Middle School Athletic Award Recipients

Each year the coaches in the Middle School select two athletes who have played a sport every term at St. Stephen’s and who best represent the integrity and core values of our school community. This year’s 8th-grade class is as athletic as they come, both for the girls and the boys, so this year’s winners really had to stand out among their peers. 

The Middle School athletic awards are named for two former St. Stephen’s students, both of whom participated in athletics beginning in Middle School and continuing throughout Upper School and in college. 

This year’s winners have a few things in common: They played the same sports in 6th grade. They both played more than three sports. And they both exhibit the characteristics of an EPIC athlete: Excellence, Pride, Integrity and Commitment to Spartan Athletics.

THE ANNE TEEL AWARD

This year’s Anne Teel Award Winner is Eleanor Evarts.

“Eleanor is humble, hard-working, competitive and multi-talented,” her coaches said. “She is the kind of athlete coaches wish they had an entire team of. She has the respect of everyone around her—teammates, coaches, opponents, officials. They know her and they fear her, even if it’s just a little bit!”

Another coach said, “She is a naturally gifted athlete whose stellar performances somehow seem effortless.”

Another coach summed up her performances with the following: “This athlete is a hard worker, has a great skill set and is an enthusiastic leader on all of her teams. If you don’t believe it, just listen to her as she sends her teams out to the field or on the court—her voice is by far the loudest!”

In 6th grade, Evarts started off her career by winning the Coaches’ Award in Flag Football; she just capped off her Middle School athletic career by leading the Girls’ Lacrosse team to a second-place finish in CAPLAX, the Austin Public and Private school girls’ lacrosse league, which was the best showing in Spartan history! Guaranteed, this will not be this athlete’s last accomplishment at St. Stephen’s! She comes from a long line of successful athletes as a member of the “First Family of Spartan Lacrosse,” and we cannot wait to watch her continue the family tradition in the Upper School Spartan Athletic Program!


THE HUNTER PASCHALL AWARD 
 
This year’s Hunter Paschall Award went to Will Walters
 
One of Walters’ coaches said, “Will is the type of athlete every coach hopes to have. He’s coachable, selfless and competes with tenacity each time he steps on the playing field. No matter how tall the task, you can rest assured knowing he will do everything in his power to help his team succeed.”

Another coach said, “Other teams set up their defense specifically to stop him. Other coaches noticed him for his leadership and his talents when they played with and against him. This athlete exudes pride every time he puts on a Spartan uniform. It’s in his DNA! He is definitely a force to be reckoned with!”

The image etched forever in our minds of this year’s recipient happened on the football field at the Texas Bowl last November. Walters played three positions on the field all season long: offense, defense and kicker. After repeatedly being hit hard on this particular night, he was as pale as his helmet! He could barely stand, yet he still wanted to go back into the game. We had to take his helmet away to keep him from playing — that’s the kind of fierce competitor he is! 
 
Walters may not always score the most points or the most goals, but he will give you 500 percent of everything he has—whether he is on the field, the court or on the track. He is such a naturally strong athlete that he was able to help the Cross Country team win the AIPL Championship this fall just by showing up at the meet; he had been getting his cross country miles in by scoring on long touchdown runs!
 
To sum it up, we will use the words from one of his coaches, “This athlete is a true player! He is humble, smart and incredibly skilled!”  
 
Congratulations to Eleanor Evarts and Will Walters on winning this year’s Middle School athletic awards!
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213