BVA honors senior sports award winners
By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
Even though COVID-19 took its toll on spring sports and end-of-the-year banquets, it didn’t stop Belle Vernon Area from announcing and celebrating senior sports awards.
One of the biggest prizes for Leopard athletes is the Don Asmonga Foundation Mighty Leopards awards.
This year, the foundation awarded six scholarships totaling $12,000.
The scholarships are awarded in memory of the school’s legendary basketball and baseball coach who died in January 2014.
This year’s Mighty Leopard award winners, earning $2,500 scholarships, were Nolan Labuda (football), Mitch Pohlot (football/basketball), Sydney Baciak (track and field/cheerleading) and Natalie French (softball).
Two $1,000 scholarships were also awarded to runners-up, Ashlyn Ayersman and Gage Rogge.
The award that has been around the longest at BVA is the Richard O. Dolfi Scholar-Athlete Award, named for the top Rostraver High athlete who died Oct. 22, 1961, due to head injuries suffered during a football game the previous night. It’s presented to the football player with the highest GPA, who was Labuda.
The other senior football award is the Amur Award, awarded to the most outstanding athlete. The winner was Jared Hartman.
Niko Apodiakos (John Granish Award) and Marissa Grubbs (Thomas Flook MVP Award) took home soccer’s top awards while Jake Caldwell (Eagle Award) won the outstanding golfer award.
Amanda Fine was the winner of volleyball’s Ace Award and Bryce Haynes was named the winner of the BVA Alumni Swim Award.
Awarded for their achievements on and off the basketball court, Pohlot took home the Delance Stanley Award and Rachel Wobrak was the recipient of the Sasha Zuro Basketball Scholarship.
Chase Walker won the Heart and Soul Award given to the outstanding member of the wrestling team while Danny Truong and French won the Chris Williams Memorial Award, which goes to top senior baseball and softball players. Emily Dongilli was awarded the Mike Fenyar Memorial Softball Scholarship.
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
