Brooke Stevens wins Girls Athlete of the Year, three locals win Idaho Athletics HOF awards

Brooke Stevens was named 3A-1A Girls Athlete of the Year, Mikayla Schoening and Riley Walkington won athletes of the year for their respective sports and Sandpoint girls soccer coach Conor Baranski was awarded Girls Coach of the Year at the 2019 Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet last Saturday.

Of all the Girls Athlete of the Year nominees, none commanded a presence on every team quite like Stevens. the senior was one of Clark Fork’s captains in both volleyball and basketball this season, and was an integral part of Clark Fork’s golf team as well. This past winter in basketball, Stevens was named 1A District 2’s Most Valuable Player and played in both the District 1 and All-State All Star games.

As for the Sandpoint nominees, only Schoening could claim a state title on top of the Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame nomination. The junior won the 100 freestyle, swam with the state championship-winning 200 freestyle relay team and was a close second in the 50 freestyle this past fall. Schoening will be one of the key contributors on Sandpoint’s 2019 team this fall, which looks to build upon its third-place team finish at state.

Walkington, who will play soccer on scholarship for Eastern Washington next season, was a three-time 4A IEL Player of the Year and was named to the all-state soccer rosters as a junior and a senior. Boasting an unprecedented work ethic and a knack for scoring, the senior midfielder was responsible for 25 goals and 10 assists in the Sandpoint’s state runner-up campaign this past fall.

The Bulldogs made their third straight appearance in the 4A title game under the direction of Girls Coach of the Year Conor Baranski, who has coached the Bulldogs for seven seasons.

A grand total of 17 area athletes, coaches and teams were nominated as finalists for the Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame awards, which were held at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.