Winners of the 2023 Goshen News Sports Awards
Jun. 20—We had a great time honoring some of the best athletes of our coverage area with the second annual Goshen News Sports Awards show Tuesday night! If you missed the show and would like to watch it, you can find the video on The Goshen News' YouTube page. The link to the show is also posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Thank you to our friends at Goshen College for hosting us for this show once again.
Below are the winners of each award for the show. Congratulations to all of our winners, as well as the other nominees for their tremendous 2022-23 sports seasons!
GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR: Fairfield girls basketball
The Falcons were able to win the school's first state championship in any sport when it defeated Corydon Central to win the 3A title. They went 28-2 on the season, adding NECC, sectional, regional and semi-state trophies to go along with the state championship hardware. Other nominees in this category were Bethany Christian girls basketball and NorthWood girls tennis.
BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: NorthWood boys basketball
NorthWood BBB
2023 Goshen News Boys Team of the Year: NorthWood boys basketball
Joseph Weiser — The Goshen News
The Panthers won the Class 3A state championship, capping off a 28-2 season by beating Guerin Catholic in the state title game. Along the way, they won a second-straight NLC title, fourth-straight sectional, first regional since 2007 and first-ever semi-state crown. Other nominees in this category were Goshen boys tennis and Westview boys soccer.
GIRLS TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR: Brodie Garber, Fairfield girls basketball
Brodie Garber
2023 Goshen News Girls Team Coach of the Year: Brodie Garber, Fairfield girls basketball.
Mike Deak — The Goshen News
Garber went out a winner, leading Fairfield to the 3A state championship. He was also selected to help with the Indiana Junior All-Star team in early June. Other nominees in this category were Hilary Laidig from NorthWood volleyball and Krysten Parson from Bethany Christian girls basketball.
BOYS TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR: Aaron Wolfe, NorthWood boys basketball
Aaron Wolfe
2023 Goshen News Boys Team Coach of the Year: Aaron Wolfe, NorthWood boys basketball.
Joseph Weiser — The Goshen News
Wolfe finally reaped the biggest reward a coach can get this year, leading NorthWood to the 3A state championship. For his efforts, he was selected to be the Indiana Junior All-Stars coach. Other nominees in this category were Ken Brewster from Northridge boys golf and Jason Rahn from Westview baseball.
GIRLS MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Zoe Willems, junior, Bethany Christian
Zoe Willems
2023 Goshen News Girls Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year: Zoe Willems, junior, Bethany Christian.
Joseph Weiser — The Goshen News
In soccer, Willems led the team with 17 goals and seven assists, leading the Bruins to a sectional championship. In basketball, she averaged 17.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.4 steals a game on a team that reached the Class 1A state title game. Finally, in tennis, she was a varsity starter, playing No. 1 doubles on a Bruins' team that finished with a 7-6 record. Other nominees in this category were Claire Payne from NorthWood and Ryleigh Robinson from Concord.
BOYS MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Armen Koltookian, senior, Concord
Armen Koltookian
2023 Goshen News Boys Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year: Armen Koltookian, senior, Concord
Austin Hough — The Goshen News
A three-sport star for Concord, Koltookian earned all-NLC honors in football, wrestling and track, becoming just the fourth athlete in the last 35 years at the school to accomplish that. He had 65 tackles on defense and 235 yards receiving on offense during the football season, finished eighth at the state wrestling meet in the 195-pound weight class in the winter, then advanced to the state track meet as part of the Minutemen's 4X400-meter relay team. He was voted a captain on all three teams as well. Other nominees in this category were Tyson Chupp from Bethany Christian and Bishop Williams from Jimtown.
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL SPORT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Tyra Marcum, senior, Goshen softball
Tyra Marcum
2023 Goshen News Girls Individual Athlete of the Year: Tyra Marcum, senior, Goshen softball
Austin Hough — The Goshen News
Marcum had one of the best seasons in program history this spring. She had a .643 batting average, .708 on-base percentage and 1.300 slugging percentage. She also totaled 12 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs at the plate. In the pitcher's circle, she struck out 203 batters in 112 innings of work. Other nominees in this category were Julie Mishler and Emma Yoder, both from Wawasee.
BOYS INDIVIDUAL SPORT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Josh Cruz, senior, Goshen boys soccer
Josh Cruz
2023 Goshen News Boys Individual Athlete of the Year: Josh Cruz, senior, Goshen boys soccer.
Austin Hough — The Goshen News
Cruz had an electrifying season for the RedHawks, scoring 35 goals and adding four assists in 20 games played. He was a 1st team all-state selection by the ISCA, leading Goshen to its first NLC and sectional championships since 2017. Other nominees in this category were Lucas Byrd from Elkhart and Silas Haarer from Westview.
GIRLS BREAKOUT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Catie Brenneman, freshman, Concord
Catie Brenneman
2023 Goshen News Girls Breakout Athlete of the Year: Catie Brenneman, freshman, Concord
Will Willems — For The Goshen News
A year after her older sister, Grace, placed in four events at the state swimming finals, Catie did the same this year. Individually, she finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle and eighth in the 500-yard freestyle, then was on the fourth-place 400-yard freestyle relay team and eighth-place on the 200-yard freestyle relay unit. Other nominees in this category were Shaniyah Hughes from Elkhart and Dakotah Moore from Northridge.
BOYS BREAKOUT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Noah Bontrager, freshman, Westview
Noah Bontrager
2023 Goshen News Boys Breakout Athlete of the Year: Noah Bontrager, freshman, Westview.
Austin Hough — The Goshen News
Bontrager rewrote the Westview cross country record books this past fall, setting a new best time in program history with a 15:20 showing in the semi-state. That time made him semi-state champion, adding to his NECC, sectional and regional titles in the three weeks prior. He then finished 12th at the state meet to earn all-state honors. For good measure, Bontrager then qualified for the state track meet in the 3,200-meter run this spring. Other nominees in this category were Max Malloy from Elkhart and Tyler Raasch from NorthWood.
GIRLS SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Adley Keim, senior, Elkhart
Adley Keim
2023 Goshen News Girls Scholar Athlete of the Year: Adley Keim, senior, Elkhart
Austin Hough — The Goshen News
Keim ended up playing four sports her senior year — cross country and soccer in the fall, then track and tennis in the spring. While doing all of that, she still managed to graduate with a weighted GPA of 4.38, was named the Elkhart High School Athlete of the Year and received the prestigious Catherine Wolf Award. Other nominees in this category were Kiah Farrington from Wawasee and Emily Mawhorter from West Noble.
BOYS SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jaxon Miller, senior, Northridge
Jaxon Miller
2023 Goshen News Boys Scholar Athlete of the Year: Jaxon Miller, senior, Northridge.
Joseph Weiser — The Goshen News
Miller advanced to state in both cross country and track, the latter of which he qualified in three events for (800-meter run, 4X400-meter relay and 4X800-meter relay). He graduated at the top of his class with a 4.68 GPA and will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the more prestigious colleges in the country, next fall as both a student and athlete. Other nominees in this category were Quinn Bechtel from Goshen and Isaiah Hostetler from Westview.
GIRLS MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER: Sydney Nethercutt, senior, Northridge
Sydney Nethercutt
2023 Goshen News Girls Mental Attitude Award: Sydney Nethercutt, senior, Northridge.
Will Willems — For The Goshen News
Nethercutt remained a leader for the girls swimming and track teams despite her father, Bruce, passing away in early May. Ended up advancing to the state finals in swimming, where her father got to watch her place fifth in the 500-meter freestyle. She also advanced to the track regional in shot put. Other nominees in this category were Brea Garber from Fairfield and Ryleigh Viront from Elkhart Christian Academy.
BOYS MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD WINNER: Ian Raasch, senior, NorthWood
Ian Raasch
2023 Goshen News Boys Mental Attitude Award: Ian Raasch, senior, NorthWood.
Joseph Weiser — The Goshen News
Raasch made history on the basketball court, as he was selected to be an Indiana All-Star, the first in NorthWood boys basketball program history. He was also named the IHSAA mental attitude award winner for Class 3A boys basketball following the Panthers' state title win in March. He received the honor, in part, due to his 3.99 GPA and active role in volunteer work through mission trips. Other nominees in this category were Breece Erickson from Bethany Christian and Rodney Gates from Elkhart.
Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.
