The 39th annual Athletic Awards Dinner and Celebration took place on June 16 at Douglaston Manor. This event served to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of 32 sports teams across three seasons as well as the individual athletes of Townsend Harris. 

For each team, three awards were presented: the Rising Star Award, Coach’s Award, and Most Valuable Player (MVP). A special Scholar Athlete Award was additionally presented to one athlete for each of the fall, winter, and spring seasons.

Although last year’s Athletic Awards Dinner was held at Queens College, the event returned to Douglaston Manor this year. Co-Athletic Director Blayne Gelbman, who organized Athletic Awards with Co-Athletic Director Jennifer Johnson, said, “We’ve used [Douglaston Manor] in the past and had really good success with it. And so far, I’ve been really happy with dealing with them. They’ve been great.”

At the beginning of the event, Mr. Gelbman recognized three sports teams who won their respective Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) city championships this year: girls varsity volleyball, girls varsity tennis, and the girls varsity epee fencing team. The boys varsity basketball team was also acknowledged for placing second in the city finals.   

Junior Morgan Ma, who received the girls varsity table tennis MVP award, girls varsity badminton Rising Star Award, and the Fall Distinguished Scholar Athlete Award, said, “Winning the [awards] is…a tremendous honor, and I’m very grateful to have received them.”

“I’d like to thank Coach Mazza for recognizing me with the Scholar Athlete Award, as well as Coach Lau and Coach Tsai for their support and guidance in table tennis, and Coach Tsai for helping me grow as a badminton player. These awards mean a lot to me because they reflect not only my hard work, but also the encouragement and mentorship I’ve received throughout the year.”

For freshman Akio Therrien, who won the MVP award for boys varsity baseball, “Winning an award is an absolute pleasure, especially as a freshman [who is] new on the team,” he said. “I did not expect it at all, and it was a great surprise and a memory I will remember forever.”

Sophomore Amelia Legaspi received the Rising Star award for girls varsity flag football. She said that she was grateful to receive the award, as it recognized her and her teammates’ hard work in an underrated sport. “I was excited to see if I got an award, which I did, and to see my friends who worked so hard in multiple sports receive rewards as well.”

Sophomore Catherine Hsu, who received the MVP award for girls fencing, said, “The award…reflects the hours I’ve put into practice and competition since I started fencing as a freshman with zero experience.” 

“More importantly, [MVP] reflects the support of my teammates. I couldn’t have done any of this without them. They inspire me to keep working hard and push myself to become better,” Catherine said.

Junior Hitarthi Bhatt received the MVP Award for girls handball. She said that even though she did not win all of her games, she still gave her best and remained focused in each match. To her, the MVP award represents “all the hard work I have put in this year and makes me hopeful for my year ahead.”

Senior Brian Merino, who received the Spring Scholar Athlete Award for boys varsity volleyball, said, “I wanted to enjoy sports awards one more time with both my team and my friends. I think it’s a nice event highlighting and recognizing student athletes.”

Gallery • 5 Photos

Owen Garcon

Girls varsity badminton coach John Tsai alongside junior Morgan Ma, senior captain Abby Chu, and senior captain Yam Yik Zheng pose with their awards. Morgan won Rising Star, Abby won Coach's Award, and Yam Yik won MVP.

While Morgan felt that “the event was very well organized overall,” she suggested that “it might be nice to include a highlight reel or slideshow featuring photos and memorable moments from each team’s season.” She said that this “would make the celebration even more personal and give athletes a chance to look back on everything they accomplished throughout the year.”

Akio said he felt the event was well-organized as well, and he appreciated the sense of freedom to socialize and take part in activities on his own, rather than being restricted by rigid rules. 

“I really enjoyed all aspects of the event including a calm entrance, awards, dinner, then the party afterwards alongside some ice cream,” Akio said. “Hanging out with friends felt really nice at the beautiful complex, and I would definitely go again.”

This year, awards were listed in a pamphlet that was distributed to students at the event’s start, rather than being revealed when coaches announce them, which had been done in previous years. Brian said that returning to the previous tradition would improve “the aspect of surprise that makes awards feel all that more special.”

The Most Improved Award was also not included this year. Amelia said, “I feel like there should be more awards…I do think more people deserve recognition for the hard work they put into sports.” 

Cay echoed this sentiment and said, “In my opinion, the Most Improved award is significant because the hard work and dedication people put in to get better at a sport is just as important as winning. Having this award would highlight that.”

Despite these changes, Amelia said, “I really enjoyed the event overall…and I can’t wait to come back next year.”