Alexandria Sportsman’s Club Recognizes Athletic Achievements, Presents Scolarships at 68th Annual Ceremony
ALEXANDRIA, VA-On Wednesday, May 28, the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club (ASC) held its 68th annual awards ceremony and banquet. Nearly 250 people gathered at the Westin Hotel in Carlyle to cheer on the 38 students from Alexandria’s high schools (21 won scholarships), as well two middle school students and six adults receiving special awards from the organization.
To kick off the ceremony, ASC President Ryan Fannon had a few things to say about some special adults. First, he inducted Bud Mayo, a lacrosse coach at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School, into the Alexandria Sportsmans’ Hall of Fame.
For Mayo, lacrosse started very unexpectedly when he kicked a ball straight through the window of a fraternity house. Eventually, he founded the first-ever lacrosse team at Lake Braddock and St. Stephens soon after.
Five other special awardees were recognized. Tamika Coleman, the winner of the William Hershberger Civic Award, and Kesha Walton, ASC’s fourth-time Coach of the Year, both received standing ovations at the banquet. Meanwhile, the Athletes of the Year from the city’s Recreation Department were middle schoolers, as young as 12, with some very special achievements.
The Sportsman of the Year award – the only one unannounced – came as a complete surprise to winner and ASC Treasurer Jeanne Jacob.
“I’m convinced she hardly sleeps with her big heart giving so much to the community,” Fannon said about Jacob.
Fannon then moved on to the main part of the ceremony, awarding Athlete of the Year to the city’s strongest student-athlete in each respective sport from Climbing to Squash to Wrestling.
Student-Athletes Recognized
Alexandria City High School Athletics contributed almost half of the athletes: Liam Jones, Thatcher Kotuby, Desmond Damico-Lassman, Ella Stohs, Sophie Anderson, Patrick McNally, Macon Malone, Seamus White, Arianna Martinez-Solano, Dillon Logan, Braelynn Tomanio, Allison Goetz, Tobias Damico-Lassman, Amelia Bawcombe, Luke Hales, Julia Kelly and Naria Medrano Quintanilla all won special “Athlete of the Year” plaques.
From Bishop Ireton came Nyla Brooks, Georgia Grace Ruhlen, Cate Messing, Amari James, Greydon Stuber and Drew Maddon to collect their awards.
Winners from St. Stephens and St. Agnes include Riley Jacobs, Addie Youree, Carter Stimson, Chloe Lambert, Haley Lehman, Teddy Azer and Claire Hanley.
Episcopal supplied a special set of Episcopalian athletes: Max Yang, Chad Schmactenberger, Emma Blue Sinclair, Jack Bonello, Osi Onwudiwe, Miles Cullen, Hope Fireison and Campbell Shelby all complete the 38 Athletes of the Year.
Most of these athletes had racked up an impressive set of academic and athletic accomplishments, from The Washington Post features to national competitions to an extremely high GPA of 4.8.
Braelynn Tomanio is the Athlete of the Year in Girls Soccer. “Growing up with soccer has taught me more than just the athletic components of the sport,” she said. “I’ve grown to be a great leader, teammate, and member of the community. Playing soccer has allowed me to give back to my community and the sport I love.”
Next year, the senior Athletes of the Year will be attending an impressive array of colleges throughout the country, including Northeastern University, Rollins College, the University of Denver, and Stanford.
Scholarships Awarded
The ASC gave out a total of $52,500 in 20 Rick and Marion Moon Scholarships to 20 seniors from the four high schools, plus a newly-added vocational scholarship. The organization pays respects to the late Marion Moon, the namesake of the award. According to Fannon, Moon “established a match to the ASC’s annual scholarship fund to celebrate the memory of her son, Rick, who loved sports and children so much. Many of us that have served on the board, including myself, have been inspired by what [Moon] did,” said Fannon, “And we’re going to continue to keep this club strong for what she did.”
Tomanio, one of the scholarship winners, will be using her scholarship to attend Vassar College next year. “The ASC has been nothing but supportive in my athletic and academic journeys,” she said.
About the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club
The ASC was founded in 1948 when local Alexandrian and WWII veteran Tommy Ennis formed an association of football alumni from George Washington High School. The club saw wild success off the bat, and quickly expanded to include any sporting advocate in the city.
The ASC holds public meetings on the third Wednesday of every month.
SEE ALSO: Record-Breaking $700K in Scholarships Awarded to Alexandria City High School Seniors
