Approximately 300 guests gathered in the McAuley Center Gymnasium on Monday, May 5, to honor and celebrate Mount St. Mary Academy’s sports teams, student-athletes and coaching staff during the school’s annual Athletic Banquet. Attendees enjoyed a meal featuring a nacho bar while surrounded by bright and festive décor in honor of Cinco de Mayo.
Coaches introduced their respective teams during the event and presented the traditional awards for each player based on her years of participation. First-year players received a certificate, second-year players were given a MSM letter and symbol of the sports in which they played, third-year players received the coveted white sweatshirt with their name and sports monogrammed on the sleeves, and fourth-year players were gifted a wooden memento box engraved with their athletic accomplishments.
The recipients of a handful of special awards, which are selected by MSM athletic staff, were also announced during the banquet. This year’s winners include the following:
Msgr. Keany Award: Ava Hatfield ’25
Donnie Bridges Award: Lilly Lewis ’25
Sr. Phillipa Athletic Award: Ella Crowder ’25 and Lilly Lewis ’25
Sr. Mary Phillipa Parent Award: Angie Suffridge
Sr. Phillipa Manning Memorial Scholarship: Marie Moellers ’27
Mary Drake Award: Bella Gutierrez ’26 and Kaylee Moix ’26
Purple Heart Award: Anna Kate Suffridge ’25 and Harbor Williams ’25
Tri Belle Award: Ava Hatfield ’25
Vassar-West Scholarship: Melody Spickes ’27
Clem Papineau Legacy Award: Ella Crowder ’25
Marilyn Lenggenhager Passionate Athlete Award: Chloe Freville ’26 and Lillie York ’27
Sara Fritz Outstanding Student Athletic Training Award: Addison Hyde ’25 and Cassie Clark ’25
Manager of the Year: Mya Herbold ’26 and Anna Underwood ’25
Most Valuable Freshman Award: Avery Carter ’28 and Madison Jansen ’28
Most Valuable Belle: Ava Hatfield ’25
Twenty-four senior student-athletes were recognized as Four-Year Scholars, having participated in athletics for all four years of high school and graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher: Presley Bailey, Isabella Baker, Cassie Clark, Bella Craiglow, Izziey Crane, Laura Grace Files, Ava Hatfield, Addison Howard, Addison Hyde, Aubrey Johnson, Lilly Lewis, Amaria Love, Emann Love, Caroline Malzewski, Mallory Mansfield, Marietta Mentgen, Maggie Montgomery, Eva Pownall, Arianne Ricaurte, Samantha Smith, Anna Kate Suffridge, Anna Underwood, Hannah Wherry and Harbor Williams. Eva Pownall was awarded the Top Scholar Athlete Award for maintaining the highest academic average while also participating in the athletic program at Mount St. Mary Academy.
Congratulations to all of this year’s hard-working and dedicated student-athletes and their coaches. Go Belles!
