Apr 22, 2016 8 min read

The Special Recognition Award at the Tri-County Athletic Directors Association’s Coach of the Year Banquet recognizes an athlete who has either won a state individual title or was named to one of the all-state teams by a Pennsylvania Coaches Association or by a panel of sports writers from across the state.

This year’s group will be honored at the banquet, which is at 5 p.m., Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton in the Meadow Lands.

All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.

Only athletes from schools in the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association are eligible for the award.

The following is a brief bio of each honoree:

The 6-4 senior center and University of Pennsylvania recruit was dominant during the Lions’ grisl basketball playoff run, averaging more than 16 points in seven games. It was her back-to-back games late in the WPIAL playoffs that helped South Fayette win the WPIAL title. She had 27 points, 16 rebounds and 13 blocks in a semifinal win over Hampton, and she had nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter against Trinity in the WPIAL championship win. She averaged 10 rebounds per game.

Erica Burns Carmichaels

Burns, who currently starts for Point Park’s softball team, was one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL as a senior, finishing with a 14-4 record and 157 strikeouts in 119 innings. She walked only 25 batters and had a 1.41 ERA. Burns hit .492 with a home run in the WPIAL playoffs, scored 25 runs and had 15 RBI. She only struck out three times in 61 at-bats and stole 12 bases.

Mike Carr South Fayette

Carr completed his second consecutive undefeated wrestling season by winning the 145-pound title in Class AA with a 3-1 decision over James Duffy of Smethport. Carr won the 138-pound title as a junior. Carr ended his career with a 160-15 record and leaves as the winningest wrestler in the program’s history.

Kaitlyn Dittrich

Chartiers-Houston

When an injury relegated Kassie Kesneck to outfield duty, Dittrich stepped in and helped the Bucs reach the WPIAL Class AA title game. A finesse pitcher, Dittrich had a 19-4 record and a 1.00 ERA in 133 innings. She struck out 72 and walked only 16, holding opponents to a .216 batting average.

Mary Dunn Trinity

The Youngstown State recruit helped the Hillers reach the WPIAL girls basketball title game, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a semifinal win over Mars. She had 23 points and 16 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory over South Park. Dunn averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and surpassed 1,000 career points.

Delaney Elling Trinity

One of the most feared softball hitters in the WPIAL, Elling continued to punish opposing pitchers in 2015, batting .580 with 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs and finished third on the team with 40 hits. The Penn State recruit began the softball postseason with three multi-hit games and hit three postseason home runs.

Mitch Ford South Fayette

One of the WPIAL’s top defenders, Ford helped the Lions edge Mars, 3-2, in overtime to win the school’s first WPIAL soccer title. In addition to all-state honors, Ford was named Player of the Year in Section 5-AA. He is a two-time All-WPIAL and all-section honoree.

Olivia Gray Trinity

One of the best defensive shortstops in the state, Gray was magnificent in the field and at the plate as a senior. She led the Hillers’ high-powered offense with a .611 batting average and was a power threat in the No. 2 spot in the order. Now a starting outfielder for Pitt, Gray hit 15 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and struck out just once last season. She also scored 44 runs and had an on-base percentage of .696.

Aaron Harris McGuffey

One of the WPIAL’s top strikers, Harris scored 20 regular-season goals but saved his best for the postseason by scoring two goals, including the eventual game-winner with less than 11 minutes remaining, to send the 12th-seeded Highlanders to a 2-1 upset over Beaver in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA soccer playoffs.

Hunter Hayes

South Fayette

A running back, Hayes rushed for 1,381 yards and scored 22 touchdowns in leading the Lions to the WPIAL Class AA title game. He finished his career with two WPIAL Class AA championships, two state titles 3,954 rushing yards and 59 touchdowns.

Kassie Kesneck Chartiers-Houston

A back injury prevented the four-year starter from pitching last season but Kesneck hurt opponents with her bat. She hit .425 with nine doubles, two triples, a homer and a team-high 33 RBI to help the Bucs reach the WPIAL Class A softball title game and the state playoffs. She hit .500 during the playoffs and did not commit an error all season.

Mia Kness Peters Township

Kness, a junior, finished sixth at the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Golf Championships and helped Peters Township finished second in the team tournament by shooting a 1-over 72 at Cedarbrook Golf Course. She went on to finish fifth at the PIAA West Regional at Heritage Hills in Blairsville and shot 10-over-par 82 in the final round of the tournament to tie for fourth at the PIAA Championships.

Mike Kondratik Charleroi

The senior finished second at the WPIAL Class AA Golf Championships at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, shooting 4-over-par 74 for a spot in the West Regional, where he qualified for the PIAA Championships. At Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, Kondratik finished seventh.

Sierra Kotchman Trinity

The 5-6 point guard created fits for opposing defenses by knocking down three-pointers and relentlessly driving to the basket. Kotchman, who has more than 1,000 career points, averaged 17.9 per game, but her most impressive statistic might have been an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3 to 1. She shot 51 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line.

Madison Ludrosky Jefferson-Morgan

The three-year softball starter was dominant in her final season, helping J-M win its first WPIAL title. She had a 15-4 record, an area-best 170 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings and a 0.69 ERA. She also batted .400 with 17 RBI. Ludrosky had 505 career strikeouts,and was almost unhittable in the postseason with a 71-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Darton McIntire Waynesburg

Averaged 26.3 points, six rebounds and six assists as a sophomore. A team captain for the Raiders’ basketball team, McIntire shot 83 percent from the free-throw line. He scored at least 25 points in 13 games, including 47 points against Brownsville.

Dwight Moore, Monessen

The quick guard had a breakout senior season for the Greyhounds’ basketball team, averaging 22.7 points per game for the WPIAL’s highest-scoring offense. Moore eclipsed 30 points four times.

Justice Rice Monessen

The junior point guard had a big season for Monessen’s basketball team, averaging 16.8 points per game and often was the Greyhounds’ top rebounder. Rice scored at least 20 points 10 times, including back-to-back 22-point games to open the season.

Lavalle Rush Monessen

Rush, a three-year starter, also was an all-state basketball player as a junior and averaged 17.2 points per game in his final season with the Greyhounds. He helped Monessen reach the WPIAL semifinals and the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

Linda Rush Canon-McMillan

One of the best softball players in the WPIAL, Rush had another strong season for the Big Macs with a .577 batting average, 33 runs, 31 RBI, three doubles and an area-best 11 home runs. She struck out only three times in 66 plate appearances and had a .636 on-base percentage.

Christian Snatchko Canon-McMillan

A three-year starter and team captain, Snatchko led Canon-McMillan to the WPIAL Class AAA soccer title and the PIAA quarterfinals. A goalkeeper, Snatchko had nine shutouts last season and 32 for his career. He also scored the game-winning goal in penalty kicks to defeat Fox Chapel in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

Nick Sodini Canon-McMillan

The Big Macs’ senior striker led Canon-McMillan to the WPIAL Class AAA soccer title and a 19-4 record that included the Section 5-AAA championship. A Slippery Rock recruit, Sodini scored 32 goals with 10 assists. He had 62 career goals and 22 assists.

Katie Tarr Burgettstown

Tarr helped the Blue Devils’ softball team to a share of the Section 1-AA title and a high seed in the Class AA playoffs. The 6-1 right-handed junior pitcher had a 16-4 record with 158 strikeouts, a 2.61 ERA and was a threat at the plate. She batted .327 with four home runs and 23 RBI.

Gavin Teasdale Jefferson-Morgan

Teasdale concluded a second undefeated wrestling season in as many years when he rolled to victory in the PIAA Class AA 113-pound weight class. Teasdale won by technical fall, 23-8, over Kollin Myers of Boiling Springs in the finals. He won the 106-pound title last year and has an 82-0 career record.

Dana Vatakis, Monessen

The freshman pitcher led the Greyhounds’ softball team to the first WPIAL playoff berth in school history. She had an 11-3 pitching record with 108 strikeouts and was the Greyhounds’ leading hitter with a .422 average.

Tony Welsh, Beth-Center

Welsh led the Bulldogs to the WPIAL football playoffs for four consecutive seasons and finished with 5,062 rushing yards and 83 touchdowns. He was fourth in the WPIA last fall with 1,945 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Welsh is second in school history in rushing yards and ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a playoff loss to Avonworth.