Athletes of the Month

September Athlete of the Month is senior co-captain Carter Cookinham.  Carter has picked up where he left off last year.  It took Carter a couple games to hit his stride but he is now scoring goals at his regular pace.  He has a team leading 8 goals and will be looked to the second half of the season to lead the offense.  Congratulations Carter!!!

September Athlete of the Month is senior captain Maddison Haver.  Maddison is playing her fifth year of varsity soccer for Poland, she has scored 7 goals and added 4 assists this season as a midfielder.  She has an outstanding work ethic, is very responsive to coaching and is well respected by her teammates.  She is competitive, yet polite.  Throughout the season she has continued to improve her role on the team, raised expectations of others while encouraging others to improve.  She is an excellent leader, a role model for our youth players and a well respected member of the team.  Maddison is hoping to continue growing and leading her team for the remainder of the season and into the post-season.  Congratulations Maddison!!!

October Athlete of the Month is Lia Dutcher.  Lia has been a tremendous asset to the Cross Country team.  She has shown great dedication and enthusiasm throughout the entire season.  Lia has been accommodating with her teammates, whether cheering them on during their races or helping them with running strategies during practice.  She is always willing to set up and lead warm-ups and cool-downs during practice. During meets, she always helps her fellow teammates walk the course so they know where to run during the competition.  She is always a joy at practice and helps to keep practices fun and enjoyable for everyone.  She always has an open mind and is wiling to put forth great effort with her running and teamwork skills.

October Athlete of the Month is Jared Young.  Jared is very hard-working and has shown significant improvements during the season.  Jared has battled multiple injuries this season but returned stronger than ever.  Jared was very hard-working and dedicated to the team this season.  He is always willing to go the extra mile to help his team and coaches.  He always helped lead his team around the course during meets and was an excellent support system for his teammates.  At practice, Jared always helps to encourage his fellow teammates to work hard and improve their skills.  He was a fantastic teammate to all the Cross Country teams and was able to keep a positive attitude throughout the season.

November Athlete of the Month is senior Michael Anderson.  Michael is a 2 year starter and Co-Captain for our Varsity program.  He has been extremely unselfish and embodies the effort Poland Basketball prides itself on.  A tenacious competitor with an intense drive to win, Michael sets the tone for our team with his defensive intensity and work ethic.  This season he has worked to become more of a scoring threat.  His strong start, helps provide our team with the balance and depth that will bode well for team success this season.  Congratulations Michael, keep up the good work!

November Athlete of the Month is junior captain Amelia Guarascio.  Amelia is a 3-year returner for the Girl's Varsity Basketball team.  She has been working hard to improve her game.  Her leadership on and off the court this season will play a pivotal role in her teams' growth and development.  She has an outstanding work ethic, puts in extra effort to help her teammates on defense and is continuously working on developing her offensive skills.  Her character and willingness to accept criticism are a few of her most admirable traits.  These skills will help her become a stronger leader and teammate.  She will play a much larger role this season for her team offensively, defensively and through her role as a leader.  Congratulations Amelia !!

Senior Troy Haver is December Athlete of the Month in Varsity Indoor Track and Field.  In his fifth year of indoor track, Troy is a team leader.  He brings a positive attitude to practices and he can always be counted on to work hard during training and competitions.  Troy focuses on the long distance events and never seems to get tired.  The 2 mile and 1 mile runs are his main events.  He also competes in relays to help his teammates.  Troy has a selfless attitude, always putting the team first.  Congratulations Troy!!!

Junior Ariel Pope is December Athlete of the Month in Varsity Indoor Track and Field.  A veteran track athlete, Ariel focuses on the jumps.  She has had a great start to the season, qualifying for Sectionals in high jump and already reaching a mark of 4 feet, 6 inches.  Ariel is also one of the team's top triple jumpers and does well in mid-distance running events.  Ariel was the CSC Division 3 League Champion in the high jump last season and finished 2nd place at Sectionals.  She is working hard to add another individual championship to her high jump record.  Congratulations Ariel!!!

Senior Virginia Spellman is January Athlete of the Month for Cheer.  Virginia has worked very hard this season.  She has contributed to help develop new cheers for our basketball games, along with helping choreograph our competition routine.  She has shown wonderful leadership skills within the squad.  Virginia has helped make all of her teammates feel welcome.  Her teammates have been able to learn so much from her and we all have grown as a team.  She has shown great dedication to cheerleading throughout her time here at Poland.  Congratulations Virginia!!!

February's Athlete of the Month is senior captain Maddison Haver.  Maddison leads the team in scoring, assists and steals this season.  She has been the heartbeat of the team by working hard and staying positive.  She also leads the team in the most minutes played on the court.  Her positive attitude, work ethic and leadership have helped her team continue to grow throughout the season and those characteristics will hopefully be adopted by the younger players on her team.  

February's Athlete of the Month is Carter Cookinham.  Carter has embodied what it means to compete every single possession and every single drill ever since he joined our program as a freshman.  His leadership has taken steps in the right direction every year he has played and his on court play has been extremely noteworthy.  He is top 5 in scoring in the entire section 3 (all classes included) and is top 10 in 3 other statistical categories.  Numbers aside, Carter has helped build a program into relevance locally and has been "All-In" since Day 1.  He will leave the program as one of the best ever to put on the jersey.  He and his fellow seniors will be extremely missed at the conclusion of the season!  Congratulations to Carter on all of his accomplishments.  

March's Athlete of the Month is Kaiden Stemmer.  Kaiden is moving into the starting catcher role this season.  He has worked hard to improve behind the plate as a catcher and a leader.  Kaiden has also helped bring along some young pitchers in our program.  He wil be returning to his important role in the middle of the lineup where he is looking to improve on last year's great season.

March's Athlete of the Month is Amelia Guarascio.  Amelia comes to practice each day with a positive attitude, ready to work hard and help her teammates.  We look forward to Amelia's leadership and heads-up play, both in the top of our line up and defensively at shortstop.