Student-Athlete of the Week

Henry Walton - 5th grade - Cross Country:

Henry completed his first ever CC meet and achieved a personal best.  Henry has been goal setting and striving to get better each day at practice, this was exemplified at our recent meet when Henry finished strong.  Henry ran well, loved each minute, and has seen that he can work hard and achieve those goals.

Reid Childers - 8th grade - TackleBar Football: 

Reid did a great job understanding all running plays and the locations where to run the ball and ran exceptionally well in our game vs St. Stephens. He ran for 156 yards with a touchdown and had two 40+ yard gains one of which set up the winning touchdown pass. 

Riley Malloy - 7th grade - Volleyball:

From being hurt at the beginning of the week to winning the doubles tournament at the end of the week she has consistently shown her commitment and leadership to this team not only this week but throughout the whole season! She also remained a great teammate as she came to the game even when she was hurt and cheered on the rest of her teammates! She came to practice and was ready to go and contribute in any way she could until she was able to be at full speed / 100% and I feel that showed on Saturday when she was able to play well and win the tournament. 

Ezra Clayborne - 5th grade - Flag Football: 

He made big plays this weekend with running the ball and catching the ball. He is the most elusive to catch and pull his flag. He is a very tough competitor and never backs down from a challenge. He was instrumental in helping his team with the flag football intramural championship. 

Ryan Wallin - 8th grade - Cross Country:

There are innumerable reasons why Ryan is deserving of this weeks award. Ryan's committed approach to practice seems so effortless as evidenced by his relaxed stride and quick ability to adapt + recover. These qualities have led him to gain respect and admiration quickly by teammates, which have naturally lifted him to be a role model for many. Congratulations on finishing the AIPL Championship this weekend in the top 10 and with a time of 12:51! 

Sophia Holland - 5th grade - Cross Country:

Sophia's talent as a runner has never been in question, and this past weekend at the AIPL Cross Country meet she put her talents on full display. Sophia championed the 5/6th girls with a time of 14:30!!! This time is incredibly competitive against 7/8th category as well. Sophia's progress has been such a joy to watch this season and we look forward to seeing how she continues to improve. 

Haylie Hughes - 6th grade - Volleyball:

This past week she has shown that she is willing to grow and stepped up to play in a game with girls from another division. Not only did she help her team win two sets with her serves, she also demonstrated that she can overcome her worries to play the best game she can. She is definitely improving and like most student athletes who are nominated has a great attitude that makes them easy to coach! 

Daisy Auler - 7th grade - Volleyball:

She completely stepped up this week and did things that her coach had never seen from her before, including an overhand serve during a game! In addition to her physical abilities improving, she always has a great attitude and consistently asks what she can do to get better and while she might not see results right away she doesn’t let that discourage her. She is always encouraging her teammates which is a great quality to see in a young student athlete!

Michael Jankosky - 6th grade - 5/6 Tornado Flag Football: 

Michael showed great leadership with his peers over the past week. While at quarterback he was making sure his teammates were lined up properly before the snap and helping guide them with their route running. His teammates responded well to his positive energy.  He found ways to celebrate all the small victories with them. 

Helena Donovan - 8th grade - Cross Country: 

Helena's team efforts blew her coaches away this past week.  In the two mile time trial, the coaches gave the 7/8th grade team a "compromise". The runners were told if everyone runs faster this week, you do not *have* to run the two mile next week. The cross country team ran faster than ever, especially the group that Helena paced. Helena led 2 of her teammates to shave off 2-3 minutes off their first two mile attempt by motivating and pushing them to work hard.

Megan Byrkit - 6th grade - Cross Country: 

Megan has not only pushed herself to achieve personal bests in the mile and two mile, but she has also pushed and encouraged other teammates throughout the week. For example, another student athlete came up to coach after practice today and said "Megan really helped me get through the two mile today! She encouraged me to keep running when I really wanted to walk. I could not have done it without her". 

Ben Gillham - 7th grade - Cross Country: 

Ben has pushed himself and motivated his teammates both through hard work and through positive encouragement. Ben ran his two mile workout, then went back on course to run with others so they would finish strong. Ben has brought the team together to say encouraging words and creates a fun environment at cross country each day. He has improved his strength, speed, and time as well as given positive encouragement and support to his coaches.

Lucia Shahan - 6th grade - Volleyball: 

She is 100% remote, but has been 100% involved. She has come to every one -on -one meeting on time with great suggestions and great feedback. She has done most of the workouts in her spare time. She is still enthusiastic about the season and gives such a positive vibe every time we interact. 

Hale Matthews - 8th grade - Football 

Hale has stepped up in the role as QB even though it's not what he set out to do. He listens, accepts instructions and makes necessary adjustments. He has displayed leadership on the field and is all in on every play. 

Brooklyn Eubanks - 6th grade - Cross Country: 

Brooklyn encourages, pushes, and uplifts other teammates in her cohort. She is self motivated and has never once complained at practice. Brooklyn truly leaves her energy out on the field and never makes excuses. In our first 1 mile time trial this week, Brooklyn led the team and finished in an amazing time of 7:13. Brooklyn is always ready to go, accepts each and every challenge with a "can do" attitude.

Chloe Kelly - 7th grade - Volleyball:

Chloe has gone above and beyond not only showing amazing skill for the game of volleyball, but also helping others with their form, footwork, serving, etc. Chloe also demonstrated great sportsmanship, cheering on others both in and out of her group.

Riley Cline - 5th grade - Cross Country: 

Riley continues to push himself, quietly and not ever wanting to bring attention to himself, he is a humble runner. Riley shows up early to Zoom meetings, stays until the end, and follows each set of instructions to the letter. We know if we give Riley a workout, it's going to be done right!

Roman Rawie - 8th grade - Football:

If every student in the class showed up ready to go the way Roman does, we'd really be making significant progress. Roman is an active participant and a leader in workouts. We expect his leadership to carry over to the playing field.

Ainsley Peyton - 5th grade - Volleyball: 

• Ainsley has been very active on posting workout videos and responding well to corrections from coaches. She does not have a volleyball at home. Instead of using that as an excuse to not practice she used a rolled up t-shirt to practice her skills. She is always involved in our zoom discussions. She has done a great job of keeping a positive attitude and  is always eager to learn!

Anaya Balaji - 8th grade - Volleyball: 

• This week Anaya was one of the students to lead a lesson for her peers. Anaya made sure to answer all questions, as well as keep the girls engaged. She thoroughly explained the rules of volleyball, adding her own experiences so that the other students fully understood what was being taught. Anaya has shown tremendous growth in her leadership abilities, she has been fully engaged in all aspects of the zoom class, and continues to prove that she is a leader not only on the court, but off the court (virtually) as well.

Kanaan Brown - 6th grade - Cross Country:

Kanaan comes to practice with an infectious positive attitude, which is so appreciated by his coaches and teammates. In addition, Kanaan has demonstrated his commitment to the CC team by asking insightful questions, showing up on time, and going beyond the minimum requirements by actively posting on Strava running app.

Ruby Venkatesh - 8th grade - Cross Country: 

Ruby is constantly uplifting others in practice and outside of practice by giving "kudos" on the Strava. These thoughtful actions are so appreciated and encouraging to everyone to keep working hard. In addition, Ruby is always deeply engaged in conversation at practice, asks thoughtful questions and goes above and beyond at meeting team running requirements.