It’s that time of year.
Prom season. Time for graduation. Celebration time of another great school year.
That means it’s time to name the best athletes of 2024-25.
It’s time to name the top athletes for the school year who will be honored at the 39th annual Northeast Times Sports Banquet on May 14.
The winter and fall winners were already announced.
SPRING AWARDS
Baseball
Catholic League Player of the Year
Jake Marchesano
Archbishop Ryan
The Most Valuable Player of the Catholic League last year picked up right where he left off. He has a 1.60 earned run average this year in seven appearances. This comes one year after the Raider was virtually unhittable, which earned him MVP honors. This year, his arm is a big reason for Ryan being in the mix in the Catholic League.
The hard thrower will pitch next year at the University of Delaware.
Public League Player of the Year
Jayden Ocasio
Franklin Towne Charter
For his entire life, Ocasio wanted to be a professional baseball player. He’s done everything in his power to make that happen. The five-tool outfielder is hitting .524 with an on-base percentage of .722. He has 11 hits with 16 runs and seven RBIs, and he’s helped propel the Warriors into the upper echelon of the Public League.
Next year, he’ll play baseball at La Salle University.
Coach of the Year
Juan Namnun
Frankford
Not much changes at Frankford. The Pioneers always have one of the best baseball teams in the city, and even after they’re hit hard by graduation, it doesn’t matter.
They still have Juan Namnun.
The coach has the Pioneers atop the Public League once again, and with some of their toughest games behind them, the Pioneers should be ready to again make a run at a Public League championship.
Softball
Catholic League Player of the Year
Jill DiMario
Nazareth Academy
The Pandas knew going into the Catholic League last year that winning would be a challenge. But when you have a pitcher like Jill DiMario in the circle, you can do a lot of good things.
Nazareth won three of its first four games of the season this year, and DiMario has an identical record as the team’s pitcher.
The Pandas will rely on her arm the rest of the year. She has 57 strikeouts in 45 innings. Next year, she’ll continue her career at Stevenson.
Public League Player of the Year
Sophia Blaisdell
Franklin Towne Charter
The four-year starter has become the starting centerfielder for the Warriors. And since taking over the new spot, she’s become very comfortable.
Also a star on the soccer field, she’s hitting .625 with 13 RBIs and a 1.700 OPS.
On top of being one of the best offensive players in the game, she’s come a long way this year on defense, manning one of the toughest positions while also being the leader the Warriors need.
She’s also one of the main reasons the Warriors are once again one of the top teams in the Public League, sitting at 8-1 on the season.
Coach of the Year
Danielle Vittitow
Nazareth Academy
It’s not easy to win in the Catholic League. It’s even tougher when you’re one of the new guys and everyone is gunning for you. But that hasn’t mattered much this year.
Nazareth Academy is one of the top teams in the Catholic League having dropped just one game thus far against league competition. The Pandas have also hung in despite an incredibly tough nonleague schedule that obviously prepared the team for the grind of the Catholic League.
Vittitow, as she does every year, has set a great example for her charges, and despite a young lineup at spots, has coached the team to compete against some of the best teams in the city.
Overall awards
Holy Family Male Athlete
Casey Murphy
Baseball
An ace pitcher can help a team a lot. That’s exactly what Murphy has done for the Tigers.
Giving Holy Family a chance to win every time he takes the mound, the right-handed graduate student has four wins on the season while striking out 34 batters.
A graduate of Lower Merion High School, Murphy is not only leading the Tigers baseball team, he’s pursuing his MBA this year.
Holy Family Female Athlete
Taylor Hinkle
Basketball
It was a historic season for the Holy Family women’s basketball team, and a lot of that was because of Hinkle.
For the second straight year, the Central Bucks South graduate was an All-CACC First Team selection and a D2CCA All-East Region Second Team selection. She was also the MVP of the CACC Tournament.
This year, she averaged 12.6 points per game, while also contributing 8.4 rebounds per game as she helped the Tigers win their first CACC championship since 2015 to qualify for their first NCAA Tournament since 2016. The Tigers would win two NCAA Tournament games to advance to their first East Regional Final since 2012. They finished 26-7.
Pioneer Award
Alyssa Campbell
Fels
The Panthers have had some great moments over the years in athletics, but not too many of those good times were in baseball.
That all changed last year under first-year head coach Alyssa Campbell, who didn’t just turn the team into a competitive unit, they were among the best in the Public League.
After running roughshod through its schedule, Fels advanced to the Public League semifinals behind Campbell. This year, they have hung tough while moving up a division.
A former star athlete, Campbell took over a team that struggled to win a game. Now they’re a team to watch in the Public League
Most Courageous Athlete
Ilana Chong
Little Flower
It’s not easy starting a new school where you don’t know anyone. It’s even harder when you’re not familiar with the language. But that’s exactly what Chong did when she got to Little Flower after coming to the United States shortly before high school.
While she was a good swimmer, she was a quiet kid who had a hard time meeting people because of the language barrier. Once she signed up for swimming, that all changed.
After being reserved, Chong turned into one of the most outgoing members of the Sentinels this year, and also made a big splash in the pool, earning All-Catholic.
Next year, she’ll attend St. Joe’s where she’ll major in pharmacy.
Most Dedicated
Becca Varhula
Washington
A lot can happen when you put in the work. Varhula is a great example of that.
The four-year starter at pitcher has become one of the most dominant players of all time, striking out more players than anyone in league history.
Also a good hitter, Varhula has single-handedly helped the Eagles become one of the top teams in the city, sitting at 6-1 on the season.
Varhula will continue her softball career in college, where she’s eyeing a nursing degree.
Sportsmanship Award
Steve Tetkowski
Benjamin Rush
It’s not easy to write a short bio on Tetkowski because he does so much. Because Rush doesn’t have a football, boys soccer or volleyball team, he plays for Washington where he was an All-Public selection in both fall sports. He also represents Rush, where he bowls.
Tetkowski dances back and forth between the two schools for practice and games and he always gets off on the right foot. He’s a competitive dancer, which is his major at Rush, and he was a former star on Kidz Bop.
On top of being a great athlete, Tetkowski earned praise from both schools for the way he represents himself and the teams.
Leadership Award
Gavin Dunlop
Father Judge
It has helped that he always had a perfect role model on the soccer field, but Dunlop is certainly living up to the standard set by his father.
The son of Judge coach John Dunlop, Gavin was the unquestioned leader of the Crusaders this year, and played a huge role in Judge’s success.
The Crusaders lost a lot of talent to graduation, but didn’t take a step back thanks to the guidance of their strong defender. He was also a key cog on the field, earning All-Catholic for his play.
Next year, he’ll continue his career at Jefferson University on a scholarship.
Unsung Hero
Jordan Jennings
MaST Charter
Sometimes being a city team playing in a league that’s not considered a “city” league can put you out of the limelight.
And that may have been the case for Jennings because she’s not one of the best softball players in the Bicentennial League, she’s one of the best in the state.
Jennings has 29 hits with 27 RBIs and is slugging 1.147. She also has eight doubles and three home runs.
Behind Jennings’ bat and defense at shortstop, the Panthers are 9-2 on the season. Next year she’ll play at Stockton.
Spirit Award
Allie McNesby
St. Hubert
For the past four years, McNesby has been one of the stars for the St. Hubert cheerleading team. She’s helped the team pile up Catholic League championships, state championships and strong showings in the national competition every year, twice bringing home the gold.
And she recently found out she’ll be cheering for Penn State next year.
Away from cheerleading, she shows spirit. She’s the student body president, in the National Honor Society, and has also earned All-Catholic in both cross country and track.
Teammate of the Year
Mark Anthony Gallagher
Archbishop Ryan
Whatever the Raiders needed, that’s what Gallagher did.
The four-year member of the Ryan basketball program came into the season hoping for a starting spot, but at the start of the year, he found himself coming off the bench. He didn’t quit. He didn’t complain. Instead, he worked hard and when his number was called, he did the job.
Gallagher went from a bench player to a guy who rarely left the court by the end of the year and helped the young Ryan team not only make the playoffs, but win a playoff game. The team loses just two seniors, so not only did he help the team this year, he’ll help it in the future
Northeast Philadelphian Award (Male)
Ryder Stern
Penn Charter
Stern was a very busy man this fall. He started his day going to Penn Charter, then he would head out back where he was one of the top players on the Quakers soccer team. He was a defender where he earned All-Inter-Ac honors for his play.
He also starred on the football field, where he would kick for the Quakers and turned himself into one of the best in the city.
Next year Stern will continue his soccer career at Widener.
Northeast Philadelphian Award (Female)
Gabby Bowes
Germantown Academy
The Inter-Ac has some of the best girls basketball around, and Bowes was one of the best in the league.
The Somerton resident scored 14.5 points per game and grabbed 4.1 rebounds. She also drained 66 3-pointers on the season and was a First-Team selection for the All-Inter-Ac team.
When she wasn’t lighting up the scoresheet, Bowes led the Athletes Helping Athletes club at the school, and has been a huge part of making it one of the most successful clubs at the school.
Next year she’ll continue her career at Millersville.
Female Scholar-Athlete
Sadie Woods
Archbishop Ryan
The Ragdolls volleyball team had one of its most successful seasons ever thanks to a strong senior class. And Woods was chief among them.
She was a leader for the Ragdolls, who went on to finish 7-4 and make noise in the PCL playoffs.
But what Woods does in the school is even more remarkable. She’s at the top of her class and was selected as the school valedictorian because of the great example she set for the other students.
She’ll do the same next year when she attends Penn State in an honors program that selects only 50 students each year.
Male Scholar-Athlete
James McFadden
Franklin Towne Charter
McFadden plays two sports at Franklin Towne – wrestling and soccer – and he does both very well. He was a three-year captain on the wrestling team where he was a district qualifier all four years and the past three years he’s advanced to regionals. He also led the team in wins in each of the past three seasons. He’s also a very good soccer player and has been a key part of the Warriors program for the past four years.
McFadden ranks fourth in his senior class and is the National Honor Society president at the school.
Female Athlete of the Year
Reese Power
Nazareth
When people talk about the Pandas’ first few years in the Catholic League, Power is going to be in a lot of the discussions. She’s played an enormous role in the success of Nazareth the past two seasons in two of the biggest sports.
In soccer, she’s one of the top defenders in the Catholic League and the centerback has helped the Pandas reach the PCL championship game in each of her two years competing in the league. She also is one of the top basketball players in the league, earning All-Catholic this year as the point guard. Last year she helped the team reach the PCL semifinals, this year she guided the team to the quarterfinals.
Next year, she’ll continue her soccer career at Drexel.
Male Athlete of the Year
Kevair Kennedy
Father Judge
Kennedy became a Father Judge legend this year when he helped the Crusaders do some historic things. First, he led Judge to a Catholic League championship, the first one the school has had in 27 years. Then, he led the team on a run to the state title where the Crusaders defeated the same team they beat in the PCL championship – a very good Roman Catholic team – for the state championship.
Kennedy scored 16 points a game for the Crusaders, who finished the year 24-7 despite playing the best teams the state has to offer.
Next year, Kennedy will continue his career at Merrimack College.
