Archive: Sports

Vizella Media, owners of ESPN Ithaca – WPIE, in partnership with Ehrhart Energy and Guthrie, recognized 58 outstanding scholar-athletes and coaches for their performances during the 2015-16 school year. The recipients, many accompanied by family, colleagues and friends, celebrated at the Night of Champions Awards Dinner at the Country Club of Ithaca on June 12th.

The annual event is designed to showcase the top talent of all varsity sports from 15 local high schools including most of the IAC and one in the STAC West.   

ESPN Ithaca President and General Manager, Todd Mallinson stated, “It’s a remarkable night, to have that kind of talent in one room is electric.  Night of Champions recognizes athletes and coaches of all sports on equal stage and the athletes seem to really appreciate the recognition.”

Two $1,000 scholarships, contributed by Ehrhart Energy, were awarded to both the Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Two $500 scholarships, given by Guthrie, were presented to the top Coaches of the Year, one in a boys sport and one in a girls sport.  The scholarships will be granted to scholar-athletes the coaches select at their respective schools.


2015-16 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year is Jared Lyon, a two sport scholar-athlete at Moravia High, he excelled in basketball and football for the Blue Devils. He holds a slew of offensive records for the football program and was a two-time IAC Small School MVP for the basketball team.

2015-16 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year is Emily Kopp, a three sport scholar-athlete at Southern Cayuga High, she is the 2016 Section IV Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for her efforts with the school’s basketball, soccer and tennis programs. She was also a first-team All-State selection in Class D for basketball.


2015-16 Coach of the Year in a Boys Sport is Todd Mulvaney, the basketball coach of the Moravia Blue Devils, who led his squad to thrilling playoff victories in the section IV final and state regional final before finally bowing out in the New York State Final Four.

2015-16 Coach of the Year in a Girls Sport is Brian Trippany, co-coach of the Newark Valley track & field and cross country programs with Eric D’Arcy. His Cardinals girls cross country team claimed their sixth IAC title in the past eight seasons on the way to a third place finish at the state meet.


Full List of 2015-16 ESPN Ithaca Night of Champions Outstanding Scholar-Athlete & Coach Recipients

Award recipients were determined by overall performance in their sport. Each scholar-athlete recipient maintains a minimum grade average of 85.

FALL Season Outstanding Scholar-Athletes
Football: Jared Lyon – Moravia
Boys Soccer: Ben Kutler – Lansing
Girls Soccer: Taylor Bennett – Dryden
Boys Cross Country: Jake Avery – Ithaca
Girls Cross Country: Maggie Bond – Watkins Glen
Girls Tennis: Asha Duhan – Ithaca
Field Hockey: Kelsey Pierce – Spencer Van-Etten
Girls Volleyball: Autumn Wells – Moravia
Girls Swimming – Annika Browning – Ithaca

FALL Season Outstanding Coaches
Football: Brian Sherwood – Newark Valley
Boys Soccer: Gilbert Antoine – Ithaca
Girls Soccer: Janine Bennett – Dryden
Boys Cross Country: John Fazzary – Watkins Glen
Girls Cross Country: Brian Trippany – Newark Valley
Field Hockey: Karen Funk – Marathon
Girls Volleyball: Angela McLennan – Trumansburg
Girls Swimming – Diane Hicks-Hughes – Lansing
Girls Tennis: Shane Taylor - Ithaca

WINTER Season Outstanding Scholar-Athletes
Boys Bowling: Kyle Pratt – Newark Valley
Girls Bowling: Nicole Gates – Candor
Boys Swimming: Kevin Miller – Ithaca
Boys Basketball: Ali Abel-Ferretti – Dryden
Girls Basketball: Emily Kopp – Southern Cayuga
Boys Hockey: Brandon Shirley – Ithaca
Girls Hockey: Devin Baylor – Ithaca
Boys Indoor Track & Field: Evan DeGraw – Union Springs
Girls Indoor Track & Field: Abbey Yatsko – Dryden
Cheerleading: Kiera Malarkey – Newark Valley
Wrestling: Ian Chedzoy – Watkins Glen

WINTER Season Outstanding Coaches
Boys Bowling: Ed Pratt – Newark Valley
Girls Bowling: Tom Strong – Odessa-Montour
Boys Swimming: Mike Blakely-Armitage – Ithaca
Boys Basketball: Todd Mulvaney – Moravia
Girls Basketball: Ed Heslop – Southern Cayuga
Boys Hockey: Paul Zarach – Ithaca
Girls Hockey: Emily Grippin – Ithaca
Boys Indoor Track & Field: Neil DeRaiche – Trumansburg
Girls Indoor Track & Field: Matt Scheffler – Lansing
Cheerleading: Lorisa Bates – Candor
Wrestling: Wil Avery – Dryden

SPRING Season Outstanding Scholar-Athletes
Baseball: Ben Kutler – Lansing
Softball: Grace Van Horn – Union Springs
Boys Golf: Dan Lapp – Trumansburg
Girls Golf: Hanley Elliott – Watkins Glen
Boys Lacrosse: Gavin Marsh – Dryden
Girls Lacrosse: Adele Lawless – Ithaca
Boys Tennis: Zoli Csaki – Lansing
Boys Track & Field: Dan Harden – Marathon
Girls Track & Field: Courtney McNeil – Newark Valley

SPRING Season Outstanding Coaches
Baseball: Stu Dean – Lansing
Softball: Jim Bona – Union Springs
Boys Golf: Rob Reakes – Trumansburg
Girls Golf: Chris Clark – Watkins Glen
Boys Lacrosse: Chris Dotson – Dryden
Girls Lacrosse: Lyn Reitenbach – Ithaca
Boys Tennis: Mike Bryant – Lansing
Boys Track & Field: Skip Strobel – Odessa-Montour
Girls Track & Field: Brian Trippany – Newark Valley

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