GREENFIELD — The 2018-19 school year was filled with championship performances, outstanding individual efforts and big-time moments.
It’s time to recognize those with the Daily Reporter Annual Sports Awards.
The nominees and winners were chosen by the Daily Reporter sports staff, and more categories will be introduced in 2020, with the plan to add several school-nominated awards.
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For now, we take a look at the best of the best: the best performers, teams, coaches, crowds and moments from 2018-19, along with the Breakout Athlete of the Year, given to a newcomer to their varsity team.
Without further ado, the winners are …
Team of the Year
Winner: New Palestine football
The New Palestine football team, from the smallest school in Class 5A, ran through its sixth straight regular season with an undefeated record and emerged as the 5A state champions with a 28-14 win against Decatur Central. The Dragons opened the season with a 77-0 thrashing of 2017 state runner-up Kokomo, then manhandled 6A powerhouse Center Grove. They never looked back from there, topping four of Class 5As biggest schools in the tournament en route to the championship.
Honorable Mention: New Palestine softball; Greenfield-Central baseball; New Palestine boys basketball; Mt. Vernon wrestling
Male Athlete of the Year
Winner: Charlie Spegal, New Palestine football, track
Spegal, a junior, had a season for the ages in helping to lead the Dragons to a Class 5A state championship. He broke state records for rushing touchdowns in a season, with 68, and total touchdowns in a season, with 70, and ranked first nationally in both categories. He set several school records, including rushing yards in a season (3,356), single-game rushing TDs (7) and single-game total TDs (8).
Honorable Mention: Cooper Noehre, Greenfield-Central wrestling; Kyle King, New Palestine football/basketball; Matthew True, New Palestine tennis/basketball, Peyton Meadors, Mt. Vernon tennis/basketball
Female Athlete of the Year
Winner: Jordan Reid, New Palestine track/basketball
Reid, a junior, bounced back from a sophomore season ACL tear in a huge way, earning all-county honors in basketball and Athlete of the Year for girls track. She ranked in the Top 10 in the county in almost every major statistical category in basketball, averaging 10.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She was named Athlete of the Meet in the girls county track meet and placed in two events at state, the 4×400 relay and the 400-meter dash, while setting school records in both events.
Honorable Mention: Hannah Farrell, Greenfield-Central basketball; Emily O’Connor, New Palestine softball; Sydnee Perry, Mt. Vernon basketball/softball; Annaliese Fox, New Palestine golf
Breakout Athlete of the Year
Winner: Caroline Stapleton, Eastern Hancock softball
Just a freshman, Stapleton exploded onto the Hancock County sports scene in a big way, leading the county in batting average (.575) and stolen bases (14), while also leading the state in triples (11). She ranked in the top 10 the county in on-base percentage, runs scored and RBIs, helping the Royals earn their first Mid-Eastern Conference championship and a sectional title this season.
Honorable Mention: Maddie Swingle, Mt. Vernon soccer, tennis and basketball; Landon O’Neal, Eastern Hancock basketball, football; Kelsi McLaughlin, Greenfield-Central soccer; Cole Rainbolt, Eastern Hancock football, basketball, track
Coach of the Year
Winner: Ed Marcum, New Palestine softball
Marcum, now a Hall of Fame coach, picked up his sixth state softball championship in 2019, a record among Indiana coaches. He helped guide the Dragons to an unprecedented third straight state title, the first softball three-peat in Indiana history, while compiling a 29-3 record. The Dragons outscored their opponents 86-5 in the tournament, winning each game by at least 10 runs.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Ralph, New Palestine football; Mike Kirschner, Mt. Vernon football; Julie Shelton, Mt. Vernon girls basketball; Mark Vail, Greenfield-Central baseball
Best crowd/atmosphere
Winner: Mt. Vernon vs. New Palestine, girls basketball sectional final
While several games came close, nothing could top the atmosphere at Mt. Vernon High School for the girls basketball sectional championship game between the Marauders and Dragons. The gym was packed, the crowd was electric throughout, and at the end, when the hosts upset their county rivals to claim the sectional title for their own, the celebration was unmatched this year.
Honorable Mention: New Palestine football vs. Center Grove; New Palestine softball vs. Yorktown (state final); Greenfield-Central vs. Mt. Vernon girls soccer (sectional semifinal); New Palestine football vs. Decatur Central (state final)
Game of the Year
Winner: Mt. Vernon vs. Pendleton Heights, softball sectional final
With a sectional championship on the line, Mt. Vernon’s Karlee Franklin and Pendleton Heights’ Jordan Benefiel put on an absolute pitching clinic. Benefiel held the Marauders to just one hit — a solo home run — and the Arabians tied the game in the seventh inning with a solo blast of their own. Franklin had 12 strikeouts. Benefiel had 17. The hosts outlasted the Arabians with three ninth-inning walks and a sacrifice fly, giving the Marauders their first sectional title in six years.
Honorable Mention: Greenfield-Central vs. Mt. Vernon, girls soccer (sectional semifinal); Mt. Vernon vs. Westfield, boys basketball; Greenfield-Central vs. Shelbyville, football; New Palestine vs. Center Grove, softball
Moment of the Year
Winner: New Palestine softball three-peat
While there were a lot of feel-good moments in 2018-19, the New Palestine Dragons softball team stands at the top for making history. They completed a dominant three-year run through Class 3A, winning a third straight state title while blowing out everyone they faced in the tournament. It was the perfect, fitting finale to the careers of six Dragons seniors, and solidified New Palestine’s spot in the state and national rankings.
Honorable Mention: New Palestine football state championship; Mt. Vernon girls basketball sectional championship; Greenfield-Central volleyball sectional championship; Greenfield-Central boys soccer sectional championship
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FALL
Football – Charlie Spegal, Maxen Hook, Kyle King, New Palestine
Volleyball – Victoria Bulmahn, Mt. Vernon
Boys soccer – Zack Bell, Greenfield-Central
Girls soccer – Lucy Brand, Greenfield-Central
Boys tennis – Matthew True, New Palestine
Girls golf – Annaliese Fox, New Palestine
Cross-country – Brenna Shaw, New Palestine
WINTER
Boys basketball – Maximus Gizzi, New Palestine
Girls basketball – Hannah Farrell, Greenfield-Central
Boys swimming – Travis Black, Greenfield-Central
Girls swimming – Carley Logan, Greenfield-Central
Wrestling – Cooper Noehre, Greenfield-Central
SPRING
Baseball – Adam Hutchison, Greenfield-Central
Softball – Emily O’Connor, New Palestine
Girls tennis – Lydia Ruegsegger, Mt. Vernon
Boys track runner – Tate Helm, Greenfield-Central
Girls track runner – Jordan Reid, New Palestine
Boys golf – Noah Mohler, Greenfield-Central
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