spending most of his formative years at the Stadi Za Maisha orphanage in his native Kenya.

Monday, May 23, 2011

NHSCA/GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

April's GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month is actually Athletes of the Month.

The incredible wrestling trio of Chris Phillips, Hunter Steiber and Cam Tessari of Monroeville High School in Ohio were the top vote getters in April.  the trio made United States wrestling history by becoming four-time state champs in the same year.

Phillips, who won all four of his state titles at 171 pounds, finished his career with an incredible 193-1 record.  Steiber was right behind Phillips with a 193-2 mark, while Tessari ended his career with a 187-6 record.

Steiber and Tessari will both attend Ohio State, while Phillips will wrestle in college at NC State.

To learn more about the NHSCA/GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month or to nominate someone, go to www.nhsca.com.

Below is the list of this year's winners...click here to learn about their accomplishments.

September  2010 - Evan Kreger, Hodgeman County HS (Kansas) - Football
October 2010 - Abbey Leonardi, Kennebunk HS (Maine) - Cross Country
November 2010 - Rainey Gaffin, Legacy HS (Colorado) - Softball
December 2010 - Courtney Van Groningen, Sterling HS (Nebraska) - Volleyball
January 2011 - Ben Whitford, Marmion Academy (Illinois) - Wrestling
March 2011 - Jasmine Hines, Central Lake HS (Michigan) - Girls Basketball

Friday, March 11, 2011

March Nominees for March GTM Sportswear/NHSCA Athlete of the Month

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Voting is underway at NHSCA.com for the March GTM Sportswear/NHSCA Athlete of the Month.  

Click here to vote

Here are our six nominees...


#1 Jasmine Hines, a senior at Central Lake High School in Central Lake, Michigan.

Hines is Michigan’s all-time leading scorer in girls’ basketball.  She is also the state’s all-time leader in rebounds.  Her skills don’t stop there…she is also the defending champ in the shot put in track-and-field, plus a top player on the volleyball team.  She has a perfect 4.0 grad point average and will attend Michigan State University.

#2 Jesse Thielke, a senior at Germantown High School in Germantown, Wisconsin, is a four-time Division I state champ.  He’s ranked #1 in the nation in the 130 pound weight class by WIN Magazine.  Thielke finished his career with a record of 189-1.  He’s a University of Wisconsin recruit.

#3 Sophomore Kendall Williams of Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia is our next nominee.

Williams is one of the nation’s premier hurdlers.  She’s never lost an outdoor hurdles race in the past five years.  Last year, as a freshman, she won state titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles…setting records in both.  She was named Georgia’s Female Athlete of the Year by Gatorade.

#4 Missy Franklin, a sophomore at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Only a sophomore, Franklin is considered a lock for the 2012 Olympic swim team.  Franklin set a national record in the 100-yard backstroke at the Colorado 5A swimming and diving state championships.  Franklin also set a record in the 50-yard freestyle while leading her school to a state championship.

#5 Ryan Crouser, a senior at Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon.

Crouser is a shot-putter, who’s headed to the University of Texas.  He broke a national record not once, but twice during the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho.  He broke the national record with a throw of 75 feet, 3-and-a-half inches.  Then he topped his own record with a toss of 77 feet, 2-and-three-quarter inches.

#6 Steve Congenie, a junior at Willowbrook High in Villa Park, Illinois

Congenie won the Class 3A wrestling title at 171-pounds.  Congenie, who won the 152-pound weight class in 2010, was faced with two other state champs in the 171-pound weight class this year. 



Saturday, March 5, 2011

Illinois Wrestler Named GTM Sportswear/NHSCA Athlete of the Month

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Ben Whitford of Marmion Academy (Aurora, Illinois), who is halfway to becoming just the 13th four-time state wrestling champ in Illinois, is January's GTM Sportswear/NHSCA Athlete of the Month.  Whitford was honored Friday morning during a news conference at the school.

“The National High School Coaches Association is proud to recognize Ben for his outstanding performances, not only on the field, but in the school and community as well,” said Bobby Ferraro, Jr., Executive Director of the National High School Coaches Association. “It’s truly an honor to recognize someone of this stature.”

"GTM Sportswear® is honored to be partnering with the NHSCA in recognizing outstanding student athletes such as Ben. He has really shown his commitment and dedication to his sport and is a great example for the youth in our communities," said Nikki Miller, Vice President of Marketing for GTM Sportswear®. "We are very proud of Ben and his outstanding achievements."

Last month, the super sophomore captured the Class 2A 130-pound championship winning a 20-7 major decision over David Pearce of Bethalto Civic Memorial. Whitford was one of five state champs for the Cadets, who up until three years ago, never had a state tournament qualifier.

Here's video of Whitford's 2011 title...



The five individual titles are a state record for most champions in 2A or 3A. The other champs for Marmion Academy were Johnny Jimenez (103), Jered Cortez (112), George Fisher (119) and Bryce Brill (135).

Whitford finished this season with a record of 41-1. His career record is now 84-1.

If Whitford can win two more state titles, he will join the list of elite wrestlers who claim the title of four-time champs. Below is that list...

Illinois Wrestling 4X State Wrestling Champs

Mark Ruettiger (New Lenox Providence) 1978-81
Joey Gilbert (Tinley Park Andrew) 1986-89
Mike Mena (Sterling Newman High School) 1989-92
Joe Williams (Chicago Mt. Carmel) 1990-93
TJ Williams (Chicago Mt. Carmel) 1993-96
David Douglas (Thornridge) 1994-97
Chase Beebe (Montini) 2000-2003
Conor Beebe (Montini) 2002-2005
Mike Benefiel (Montini) 2004-2007
Albert White (St. Rita) 2004-2007
Seth Milks (Dakota) 2006-2009

Click here to read NHSCA news release.