LAKE COUNTY >> The Lake County Record-Bee will name its high school Athletes of the Year and Coaches of the Years beginning next week.
It’s the 30th anniversary of the Athlete of the Year award, which was first presented following the 1987-88 sports season in Lake County. Inaugural winners were Mike Wright and Tammi Tuttle of Kelseyville High School. Since then boys and girls at all five of the county’s high schools have been honored. Of the 59 athletes honored during the first 29 years of the award (there was a tie for the girls award in 2008-09 to account for the odd number), Clear Lake athletes have been honored 19 times followed by Kelseyville (18), Middletown (10), Upper Lake (eight) and Lower Lake (four).
In order to be considered for the award, athletes must be juniors or seniors who compete in at least two sports and are in good academic standing at their respective schools. Five finalists are named each year before the final selection is made.
Going into the recently completed 2016-17 sports season, the award had gone to juniors only eight times. There have been four back-to-back winners, all girls.
Coach of the Year finalists are selected based on their team’s record, league finish, playoff success and season expectations/goals at the start of the year and if those expectations/goals were met/exceeded.
Coach of the Year winners will be honored on separate days as will the Athlete of Year winners.
Athlete of the Year finalists among the boys for 2016-17 were Logan Barrick and Kyle Ellis of Kelseyville, Hokulani Wickard of Lower Lake, and Middletown’s Ty Chorjel and Colton Hall. Finalists among the girls were Aleia Milano of Lower Lake, Natalie Karlsson and Christina Wilson of Upper Lake, Kiana Richardson of Middletown, and Riley Goff of Kelseyville.
