A pair of Parade All-American basketball players and four seniors from Jesuit High School of Beaverton head the list of prep finalists for this year's Oregon Sports Awards. The winners will be announced at the OSA banquet to be held Jan. 31 at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton.
For more than 50 years, the OSA has honored Oregon athletes, coaches and supporters who have excelled during the calendar year at the professional, collegiate, prep and amateur levels.
The top prep athletes of the year receive the Johnny Carpenter Award. The award is named after Carpenter, who began broadcasting sports in 1937. He also helped form the Oregon Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association.
Jesuit High School of Beaverton dominates the Carpenter Prep Athlete of the Year large school division with four of the 16 finalists, three in the girls and one in the boys. The list includes two Parade All-American basketball players in Franklyn's Shoni Schimmel and Jefferson's Terrence Jones.
Nike will also present the Steve Prefontaine Award that honors Oregon's top prep distance runner for 2010. The award is named after Prefontaine, who set 13 American records and was a 1972 Olympian. Only months prior to his death in 1975, Prefontaine was named Track and Field News' Most Popular athlete.
Jesuit's Annamarie Maag and Matthew Melancon (Sheldon/Eugene), recently named Oregon's Gatorade winner for cross country, are finalists for the Prefontaine honors. Maag, one of the winningest prep runners in Oregon history, is also a finalist for the Carpenter award.
Three former Oregon prep winners are among this year's finalists for professional athlete of the year: Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions) and Galen Rupp (track and field).
Love, leading the NBA in rebounding, could become a five-time winner. He won three years as a prep at Lake Oswego and the amateur (collegiate) honor following his freshman season at UCLA.
The large school prep finalist list reads like a recruiter's dream. Morgan Barnes (Boise State), Tara Glover (Utah), Kellie Scheuller (Stanford), Schimmel (Louisville), Sam Crouser (Oregon), Ben Wetzler (Oregon State), Sloan Anderson (Wichita State), Alex Rovello (Oregon) and Jones (Kentucky).
Here's a look at the 2010 nominees:
Large School Female Finalists:
•
Elizabeth Brenner (Senior) Jesuit - volleyball.
• Tara Glover (2010 grad) Grants Pass - softball.
• Annamarie Maag (Senior) Jesuit - cross country.
• Shoni Schimmel (2010 grad) Franklin - basketball.
• Kellie Schueler (2010 grad) Summit - track & field.
• Morgan Barnes (2010 grad) Grants Pass -softball.
• Sloan Anderson (2010 grad) Glencoe - softball.
•
Tasha Wilkins (Senior) Jesuit - soccer.
Large School Male Finalists:
• Terrence Jones (2010 grad) Jefferson - basketball.
• Ben Wetzler (2010 grad) Clackamas - baseball.
•
Colt Lyerla (Senior) Hillsboro - football.
•
Thomas Tyner (Sophomore) Aloha - football.
• Tommy Siciliano (2010 grad) Newburg - wrestling.
• Alex Rovello (2010 grad) Cleveland - tennis.
• Sam Crouser (2010 grad) Gresham -track & field .
•
Kyle Wiltjer (Senior) Jesuit - basketball.
Small School Female Finalists:
• Ashley Baldovino (2010 grad) Lakeview - track & field.
• Kassi Conditt (2010 grad) La Pine - basketball.
• Brittaney Niebergall (2010 grad) Portland Christian HS - basketball.
• Alexa Skinner (senior) Glide - softball.
• Monica Vaughn (sophomore) Reedsport - golf.
• Tayla Woods (2010 grad) Santiam Christian - basketball.
• Caralyn Chewning (2010 grad) Willamina -softball.
•
Sara Almen (sophomore) Santiam Christian - volleyball.
Small School Male Finalists:
• Matt Anthony (2010 grad) Ontario - track & field.
• Zac Cardwell (senior) Lowell - wrestling.
• Dakotah Keys (2010 grad) Sweet Home - track & field.
• Coulter Mastenbroek (2010 grad) Scio - track & field.
• Tristan Metcalf (2010 grad) Newport - baseball.
•
Jordan Tebbutt (sophomore) Horizon Christian - basketball.
• Cole Watson (2010 grad) Rogue River - track & field.
•
Jesse Brown (senior) Baker - Football.
Prefontaine Prep Distance Finalist: Ian Burgess (Franklin), Annamarie Maag (Jesuit), Matthew Melancon (Sheldon), Max Runia (Crater) and Payton Schutte ( Jesuit).
