RGVSPORTS.COM
The best of the best in 29 sports categories will be recognized at the All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at DoubleTree Suites in McAllen.
The awards banquet, hosted by RGVSports.com in conjunction with the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, recognizes team and individual standouts in multiple sports over the past year. Tickets are sold out, but the event will be livestreamed on TheMonitor.com, ValleyStar.com and BrownsvilleHerald.com.
Dallas Cowboys legend Drew Pearson is the keynote speaker for the event. Rio Grande Valley Chevy Dealers is the presenting sponsor.
The Tom Landry Award of Excellence will be introduced at the banquet. The award was initiated to honor the legacy of the former Cowboys coaching great. Landry, who died Feb. 12, 2000 at the age of 75, was a Mission native who embodied the principles of integrity, sportsmanship, character and teamwork to which all student-athletes should aspire.
“We are extremely grateful to the Landry family for allowing us to honor Coach Landry’s legacy by naming our most prestigious sports award the Tom Landry Award of Excellence,” said Stephan Wingert, Regional Vice President and Publisher of The Monitor. “The recipient might not be the most gifted athlete in the Valley, but will certainly represent the principles for which Coach Landry is still known.”
The Tom Landry Award of Excellence will recognize a local student-athlete for accomplishments on and off the field. Rio Grande Valley high school athletic directors chose the nominations for the award. The three publishers of AIM Media’s Valley newspapers —Wingert (The Monitor), Frank Escobedo (Brownsville Herald) and Lilia Castillo Jones (Valley Morning Star) — will choose a winner from the nominations, along with Mid-Valley Town Crier general manager John Greider.
Representatives from the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, The Monitor, the Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star voted on nominations for each of the 29 sports categories. The winners will be honored Tuesday.
The nominees in each category:
Boys cross country athlete of the year:
>> Moises Campos, Hidalgo
>> Refugio Montelongo, La Villa
>> Jonathan Reyes, Mercedes
Girls cross country athlete of the year:
>> Ana Bautista, Rio Grande City
>> Beth Ramos, Edinburg North
>> Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest
Volleyball player of the year:
>> Joseline Caraveo, Los Fresnos
>> Mayda Garcia, McAllen Rowe
>> Gabby Lerma, Mission Veterans Memorial
Football player of the year:
>> Joshua McGowen, McAllen High
>> Trevor Speights, McAllen Memorial
>> Leo Tienda, Harlingen High
Girls basketball player of the year:
>> Jazlynn Muniz, Weslaco High
>> Sami Quilantan, Harlingen High
>> Jordan Rudd, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Boys basketball player of the year:
>> Hugo de la Cruz, Los Fresnos
>> Ryan Garza, Edinburg Vela
>> Leo Lara, Santa Rosa
Boys soccer player of the year:
>> Alexis Armendariz, Brownsville Porter
>> Robert Briseno, Brownsville Porter
>> Jose Echevarria, Brownsville Lopez
>> Avi Garcia, Valley View
Girls soccer player of the year:
>> Clarissa Castaneda, Los Fresnos
>> Isabella Marinaro, Sharyland High
>> Kaitie Watson, Sharyland High
Boys tennis player of the year:
>> Sebastian Arizola, Sharyland High
>> Jeremiah Gonzalez, Harlingen South
>> Jack Wang, McAllen Memorial
Girls tennis player of the year:
>> Dianna Amaro, Brownsville Porter
>> Larissa Lopez, Los Fresnos
>> Valeria Montero, Harlingen South
Boys golfer of the year:
>> McLean Beckwith, Weslaco High
>> Santiago Garcia, Brownsville Hanna
>> Jimmy Lee, Sharyland High
Girls golfer of the year:
>> Ana Jose Erana, Sharyland High
>> Hannah Greer, Harlingen High
>> Julie Lucio, Brownsville Hanna
Boys track and field athlete of the year:
>> Joshua McGowen, McAllen High
>> Anthony Garza, Brownsville Rivera
>> Mike Zuniga, Rio Hondo
Girls track and field athlete of the year:
>> Gaby Garza, Brownsville St. Joseph
>> Nicole Gonzalez, Harlingen South
>> Sydney Salinas, Weslaco High
Softball player of the year:
>> Cassie Valdez, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
>> Kim Harper, San Benito
>> Dalilah Barrera, Mercedes
Baseball player of the year:
>> JR Gaitan, San Benito
>> Noel Vela, Mission Veterans Memorial
>> Freddy Villarreal, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
6A female athlete of the year:
>> Addison Dickey, Harlingen High
>> Mayda Garcia, McAllen Rowe
>> Belle Palacios, PSJA North
6A male athlete of the year:
>> Joshua McGowen, McAllen High
>> Trevor Speights, McAllen Memorial
>> Fred Villarreal, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Sub-6A female athlete of the year:
>> Alexandria Martinez, Port Isabel
>> Karla Sosa, Brownsville Porter
>> Jaida Muhammad, Edinburg Vela
Sub-6A male athlete of the year:
>>Ryan Garza, Edinburg Vela
>> Leo Lara, Santa Rosa
>> Kai Money, Brownsville St. Joseph
6A girls team of the year:
>> McAllen Rowe volleyball team
>> Harlingen High basketball
>> Los Fresnos volleyball
6A boys team of the year:
>> Harlingen High football
>> Brownsville Lopez soccer
>> McAllen Memorial football
Sub-6A girls team of the year:
>> Sharyland High golf
>> Sharyland High soccer
>> Rio Hondo softball
Sub-6A boys team of the year:
>> Edinburg Vela basketball
>> Progreso soccer
>> Brownsville Porter soccer
Boys coach of the year:
>> Lalo Rios, Edinburg Vela basketball
>> Margarito Jimenez, Progreso soccer
>> Jose Espitia, Brownsville Porter soccer
Girls coach of the year:
>> Magda Canales, McAllen Rowe volleyball
>> Ashley Moncivaiz, Harlingen High basketball
>> Becky Woods, Los Fresnos volleyball
6A program of the year:
>> McAllen Memorial
>> Harlingen High
>> Los Fresnos
Sub-6A program of the year:
>> Edinburg Vela
>> Santa Rosa
>> La Feria
Moment of the Year:
>> Trevor Speights, McAllen Memorial
>> Battle of the Arroyo
>> Brownsville Porter soccer