Athletes participating in fall sports including cross country, soccer, girls’ golf, boys’ tennis and volleyball were recognized for their achievements last night during the Merrillville High School Fall Sports Banquet.
Most valuable fall sports athletes were named: Cross country, junior Jeremie Lander and senior Michelle Gunnell; soccer, seniors Jacob Maldonado and Brisa Sanford; boys’ tennis, sophomore Benzi Corrales; girls’ golf, freshman Sincere Peterson; and volleyball, junior Raven Edwards.
Most improved fall sports athletes were recognized: Cross country, sophomores Zachary Dunn and Ciara Watson; soccer, seniors Adeleke Igbasanmi and Kaylee Conner; boys tennis, senior Anthony Williamson; girls’ golf, freshman Bria Ealy; and volleyball, sophomore Saniya Spalding.
Athletes earning recognition for sportsmanship included: Cross country freshman Daniel Bravo and sophomore Merci Tan; soccer, senior Austin Vo and junior Aahliyah Moreno; boys’ tennis, junior Micah Rayburn; girls’ golf, junior Chanel Day; and volleyball, senior Taira Amisu.
Athletes recognized for leadership included: cross country, junior Jeremie Lander and senior Shamiya Beasley; soccer, seniors Jerry Walker and Maria Guardiola; boys’ tennis, junior Noah Terpstra; girls’ golf, sophomore Quiara Dortch; and volleyball, junior Madeline Langer.
Senior Niko Djukic received the Blanket Award for earning eight varsity letters.
Scholar award winners were recognized for their cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better: Girls' cross country, seniors Shamiya Beasley and Michelle Gunnell; junior Sierra Weaver; and sophomores Merci Tan, Hannah Villahermosa and Ciara Watson. Boys’ cross country scholar award winners were senior Maurice Patrick; and sophomores Arturo Baranda, Cesar Franco and Caleb Robinson.
Girls' golf scholar award winners were juniors Zion Elliott, Siman McElroy and Tyzhae Romer, and sophomore Quiara Dortch. Boys' soccer scholar award winners were seniors Yulissa Gonzalez, Jacob Maldonado, Itzel Viramontes-Renteria and Austin Vo; junior Malik Hall; and sophomores Josh Krause, Zach Krause and Rame Sulieman.
Girls' soccer scholar award winners included seniors Maria Guardiola and Brisa Sanford; junior Miriam Velasco; and sophomores Diana Garcia and Katie Hyland. Junior Olusoji Oduneye Jr. was the scholar award winner for boys’ tennis.
Volleyball scholar award winners were juniors Madeline Langer and Mia Unmisig; and sophomores Azariah Crosby, Yasmin Gonzalez, Saniya Spalding and Jordyn Thomas.