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Winter Sports & Afternoon Activities Awards 2025

3/4/2025

On Tuesday, March 4, Vermont Academy hosted its annual Winter Sports and Activities Awards ceremony during the Formal Meal in the Shepardson Dining Center. The event celebrated the dedication, hard work, and achievements of students, coaches, and activity leaders. Each coach had the opportunity to highlight their awardees and team’s successes throughout the season. Below are this year’s award recipients.

All photos of the award recipients can be found here.

Boys’ JV Basketball

Most Improved Player Award – Eli Boxer ’26

Boys’ Prep Basketball

Most Improved Player Award – Daye Kaba ’25

Greatest Contributor Award – Kamari Whyte ’27

This award is given to the player or manager who has made the greatest contribution to the team. The contribution is to be measured by his interest in and enthusiasm for the game; intensity of his effort; his sportsmanship as shown by his spirit in victory or defeat; and most of all by his constructive influence on other members of the team.

The Keron Deshields ’11 Award – Isiah Rose ’26

The Keron Deshields ’11 Award goes to a member of the boys’ varsity basketball team, who, like Keron, will not let any circumstance deter him from an unyielding commitment to the team and Vermont Academy as a whole.

Girls’ Varsity Basketball

Most Improved Player Award – Sofia Allsopp ’26

Greatest Contributor Award – Coline Jung ’27

This award is given to the player who has made the greatest contribution to the team. The contribution is to be measured by her interest in and enthusiasm for the game; intensity of her effort; her sportsmanship as shown by her spirit in victory or defeat; and most of all by her constructive influence on other members of the team.

Dance

Most Improved Dancer Award – Alexa Valderrama Ledezma ’25

Greatest Contributor Award – Ruby Besson ’25

Coaches Award – Morgan Studin ’25

Boys’ JV Hockey

Most Improved Player Award – Flynn Dennis ’25

Boys’ Varsity Hockey

Coaches Award – Jack Marilley ’25, Cole Robinson ’25, Logan Sinacola ’25, and Lucas Sinacola ’25

The Daniel MacFayden Award – Zach Drouin ’25

The Daniel MacFayden Award is given annually to the member of the boys’ varsity hockey

team who has made the greatest contribution. That contribution is to be measured by his spirit in practice and games, by his positive influence on his teammates and his sportsmanship exhibited in both winning and losing.

The Eric Charles Ostebo ’83 Award – Kelly McMahon ’25

This award is given in memory of Eric C. Ostebo ’83 who’s cheerful attitude, devotion, and hard work often went unnoticed. Eric was a player who was easily coached, would play any position asked of him, and often played when injured without complaint. Although not a flashy player, Eric typified the “coach’s player,” He was steady, dependable, and a hard working team player.

Girls’ JV Hockey

Most Improved Player Award – Gabby Clavel-McCann ’27

Coaches Award – Ana Hernandez-Merkle ’25

Girls’ Varsity Hockey

Coaches Award – Juliette Bélanger ’25, Kailin Sullivan ’25 and Sydney Richert ’26

The Mark Peabody Award – Taylor Gleeson ’25

The Mark Peabody Award is given annually to the member of the girls’ hockey team who shows the most improvement over the course of the season.

Robotics

Team Inspire Award – Mason Evans ’26

This award is given to a member of the team that is a strong ambassador for Vermont Academy, a role model, a gracious competitor and an inspiration for the rest of the team as demonstrated by their ability to communicate their experiences, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the game.

Team Innovator Award – Yuliang “Raymond” Feng ’25 and Oliver Walsh-Fischetti ’25

The Team Innovator Award celebrates a person that not only thinks outside the box, but also has the ingenuity and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. Elements of this award include elegant design, robustness, and ‘out of the box’ thinking related to design.

Developmental Skiing

Most Dedicated Award – Marley Odell ’26 and Lyla Whigham ’28

Nordic Skiing

Most Improved Skier Award – Yutong Liu ’26

The Roger Emerson ’42 Award – Yuliang “Raymond” Feng ’25

This award is given to an athlete from the Nordic Ski team for excellence in all-around performance in practice and competition.

Alpine Skiing

Most Improved Skier Award – Mauro De La Cruz Oria ’25

Greatest Contributor Award – Mauro Guijarro Catalan ’26 and Vittoria Pinci ’25

Freestyle Skiing

Most Improved Skier Award – Evan Tavares-Robinson ’26

Greatest Contributor Award – Owen Dunphy ’26

Snowboarding

Greatest Contributor Award – John Velto ’25 and Iris Tucker ’28

The Burton Snowboard Award – Dodge Zaccara ’25 and Sydney Shaw ’25

The Burton Snowboard Award is awarded to a boy and girl rider who has shown the greatest improvement in his or her snowboard racing ability over the course of the season.

Snow Sports

The Peter J. MacKechnie Ski Program Award – Jake Varga ’26

This award is given annually to a member of the VA Ski Program whose quiet determination and perseverance reflect the honor at Vermont Academy and its Ski Program. Their contributions are not measured by statistics, but rather by their industrious and conscientious approach to snow sports which exemplifies a genuine love for the sport. This is considered the highest award for the snow sports program.

Theatre Arts

Most Dedicated Award – Andy Darcy ’25

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