Athletes of the Year
The Nebraska Sports Council has named its 2009 Cornhusker State Games Athletes of the Year.
Dave Sutko, who participated in 25 events, and Kimberly Shrader, who returned from a national bronze-medal fencing performance just in time to clean up in the Cornhusker State Games, have been named the Games’ 2009 Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Lincolnite Jim Peter, 57, earned the top senior award, competing in six different sports.
Sutko, 37, is a native of Omaha who now resides in Lincoln. His 25-event saga began with a mile in the Torch Run June 25 north of Lincoln and ended with a gold medal in coed volleyball on July 27. In between, he won 16 medals, including seven in one day on Saturday, July 18, when he completed 10 of the 25 events.
Shrader, 20, won three gold medals and a bronze in the Cornhusker State Games and was named the Fencing Iron Woman as the top female competitor
for the fourth time. In 11 years of State Games competition, she has won more than two dozen medals and a few weeks ago in Dallas, earned her first national medal, finishing 3rd in Women’s Division IA saber.
Peter, named the E. Lee Todd CSG Senior Athlete of the Year, is a long-time State Games participant who never shies away from a physical challenge. His six events included adventure race, cycle tour, Footstock (5K Run), triathlon, volkswalk and volleyball. He earned gold medals in adventure race and volleyball and a silver medal for his age group in Footstock.
Sutko and Shrader have been nominated for National Congress of State Games Athlete of the Year awards, which will be presented Oct. 7 at the organization’s annual banquet in Ames, Iowa. The senior award is named after the late E. Lee Todd from Grant, who flourished as a national masters track athlete into his 80s, despite a 60-year hiatus from competition after college.
In all, 12,931 athletes participated in the 2009 Cornhusker State Games, held July 17-26 in and around Lincoln. Medal results, final statistics and news items, including more on Sutko and Shrader can be found at CornhuskerStateGames.com. The 2010 Cornhusker State Games will be held June 25-27.
The Cornhusker State Games, which is sponsored by BNSF Railways, the Lincoln Journal Star and other Nebraska businesses, is a program of the Nebraska Sports Council. For more information, visit NebraskaSportsCouncil.com or call 402-471-2544.
PREVIOUS ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
| Male | Female | Senior |
|---|---|---|
1994 - Ray Scott, Papillion, Badminton 1995 - Craig Olsen, Grand Island, Racquetball 1996 - Eric Shanks, Lincoln, Swimming 1997 - Tom McCann, Kearney, Wrestling 1998 - Dustin Terry, Omaha, Wrestling 1999 - Shane Lavy, Lincoln, Masters Track/ Field 2000 - Jerry Owen, Lincoln, Soccer 2001 - Mike Hafenbrack, Yutan, Powerlifting 2002 - Tim Neumann, Lincoln, Wrestling 2003 - Kerry McDermott, Lincoln, Tennis, Road Race 2004 - Herman Batelaan, Omaha, Badminton 2005 - Rob Pilcher, Omaha, Wrestling 2006 - Scott Bredehoft, Lincoln, Triathlon/Adventure Race 2007 - Donte Rodriguez, Wrestling 2008 - Keefe Lodwig, Swimming | 1994 - Carol Olson, Omaha, Swimming 1995 - Allison Poole, Lincoln, Youth Track/ Field 1996 - Melanie Bodlak, Doniphan, Powerlifting 1997 - Erika Anschutz, Grand Island, Archery 1998 - Megan Bals, Lincoln, Raquetball 1999 - Dorothy Ekblad, Lincoln, Road Race 2000 - Ashley Selig, Lincoln, Youth Track/ Field 2001 - Amanda Kline, Lincoln, Karate 2002 - Allison Aldrich, Schuyler, Soccer 2003 - Margo Kent, Cambridge, Adventure Race, Triathlon, Volleyball 2004 - Andrea Paul, Omaha, Armwrestling 2005 - Becky Breisch, Lincoln, Masters Track & Field 2006 - Laura Pilakowski, Volleyball 2007 - Jennifer Newell, Triathlon 2008 - Anne Schiltz, Taekwondo | 1999 - Harold Kroeker, Grant, Masters Track/Field 2000 - Jack Bryans, Omaha, Wrestling 2001 - Clarence Osborn, Lincoln, Masters Track/Field 2002 - Larry Fuerst, Lincoln, Basketball 2003 - Barton "Bucky" Greenburg, Omaha, Swimming 2004 - John Elliott, Lincoln, Archery 2005 - Jim Potter, Chadron, Muzzleloading 2006 - Carol Frost, Masters Track & Field 2007 - Carolyn Foster, Badminton 2008 - Lee Alexander, Masters Track & Field |