NDB held its annual sports banquet in the Moore Pavilion on May 17 to honor student-athletes for their hard work and dedication. The evening offered an opportunity for teams to reflect on the past year with a dinner and a ceremony for athletes who had won awards.
Each sports team had most valuable player, most inspirational and most improved that were voted by their fellow teammates along with a coaches award that the coaches decided on after their season. Though most teams already held a banquet for their respective sports, this event was a way for student-athletes to be honored on a school-wide level.
Additionally, varsity athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher received a scholar-athlete award for their commitment to striving for academic and athletic excellence. Fall and winter athletes were also recognized by the West Bay Athletic League, which is the league that NDB competes in before qualifying for postseason competitions, and many earned first-team, second-team and honorable mention all-league honors.
Throughout the night, students-athletes, parents and coaches indulged in a nutritious meal provided by the Epicurean Group, which included bread rolls, grilled chicken, penne pasta with a choice of cream or marinara sauce and a summer salad, while the highlight of the night were the chocolate covered strawberries out of the treats offered for dessert.
As for the seniors, they received special recognition for their hard work and dedication with a framed picture of their senior banners that are displayed on the walls of the Moore Pavilion.
Senior Helena Morell, a member of the cross country and track and field teams, shared how she felt knowing that her time with the NDB athletic program is coming to a close.
“It has been an honor to be the varsity distance captain for the past two years, and I could not have led a more compassionate and dedicated group of girls,” said Morell.
Three out of the five major awards were given out to two seniors and a freshman who have consistently gone above and beyond for their athletic teams.
Freshman Leila Murugan was the recipient of the Coach Ron Williams Memorial Scholarship, an award that honors a freshman for her positive attitude toward the sport of basketball and reflects the qualities of Williams, who unexpectedly died in 2004 after leaving a lasting impact on NDB’s athletics program.
Mallory Moore, a member of the varsity swimming and varsity water polo teams, won the Season of Sport Award for earning multiple all-league and team-nominated honors in her four years on the team. She has led the team to winning water polo tournament and pushed her fellow swimmers to earn new personal records.
Cailin Thompson won the Tiger of the Year Award for her success on the varsity soccer and varsity track and field teams. Her legacy will leave a lasting impact on the NDB athletic program, and she will head to Chapman University to run track and field in the fall.
“I was super surprised. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Thompson. “It honestly just brings me a lot of pride because I really did work hard these last four years, and it was recognized. It is really cool to be able to see that my hard work is going to be shown on the banner for a long time to come.”
Though the Scholar Athlete Award and Allison Huber Award were supposed to be announced during the banquet, the recipients were not present, so they will be revealed soon.
NDB’s sports banquet was an opportunity for the community of parents, coaches and, most importantly, athletes to recognize the athletic teams’ accomplishments.
