The 13th Annual Night of Champions 2026 took place on Sunday, June 14th, celebrating the very best in local high school athletics. The special evening honored both outstanding student-athletes and the leadership of head coaches who have made a lasting impact in our community. More than 60 local scholar-athletes and coaches were recognized.
This was a private event, and attendance was by invitation only.
The event was held at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, located at 116 E. Green Street. Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner, with complimentary parking available at the adjacent Green Street Garage.
Doors opened at 5:30 PM, with dinner service beginning at 6:05 PM. The formal program started at 6:30 PM, and the evening concluded at 8:00 PM.
Night of Champions celebrated excellence, dedication, and leadership across our local high school sports community. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening a success, and we look forward to seeing you again next year.
OVERALL
Trent Thibault, Lansing
Male Scholar-Athlete
Rachel Vickio, Watkins Glen
Female Scholar-Athlete
Aubrey Brown, Marathon
Boys Coach of the Year
Pam Quinlan, Candor
Girls Coach of the Year
Kari Burke, Ithaca
Athletic Director Appreciation Award
Shane Taylor, Ithaca
Athletic Director Appreciation Award
Will Foster, Trumansburg
Boys Senior Leadership Award
Caraline Wasileski, Moravia
Girls Senior Leadership Award
FALL
ATHLETES:
Trent Thibault, Lansing
Boys Cross Country
Tsadia Bercuvitz, Ithaca
Girls Cross Country
Ella Green, Moravia
Field Hockey
Aidan Clarke-Cabezas, Trumansburg
Football
Duncan Gattine, Trumansburg
Boys Soccer
Devyn Blasz, Groton
Girls Soccer
Colleen Whitten, Southern Cayuga
Girls Swimming and Diving
Jordan Brinkley, Lansing
Volleyball
COACHES:
Brett Jillson, Southern Cayuga
Boys Cross Country
Skip Strobel, Odessa-Montour
Girls Cross Country
Jacki Hess, Moravia
Field Hockey
Chad Doolittle, Trumansburg
Football
Aubrey Brown, Marathon
Boys Soccer
Jocelyn Lathers, Groton
Girls Soccer
Jason Westervelt, Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour
Girls Swimming and Diving
Pam Quinlan, Candor
Volleyball
WINTER
ATHLETES:
Nicco Binns, Lansing
Boys Bowling
Calli Marsh, Candor
Girls Bowling
Anaya Aylesworth, Newark Valley
Cheerleading
Koen Anderson, Ithaca
Boys Swimming and Diving
Jakobe Foster, Candor
Boys Basketball
Maddy Kalet, Union Springs
Girls Basketball
Lucas Hoffman, Odessa-Montour/Watkins Glen
Boys Wrestling
Carmen Bishop, Groton
Girls Wrestling
Aidan Swarthout, Ithaca
Boys Hockey
Sonia Enns, Ithaca
Girls Hockey
Logan Aman, Candor
Boys Indoor Track and Field
Maddie White, Newfield
Girls Indoor Track and Field
COACHES:
Tom Strong, Odessa-Montour
Boys Bowling
Cody Cornell, Newark Valley
Girls Bowling
Katie Brindisi, Newark Valley
Cheerleading
Jonathan Singer, Ithaca
Boys Swimming and Diving
Dan Cerro, Union Springs
Boys Basketball
Andy Kalet, Union Springs
Girls Basketball
Larry Kasmarcik, Newark Valley
Boys Wrestling
Jayme Evans, Groton
Girls Wrestling
Paul Zarach, Ithaca
Boys Hockey
Tyler Wagenet, Ithaca
Girls Hockey
Bree Zogaria, Candor
Boys Indoor Track and Field
Becca Lovenheim, Ithaca
Girls Indoor Track and Field
SPRING
ATHLETES:
Aicha Cisse, Ithaca
Girls Flag Football
Eli Landis, Moravia
Baseball
Michael Culver, Union Springs
Boys Golf
Hailey Baughan, Lansing
Girls Golf
Quentin Getzin, Ithaca
Boys Lacrosse
Sage Bliss, Ithaca
Girls Lacrosse
Paul Hayden, Southern Cayuga
Boys Outdoor Track and Field
Kaylee Kastenhuber, Spencer-Van Etten
Girls Outdoor Track and Field
Paityn Delaney, Union Springs
Softball
Jonah Jacobstein, Ithaca
Boys Tennis
Marina Okada, Ithaca
Girls Tennis
Moses Howard, Ithaca
Unified Athlete
COACHES:
Ray Hage, Ithaca
Girls Flag Football
Kyle Lumpkin, Union Springs
Baseball
Matt Loveless, Lansing
Boys Golf
Kelly Baughan, Lansing
Girls Golf
Clayton Fickenscher, Ithaca
Boys Lacrosse
Kaitlyn Hoffay, Ithaca
Girls Lacrosse
Ricky Stewart, Newfield
Boys Outdoor Track and Field
Bryce DeSantis, Trumansburg
Girls Outdoor Track and Field
Jim Bona, Union Springs
Softball
Helen Evans, Ithaca
Boys Tennis
Helen Evans, Ithaca
Girls Tennis
Baron Dunbrook, Ithaca
Unified Athletics Coach
Previous Honorees
2024–2025
Scholar-Athletes
Joe Baylor, Moravia
Charli Bennett, Southern Cayuga
Coaches
Zack LeViere, Dryden
Pam Quinlan, Candor
2023–2024
Scholar-Athletes
Kyler Proper, Moravia
Lauren Millspaugh, Trumansburg
Coaches
Todd Mulvaney, Moravia
Nicole Lamie, Lansing
John Crossgrove, Moravia
2022–2023
Scholar-Athletes
Brandon Vanacore, Southern Cayuga
Hannah Nolan, Odessa-Montour
Coaches
Joe Manning, Groton
Andy Kalet, Union Springs
2021–2022
Scholar-Athletes
Brooke Tillotson, Marathon
Mike Wandell, Newark Valley
Coaches
Greg Schweiger, Newark Valley
Mike Nembhard, Newfield
2020–2021
Scholar-Athletes
Braelyn Hornick, Candor
Jacob Humble, Newfield
Coaches
Scott Voorhees, Trumansburg
Nicole Chafee, Watkins Glen
2019–2020
Scholar-Athletes
Diego Castellot, Marathon
Gwen Gisler, Lansing
Coaches
Chip Stewart, Marathon
Pam Quinlan, Candor
2018–2019
Scholar-Athletes
Hannah Morse, Watkins Glen
Dylan Houseknecht, Odessa-Montour
Coaches
Alicia Learn, Watkins Glen
Benji Parkes, Lansing
2017–2018
Scholar-Athletes
Nick Parkes, Lansing
Mackenzie Grube, Spencer-Van Etten
Coaches
Chris Bubble, Newfield
BJ Bliss, Ithaca
2016–2017
Scholar-Athletes
Patrick Hazlitt, Watkins Glen
Nicole Gates, Candor
Coaches
Alicia Learn, Watkins Glen
Brian Sherwood, Newark Valley
2015–2016
Scholar-Athletes
Emily Kopp, Southern Cayuga
Jared Lyon, Moravia
Coaches
Brian Trippany, Newark Valley
Todd Mulvaney, Moravia
2014–2015
Scholar-Athletes
Lauren Trumble, Ithaca
Vincent Darpino, Newark Valley
Coaches
Eric Stickel, Lansing
Jim Hodges, Union Springs
2013–2014
Scholar-Athletes
Matt Gill, Watkins Glen
Eryn Griep, Marathon
Coaches
Lee Stuttle, Dryden
Adam Heck, Lansing
The Selection Process
Nominations for Outstanding Scholar-Athletes and Outstanding Coaches come from the Athletic Directors of our 15 area high schools.
Recipients are selected based on a nomination and voting process by the Athletic Directors with the final decision made by the ESPN Ithaca Selection Committee.
Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Each award winner has been recognized as a top varsity performer in at least two sports while maintaining a minimum grade average of 85 with no disciplinary issues.
The scholar-athlete must be a high school senior, with strong academic and civic contributions.
Outstanding Scholar-Athletes
Each award winner has been recognized as a top varsity performer in their respective sport, while maintaining a minimum grade average of 80, with no disciplinary issues.
Outstanding Coaches and Coach of the Year
Each award winner has been recognized as a top varsity head coach for their sport for the entire season and is in good standing with their school and Section IV Athletics.
For questions, please email [email protected]