On Wednesday evening, more than 200 student-athletes arrived at The Westwood in Garwood. While the list of attendees was mostly populated by seniors and their parents, athletes from Blue Devil state championship teams were also guests. The occasion? Booster scholarship night.
“The tradition is to honor all the WHS scholar-athletes,” said Randy Wojcik, a booster. “It is also to recognize their achievements of all the hard work and dedication they put in over the years.”
By the end of the night, 39 different seniors, deserving athletes who put countless hours into reaching the top of their athletic class, received scholarships.
After a delicious chicken parmesan dinner and some cookies, the banquet kicked off with the recognition of all the senior athletes. This recognition named each senior athlete who signed up to attend the banquet. As a reward for their dedication, the athletes were given a plaque, a gift card to Manhattan Bagel and a warm applause from both their teammates and parent attendees.
“It’s a compilation of the scholar-athletes,” said Sandy Mamary, the WHS athletic director. “It’s a tradition of our scholar-athletes’ success, and we really get to celebrate our student-athletes, and it’s the best night of the year.”
Then came the most anticipated part of the night, the scholarships. Nervous athletes could only play around with the remaining food on their plate, hoping their hard work would pay off for a scholarship. After what seemed like hours and nonstop applause, 39 athletes were awarded scholarships. These scholarships, most $1,500, ranged from sport-specific scholarships funded by Westfield’s youth sports clubs to scholarships awarded in honor of past or current boosters.
These awards were given to not only the most talented athletes on the field, but also to the highest-performing athletes in the classroom. The audience enjoyed hearing the impressive GPAs being read, as “oohs” and “aahs” would fill the room.
“These athletes work hard in the classroom and on the playing surface, so it’s not just one or the other, it’s both,” Mamary said. “You have to excel in both areas, and you have to contribute to society, so those are the big things and it’s not just one but having all those aspects.”
Although these dedicated athletes weren’t all able to win a scholarship, they walked out with smiles on their faces, knowing they had cemented their legacy in Blue Devil tradition.
Here is the full list of student-athletes who received awards:
– Gary Kehler Memorial Award: Trey Brown
– Advisor’s Awards: Tristan Wroe, Lauren McDonough
– Alumni Scholarship: Joe Pierro
– Walter L. Clarkson Honorary Award: Sonia Olson
– Greta Schoenemann Memorial Scholarship: Alyssa Martinez
– Jack Martin Spirit Award: Liam Maurillo
– Thomas Hornish Achievement Award: Bella Hill
– John Byrne Memorial Scholarship: Anthony Buoscio
– Westfield Lacrosse Club Awards: Ella McLane, Ryan Waldman
– Westfield Basketball Association Awards: Annie Ryan, Theo Sica
– McLane Memorial Scholarships: Lily Dickerson, Quinn Wojcik
– Family of Marge & Bob Brewster Scholarship: Dylan Wragg
– Toni Bristol Honorary Award: Paige Gorczyca
– Jake Tooley Memorial Scholarship: Alex Tilyou
– Jim Nicoll Scholarship Award: Jonathan Scalia
– Brown Family Scholarship: Brandon Love
– Girls Softball League of Westfield Scholarship: Grace Loder
– Westfield Baseball League Award: Leo Mangiamele
– Ted Connell Scholarships for Achievement in Swimming: Abby Bebel, Colin Kavanagh
– Deborah Tuohy Memorial Award: Danny Hazard
– Schwartz Family Scholarship: Noah Fischer
– Ally Hornstein Ice Hockey Scholarship: Lillie Martel
– John Devin Ice Hockey Scholarship: Joey Tortorella
– Tri-Sport Achievement Scholarship: Gabe Dayon
– Westfield Wrestling Foundation Scholarship: Michael Murphy
– Meghan Kelley Memorial Scholarship: Catherine Angel
– Nick Gismondi Memorial Scholarship: Julia Schneider
– Charles & Margaret Burgdorf Scholarship: John McDonald
– Athletic Directors’ Scholarship: Daniel Cortese
– Brett Defazio Memorial Scholarship: Ethan Composto
– Girls Volleyball Scholarship: Ally Muller
– XC/Track & Field Scholarship: Ciara Dursee
– Executive Committee Award: Sutton Factor
– President’s Award: Barnes Blake
