Another sports awards gone by but the first of the 2016-17 school year took place on December 12. The Benjamin Middle School sports awards assembly is a great community event because parents and students gather in the BPAC to hear how the various seasons went and which athletes earned awards in their respective sports.

This year’s assembly, though, was a little different. To minimize the coaches’ talking and ensure the assembly ended on time, Middle School Athletic Director Mr. Toby Harbeck instituted a 10-minute rule for the coaches to talk about their seasons and get through their awards.

One team who played really well this past fall was the girls’ middle school volleyball team. The girls finished second in the league after making it to the championship match against St. Mark’s.

“I was on the court a lot and I improved throughout the season,” said seventh grader Ali Brown, who received the Most Improved Player award as a member of this year’s team. ”In the beginning I wasn’t terrible, but I got better and my game really expanded throughout the season.”

The sixth-grade football team also had a stellar season as they went undefeated for the first time since 2009. “These guys were overachievers,” said History Department Chair Mr. Marshall Mullnix, who also served as an assistant coach on the sixth-grade team. “In the beginning of the season, we weren’t expecting to finish undefeated. We were a small team and to see our team play that well was really a blessing.This team was an oil-cooking machine, and they worked as one unit, and there wasn’t one player on the team that really stood out because it was a team effort.”

Here’s a list of the award winners from each fall sport in the Middle School.

Cheerleading
MVP – Briley Crisafi
Coaches’ Award – Brooke Hayes

Football – 6th
Offensive MVP – Nico Frezin, Brady Quinn, Mason Sukhu
Defensive MVP – Jack Lytal, Luke Lytal, Cole Grande

Football – 7th/8th
Coaches’ Award – Madeline Hart, Will Mahon, Vinnie Marotta

Volleyball – 6th
MVP – Nicole Nicklaus
MIP – Lexi Lower

Volleyball – 7th/8th
MVP – Lauren Papa
MIP – Ali Brown
Coaches’ Award – Madeline Caruso, Skyler Zur

Tennis
Coaches’ Award – Carol Chen, Casey Crawford, Nico Graziotto, Katia Orsic