Spring sports awards recognize student-athlete achievements

Spring Sports Awards is a night for families and friends of student-athletes to honor and reflect on the season and the memories made.
On Monday, May 21, a slideshow of all nine sports was shown at the awards night. It captured the highlights of the season, and each team cheered when their pictures were shown.
Athletic Director Dennis Davis announced that Track and Field was the spring sport with the highest overall GPA, granting them $500 for the following year.
Behind the awards given each year are the coaches who select individuals to honor as they share highlights from the season. Swim coach Lee Anne Ghimenti shared what the sportsmanship award means to her.
“Sportsmanship is more of the way a swimmer adds humor, helps out and encourages not only his teammates but competitors too,” she said. “My most memorable moment was at our first meet at [Tamalpais High School], and a swimmer on Tam hurt his shoulder during the race and had to stop and get out and not finish,” Ghimenti said of the Swim team’s sportsmanship award winner. “Our swimmer, [senior] Thomas Frietzsche, was in the race with this boy, and when Thomas finished his race, he got out and gave up his towel and put it around his shoulders. That’s sportsmanship at its best and was really a touching moment.”
Girls Softball coach, Liz Hartman, believes that the traits most valuable in a player are “drive, competitiveness, humility and leadership.”
Boys Varsity Tennis coach Maryanne Grover reflects on the awards.
“To me, MVP is usually the most skilled or talented player on the team. They possess leadership skills as well as an upbeat attitude,” she said. “Most Improved is the person I actually see the most changes for the better within that season. I look from how far they came from the first day of practice to the last for that season. Sportsmanship goes to the guy with the most positive attitude that others can feed off of. He always is enthusiastic and expects others to be as well.”
A new change this year was the recognition of coaches who served as mentors for ten seasons or more. The Craig Pitti Dedicated Coach Award went to Spring coaches Jim Hickey, Liz Hartman, Art Marthinsen, Bob Lacy, Jamie Vattuone, Maryann Grover and Mark Whitburn.
Photos of the recipients can be found on the San Marin Athletics’ Instagram account [smmustangs].