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St. Luke's Athletic Awards 2024
The annual St. Luke’s Athletics Awards Night, held on Tuesday, May 28, in St. Luke’s Seldin Performing Arts Center, celebrated the accomplishments of all 20 Upper School sports and honored our 325 student-athletes.
Athletic Director Anna Knechtel, Associate Athletic Director Jennifer Besgen, Assistant Athletic Director Dan Clarke, Athletic Trainer Nicole Guido, and Sports Information Specialist Emily Allen collaborated on the event, which recognized the outstanding achievements of St. Luke's student-athletes and the community members who helped them succeed.
Guests looked back at the year through highlight videos dedicated to each of the three seasons, as well as a special one devoted to the Class of 2024 athletes. St. Luke’s alum Aidan Panian ’23 created this year’s videos.
The Storm had a record 55 three-sport athletes, with 17 student-athletes continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level next year.
An incredible six St. Luke’s seniors, Eli Brody, Sarah Lau, Jack Lyons, Watson Meyer, Kelly Neuner, and Sienna Pilla, received the FAA Scholar-Athlete Award. To qualify for this accolade, a student-athlete has to rank in the top 10% of their senior class and have taken at least three advanced courses. Nominees must be multi-sport athletes honored as All-League FAA athletes within the last 12 months.
Knechtel was thrilled with how the evening unfolded: “It was a great event to celebrate our student-athletes. I am so proud of their sportsmanship and dedication this season.
If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the awards ceremony again, you can watch the recording here.
2023-2024 Athletic Award Winners
Athlete of Distinction:
McLain Boege ’24, Lily Carre ’24, Pearse Connell ’24, Sarah Lau ’24
Peter Stratton Memorial (Humanitarianism, team spirit, companionship, sportsmanship & overall contribution to St. Luke’s):
Sarah Lau ’24 and Matthew Stimpson ’24
Herbert Upson Memorial (Sportsmanship, dedication, over-achievement, and intense desire to succeed):
Sienna Pilla ’24 and Aidan Flanagan ’24
Outstanding Senior Athletes:
Pearse Connell ’24 and Peter Lewis ’24
Storm Award (Leadership & Performance):
9th- Lucy Millones and Bennett Kurtz
10th- Gage Saresky and Emma Ryan
11th- Ingrid Kerr and David Gjergji
12th- Watson Meyer, Kelly Neuner, Aurora Levesque, Eli Brody
FAA Scholar-Athletes:
Eli Brody, Sarah Lau, Jack Lyons, Watson Meyer, Kelly Neuner, and Sienna Pilla.
Middle School Coach of the Year:
John Higgins
Upper School Coach of the Year:
Ryan Fairhurst & Jen Pokorney
Teddy Balkind Memorial Award (Teammate Honor for Commitment & Effort) used to be our Heart of the Storm award:
Cross Country - Kathleen Coffey ‘24
Field Hockey - MJ Owens ’24
Football - Tad Fleuette ’24
Boys Soccer - Gianmarco Pirri ’24
Girls Soccer - Lena Olbrys ’25
Volleyball - Emma Sollenne ’25
Boys Basketball - Patrick Regan ’24
Girls Basketball - Emma Boolbol ’24
Ice Hockey- Jake Dyer ’24
Downhill Ski - Pearse Connell ’24
Boys Squash - Jack Lyons ’24
Girls Squash - Virginia McWhorter ’25
Baseball- Paul Genna ’24
Boys Golf - Watson Meyer ’24
Boys Lacrosse - Charlie Lukens ’24
Girls Lacrosse - Ingrid Kerr ’25
Softball - Aurora Levesque ’24
Boys Tennis - Sankalp Ojha ’24
Girls Tennis - Kelly Neuner ’24
Girls Golf - Abby Malkin ’25
Sportsmanship Team of the Year:
Field Hockey
Storm Supporter of the Year (Game Management Personnel):
Faith Creary ’25
Photos from the evening can be viewed in the Upper School Athletics Awards Ceremony photo gallery.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
