Freedom’s Connor Bevan and Allentown Central Catholic’s Julia Roth earn Athlete of the Year honors – The Morning Call

In an age of specialization in high school sports, its a rarity to find student-athletes who attempt multiple sports much less excel at them.

In the 2021-22 school year, few athletes excelled in more than one sport better than Freedoms Connor Bevan and Allentown Central Catholics Julia Roth.

Not only did they shine on various sports stages, but they also were among the best in the classroom. Thats why Bevan and Roth were announced Tuesday night as the male and female athletes of the year on The Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institutes ninth annual Athlete of the Year Awards broadcast on PBS39.

The Athlete of the Year event was the culminating celebration of the Athlete of the Week program, sponsored by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. The 35-week program, featured in The Morning Call, gives the public an opportunity to vote from three male and three female student-athletes weekly. Each weekly male and female winner, 64 in all, received a $500 scholarship.

All weekly winners were eligible for the top prize of a $10,000 scholarship, an award based on academics, community leadership, and athletic accomplishments.

In addition to the Athlete of the Year winners, other non-monetary awards announced during the broadcast included Comeback Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, presented by The Morning Call, and the Community Support Award, presented by PBS39.

Bevan was a state qualifier in wrestling and perhaps made an even larger mark on the lacrosse field where he helped the Patriots make the EPC tournament for the first time.

Freedom's Connor Bevan, top, wrestles Liberty's Elijah Reid at 152 pounds Jan. 26, 2022, during a match at Freedom High School in Bethlehem. (April Gamiz / HANDOUT)

He went over 100 goals and 200 points in his career, both Freedom records, even though he lost his sophomore season to the pandemic. He had six goals in a game against Emmaus this year and is headed to Misericordia.

On the PBS39 show, Bevan was reached while on the team bus as the Freedom lacrosse team was returning from its 15-8 win over Delaware Valley in the District 11-2 subregional. He was surrounded by his teammates who celebrated as he got the news. He also got his teammmates fired up by saying theyre going to be going for a championship Thursday night against Easton.

Thank you so much, he said from the bus. Thanks to my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches ... everybody who pushed me hard in academics and athletics to get this award and this scholarship. Thank you Lehigh Valley.

Roth is a standout four-sport athlete who earned 16 varsity letters in her career at Central. She was a four-year letterwinner in cross country, soccer, basketball, and track, and field. In the fall she balanced and excelled competing in both cross country and soccer. She medaled at the District 11 cross country championships with a ninth-place finish and was named team MVP in soccer in helping the Vikettes win the PIAA Class 2A crown.

She was also an EPC all-star, an all-state selection, and The Morning Calls player of the year in soccer and praised for excelling on the defensive end and for her leadership as a team captain.

She only scored one goal in soccer but scored much more in basketball. She led legendary coach Mike Kopps final team in scoring at 12.5 points per game and was also the teams top rebounder and was named first-team all-EPC. She was also a four-year letter winner in track and was the schools nominee for EPC scholar-athlete in three sports cross country, soccer, and basketball. She is ranked among the top students in her senior class.

Allentown Central Catholic's Julia Roth earned 16 varsity letters in her high school career. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Roth is rehabbing from a major knee injury suffered late in the basketball season but plans to continue her basketball career at Susquehanna University.

This is so exciting; I cant believe it ... its incredible, Roth said from just outside a downtown Allentown restaurant where she was watching the event at a viewing party. This is such a great surprise and its so nice to have so many family and friends here with me to celebrate with me because weve been through everything together.

Asked by Amy Fadool, the shows host, about navigating through four sports in one school year, Roth said: I definitely couldnt have done it without my family, especially my parents, who made it work with all of my busy schedules and also my coaches. They had a lot of patience with me [from coaches] to let me do everything they let me do. It was just an awesome experience and I cant thank them enough.

While Roth is vowing to make it back from her injury, another member of her family was celebrated for making her own comeback.

Roths younger sister, Samantha, a sophomore at ACCHS, who competed with her sister in soccer, basketball, and track and field, was presented with the comeback athlete award after battling back from an ACL injury and scoring the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win over Avonworth for the PIAA Class 2A soccer title.

That ACCHS state championship soccer team, coached by Rob Spatzer, won the fan favorite girls team award after going 17-3-3 overall record,.

Central Catholics Meredith Eisenmann (15) celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game against Holy Redeemer in the first half of play during a Class 2A soccer playoff match Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at Catasauqua Middle School. (Rick Kintzel/Morning Call)

Parkland High Schools Demi Olatilo, a member of the girls soccer team, was the Community Support Award winner.

The Parkland boys basketball team, which won the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 6A championship, was the fan favorite boys team.

Skyler Searfoss, the phenomenal Jim Thorpe talent who was The Morning Calls girls basketball player of the year, was the female athlete fan favorite. She finished her career with 1,787 points, plus loads of assists and steals.

Cooper King, who was the quarterback on Northamptons record-setting 12-1 football team and a clutch player on the Konkrete Kids boys basketball team that reached the third round of the state tournament, was the male athlete fan favorite.

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Chad Shirk, who led Saucon Valley to the PIAA Class 2A team championship in wrestling, was the male coach of the year.

The other boys nominees were Liberty swimming coach Reik Foust and Nazareth cross country coach Ken Rolek.

This award wouldnt have been possible without the amazing student-athletes who were on our team this year, Shirk said. Without their hard work and sacrifices none of this would have been possible.

Emmaus field hockey coach Sue Butz-Stavin. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

The legendary Sue Butz-Stavin, who led Emmaus to its second straight PIAA Class 3A field hockey crown and 14 overall was the female coach of the year. Butz-Stavin has the Green Hornets on a 44-game winning streak. Last fall she reached her 1,000th career win and her 46-year career is a staggering 1,015-87-35.

Other girls nominees were Spatzer, Parkland girls basketball coach Ed Ohlson and Parkland girls wrestling coach Jon Trenge.

Its an honor to receive this award and many thanks to our assistant coaches who do an amazing job and our student-athletes for their dedication and excellence on the playing field and in the classroom, Butz-Stavin said, who won the honor for the second straight year. Congratulations to our players for their accomplishments. Im so proud of them. Im honored to be their coach.

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Originally posted here:

Freedom's Connor Bevan and Allentown Central Catholic's Julia Roth earn Athlete of the Year honors - The Morning Call