Awards Night

Awards Night is invariably a bittersweet occasion intermingling the excitement created by recognition of the successes and achievements of the team and individuals during the season, the receipt of letters and the announcement of the RHS major award winners with the sadness generated by the close of another season and the seniors moving on to a new phase in their lives.

And so it was this night but with the additional sorrow of the team bidding a "Good-bye and fare thee well" to Head Coach Rich Thole and his family as he leaves Richwoods to assume his new position as Principal of Princeville High School.

Coach Thole, who began with the program as an Assistant Coach in 1985, succeeded longtime Knights Head Coach Joe Maier upon his retirement at the end of the 2005 season.

During his three seasons as Head Coach, those Thole-led teams amassed a 19 - 0 record in dual meets, 3 Mid-State 6 Conference Team Championships, 2 second and 1 third place sectional team finishes, 4 individual state medalists including a state champion and a second place finisher. He also leaves with 6 current school records having been set during his tenure as Head Coach.

The Richwoods and District 150 school administrations have yet to act on naming a replacement for Mr. Thole as head Coach.

The Knights also bid a fond farewell to its senior class of athletes (right) - Desiree Luckey, Kim Luebcke, Rachel Pennington, Emily Roesler, Donielle Ross, Audrey Simmons, and four year letter winners Olivia Coker, Katie Grinstead, Shavantay Thomas and Sravanthi Vegunta (left).

On the celebratory side of the evening the 2008 Knights team was recognized as having had an undefeated dual meet season (6-0), and winning the Mid-State 6 Conference Championship meet by claiming both 1st and 2nd Place finishes in the 100 Dash (Shavntay Thomas and DaShay Johnson), 200 Dash (Thomas and Johnson), 400 Dash (Donielle Ross and Thomas), Shot Put (Megan Kerns and Raven Robinson), Discus (Kerns and Robinson), and Pole Vault (Natalie Robins and Kate Lipovski), 1st in the 4x100 Relay (Johnson, Ja'Bree Mitchell, Danielle DesJardins and Thomas), 4x200 Relay (Johnson, Mitchell, Essence Miller, and DesJardins), 4x400 Relay (Mitchell, DesJardins, Jenisha Brittine and Ross), 300 Hurdles (Brittine), and Triple Jump (Ross), together with 2nd Place finishes in the 100 Hurdles (Brittine), Long Jump (DesJardins) and High Jump (Ross).

The evening also provided the opportunity for the team, coaches and families to honor those Knights who established Richwoods records during the season (right) - DaShay Johnson, Ja'Bree Mitchell, Donielle Ross and Shavantay Thomas with their 1:42.6 performance in the 4x200 Relay, Natalie Robins in the Pole Vault (8' 3") and Donielle Ross in the 400 Dash (:56.5) and the Triple Jump (38' 5"), as well as Ross' All-State awards resultant from her 4th place finish in the Triple Jump and 8th place finish in the 400 Dash at the IHSA State Championship Meet.

The evening saw 5 members (left) receiving their awards for having been named to the Mid-State 6 All Conference Academic team - Yasmine Goelzer, Rebecca Hanna, Mary Kate Lewis, Liza Backer and Lilly Ellis.

The final presentations of the evening were the three major team awards - Most Valuable Participant, Kim Field Award and Adrienne Moos Award.

Kim Field Award

Sravanthi Vegunta

Most Valuable Participant

Donielle Ross

Adrienne Moos Award

Shavantay Thomas

This award bears the name of and was inspired by one who in her senior year and through her career long dedication, effort, and cooperation achieved the most from her abilities. As a freshman its namesake was an average runner at best; however, she had an "attitude" - an inner strength and focus that quietly produced progressive advances that culminated in her senior year in her sectional championship in the 3200 meter run and a berth in the state championship where she calmly defeated many runners seeded before her. Realistic goal-setting, cooperation with coaches and teammates, daily reliability, personal integrity, and dedication allowed her to achieve - not always win and occupy first place on the winner's platform - and improve and in so doing become the absolute best she could be every time she ran.

Sravanthi currently intends to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia in its Fast Track Medical School program providing outstanding high school students the opportunity to complete all undergraduate and medical school courses in seven years (three years at the undergraduate level and four years at the medical school level) wherein candidates must have a combined SAT Critical Reading and Math score of no less than 1360 and rank in the top ten percent of their high school class, and maturity, stability, scholarship, flexibility, independence and service to others. Her biggest complaint with Drexel - "They don't have a varsity track team - only club track."

The Most Valuable Participant Award is self-explanatory as was the rationale for its choice this season - Donielle Ross who established Richwoods Records in the Triple Jump at 38' 5" and the 400 Meter Dash at :56.5 together with her All State status in both events by finishing 4th and 8th respectively at the State Championship Meet. She also was a member of the School Record setting 4x200 Relay (1:42.6).

Donielle currently plans on attending Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois and competing on their defending NJCAA National Championship Women's Track Team.

This award is presented yearly to a deserving senior and focuses upon accomplishment and dedication. To qualify, an individual must be a dedicated, inspirational leader who has accomplished through daily hard work; be respected by her teammates, coaches, opponents, and faculty. Her effort, cooperation, and self-sacrifice must mark her as an example of one who places team before self.

It represents the spirit of RHS' women's track: loyalty, determination, perseverance, generosity, helpfulness, concern, punctuality, intelligence, and morality, demonstrating the worthwhile character that can be built through athletic involvement, character that not only builds a strong individual but also causes others to grow.

Shavantay currently intends to attend Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington majoring in business and Spanish and to compete on its defendaing NCAA Division III Championship team.