Sullivan West spring sports awards

Sullivan West honors spring athletes and seniors

Ackermann wins Billy Moran Scholarship and Most Valuable Female Athlete

By RICHARD A ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY - All great stories have their end and so it was that the Sullivan West sports year concluded with the annual spring sports awards ceremony held on June 12.

The school’s varsity and junior varsity baseball, softball, golf and track athletes were honored, and a number were bestowed. Each coach presented certificates to each team member, gave special awards to several exceptional athletes and announced the two winners of the team’s coveted awards.

By far, the biggest winner of the evening was April Ackermann, who was selected as the Billy Moran Scholarship winner. The award, which was created 23 years ago for Delaware Valley Central School students, was created in memory of Billy, an iconic scholar athlete and fine citizen who died in April 1981 in a car accident in Florida. Billy’s parents, Kathleen and William Moran, set up the scholarship fund, which currently offers a $2,500 scholarship to the student who most embodies qualities that defined Billy’s life: exceptional athleticism, fine scholarship and impeccable citizenship. The scholarship is now part of the tradition at Sullivan West.

In a speech during in which boys soccer coach Debbie Owen named Ackermann as the winner, she noted Ackermann’s achievements and qualities. These included four trips to states in track, being named a Most Valuable Player in cross-country, basketball and track, a Times Herald-Record scholar athlete, maintaining a 91.75 G.P.A., and being one of the only athletes in Section 9 to defeat iconic runner Aislinn Ryan. Owen concluded that Ackermann “is the nicest, old-fashioned storybook farm girl you’d ever want to meet.”

Earlier in the evening, Ackermann was selected as the track and field team’s Most Valuable Field Athlete and the school’s Most Valuable Female Athlete.

Other winners of major awards included the selection of Mike VanWagenen as the Most Valuable Male Athlete. VanWagenen also received the trophy for the Most Valuable Male Track Athlete. VanWagenen was this year’s Section 9 Class C winner in the 800, 3200 and the 3000 steeplechase. VanWagenen is a three-time winner of the M.V.P. in track and has run in three state cross-country championships.

Kate Fanning and Steve Daley received the Milt Gaebel Award, which was created in 1996 in the Jeffersonville-Youngsville School to honor Milt Gaebel’s philosophy that “if what you’re doing is worth doing, you need to give it 100 percent.” Girls’ basketball coach Ron Bernhardt described Fanning as a “clutch performer, a leader and a role model.” Fanning led her team to a pair of historic wins over Burke this past season. She was also a Section 9 qualifier in golf and was a staunch contributor to the soccer team. Earlier in the evening, Fanning was named as the Most Improved Female Golfer.

Daley was selected for the Milt Gaebel award based on his courageous performance in football, baseball and track. Daley overcame a pair of ankle injuries and was instrumental in the football team’s Section 9 Class B victory over Marlboro in 2004, and the Class C title win over Tri-Valley in 2005.

Jessica Wagner was the female recipient of the Coaches Award. She also won the Track and Field Coaches Award. Her coach, George Shakelton, described her as a coach’s dream athlete and a relentless worker who ran every distance from the 100 to the two-mile. Wagner’s work ethic and competitive fire were key in her selection for both awards.

Joe Layman won the Male Coaches Award. Soccer coach Owen said that Layman was an exemplary goalkeeper. He recorded 237 saves in his first year in goal on junior varsity. Layman regarded the goal as “his house.” Despite contracting a life-threatening illness during a trip to Costa Rica on spring break last year, Layman came back to contribute significantly to the success of the baseball and soccer teams.

Other award recipients included Sarah Lander as the Most Valuable Player in softball and Kate Moloney as Miss Softball. Jim Moloney was designated as the Most Valuable Defensive Baseball Player, while Garrett Owen got the nod as the Most Valuable Offensive Player. Alan Ackermann, who came in second in the state this year in the discus, was named the Most Valuable Field Athlete. Justin Armstrong was named as the Golf M.V.P. and Kenny Rhodes received the trophy for the Lowest Match Play of 2006 with his score of 34.

Melanie Kleiner won the Most Valuable Female Golfer award.

The evening began with a slide show of spring sports and a tribute to the select senior athletes that included Ackermann, Eleanor Bryan, Genna Delgado, Fanning, Wagner, Amanda Ward, Kevin Brewer, Daley, Jim Erlwein, Chris Franke, Matthew Gain, Trevor Kreznar, Layman, Adam Nebzydoski, Will O’Brien, Jon Reynolds, Van Wagenen and Brett Youmans.

Visit riverreportersports.com for photos from this awards ceremony and the entire year of Sullivan West athletics.