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Honored
Members of the Scholar-Athlete Honor Society from the Class of 2018 were given honor cords during the Senior Sports Awards ceremony.
Kennedy Davignon, the Outstanding Female Athlete of the senior class at The Woodstock Academy receives her trophy from athletic director Aaron Patterson during the Senior Sports Awards.
Hannah Green Memorial Award winner, Olivia Perry, and The Woodstock Academy Coach of the Year, Dennis Snelling, both from the girls soccer program.
Jack Gelhaus, the Outstanding Male Athlete of the senior class at The Woodstock Academy receives his trophy from athletic director Aaron Patterson during the Senior Sports Awards.
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The seniors who represented their sport on the Hall of Honor located by the athletic offices on the North Campus of The Woodstock Academy proudly display their photo award during the Senior Sports Awards ceremony. Photos contributed by The Woodstock Academy.
The Class of 2018 at The Woodstock Academy celebrated its athletic accomplishments recently with the annual Senior Sports Awards ceremony.
Jack Gelhaus and Kennedy Davignon left the Center for the Arts on South Campus with the biggest trophies as they were named the Outstanding Male and Female Senior Athletes respectively.
Gelhaus was a member of both the varsity soccer and golf programs at The Academy.
A four-year varsity starter in soccer, Gelhaus helped the team make the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship match in his sophomore season.
He finished with 32 assists as a junior and had seven goals and 10 assists in his senior season for the Centaurs who qualified for both the Eastern Connecticut Conference and Class L state tournaments.
Gelhaus played a large role in getting the Centaurs to an ECC quarterfinal this past fall where they were nipped by Lyman Memorial.
He had a hand in all three Woodstock Academy goals in a win over Fitch in a play-in match.
“What a performance,” Woodstock Academy coach Paul Rearden said of Gelhaus after the 3-2 win over the Falcons. “I’ve been coaching him since he was seven or eight (years-old) and that’s the best I’ve seen him play. He’s quality. On the dead balls, he’s pinpoint. He was the difference between us getting a win or not (in the play-in game).”
Gelhaus was also a leader on the golf course where he placed third in the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship match with a 78 at the Quinnatisset Country Club.
He was an All-ECC honorable mention choice in both his junior and senior seasons and finished in the top 10 at the Division II state championship tournament in the last two seasons. Gelhaus finished tied for eighth last week, shooting a 78 at the Fairview Farms Golf Club in Harwinton.
Jacopo Ambrosetti, Mark Dumas, Connor Huda and Kameron Janice were also nominated for the award.
Davignon participated in girls’ soccer and both indoor and outdoor track.
A four-year varsity performer in soccer, Davignon led the Centaurs to the team’s first-ever ECC tournament championship this past season.
“It’s so exciting,” Davignon said following the 6-0 win over Plainfield in the championship match this past fall. “It being such a great win, by six goals, it’s incredible.”
Davignon was also a key ingredient in the team’s Division II regular season title last year.
She also played in the Connecticut Girls Soccer Coaches Association Senior Bowl.
Madison Brennan, Caroline Eaton, Casidhe Hoyt, Olivia Perry and Clara Siegmund were also nominated for the award.
Davignon was also given the award for the Most Memorable Play of the year. It was her assist with a corner kick that found Ashleigh Angle who re-directed the ball into the net that lifted the Centaurs girls’ soccer team to a 3-2 overtime win over Norwich Free Academy in the first-ever home night game.
Brennan received the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Brennan, who has recovered from a couple of bouts with concussions, helped the girls’ basketball team to the Division II ECC regular season crown and a 17-7 overall record. She followed up in the spring with 55 goals to lead the Centaurs girls lacrosse team to a 14-5 record; a share of the ECC Division II regular season crown; an ECC tournament berth and their first-ever Class M state tournament win.
The Most Outstanding performance by a senior was had by Janice.
The running back for the football team rushed for 529 yards and eight touchdowns in a 49-26 win over Quinebaug Valley. The 529-yard total was third best in state history and set the school’s single-game record for yards and touchdowns scored.
Ciri Miller and Ian Sohan were given the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference scholar-athlete awards while Eden Law and Will Schad received the Connecticut High School Coaches Association scholar-athlete awards.
The National Federation of State High Schools Association Award of Excellence went to Dumas and Eaton.
The Centaur Awards, significant of academic achievement, athletic participation, leadership, citizenship and sportsmanship, were given to Lindsey O’Dea and Sohan.
The Evelyn and Arthur Weimann Award significant of the athlete who has done most for the athletic department over their four years at the school went to Makara Sorel.
The Hannah Green Memorial Award was given to Olivia Perry for her sportsmanship, character, desire and determination.
The Clifford Spelman boys tennis sportsmanship award went to Fabian Meiser for his dedication to the sport.
The Alfred C. Warren Soccer Sportsmanship Award, given to a player who shows a true love for the game, understands the foundation of teamwork, respects the rules and brings honor to the school, went to Davignon and Ethan Werstler.
Sorel and Clara Siegmund were awarded $1,000 scholarships by the Woodstock Academy Booster Club for their commitment to participating in sports at The Academy and their volunteerism at Booster Club functions.
The Booster Club also named Dennis Snelling, The Academy’s girls soccer coach, as Coach of the Year. Joe Banas, who worked with cross-country and both the indoor and outdoor track programs, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Unified Sports Awards were presented to Mya DeShaw and Samantha Gelinas.
Centaur Nation Persons of the Year Awards were given to Charlene Perry, Bobbie-Jo Saucier and Chris Alves.
Media instructor Eric Collelo was given the Centaur Nation Media Award for his contributions to promoting The Woodstock Academy athletic program.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
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