PIERRE – Basketball’s Maya Shorter and wrestling’s Alex Oedekoven are the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association-Avera Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 29.
Shorter drew praise from Governor Girls Basketball Head Coach Kirk Beebout: “Maya understands that everything is earned and she’s willing to do just that. There is no harder worker in our program. Each and everyday she flat out brings it! She competes in every drill and gives full effort on every play. This has led Maya to improve at a tremendous rate. Beyond that, her attitude and hard work makes everyone around her better. She’s unquestionably a leader for our team. Maya is someone who can be counted on to be present, to be coachable, to be a great teammate and more. Maya has never once complained, felt sorry for herself, or given less than her all if she didn’t immediately get a promotion or a spot that she is obviously working towards and wanting. She just continues to work and find ways to stand out. This has led to Maya making her way into the rotation at the Varsity level where she brought our team a huge lift against 1 O’Gorman and has earned a continued invaluable role in our post rotation at the varsity level. On top of that, she has led our JV team to a stellar season and recently hit a game winner to knock off Brandon Valley. Maya says all she needs to say through her hard work and her commitment to her team. We are lucky to have her a part of our program and look forward to her seeing what she earns next.”
Oedekoven won a tournament for the first time at the Les Tlustos-Brookings Invitational. Oedekoven’s accomplishments were detailed by Boys Wrestling Head Coach Shawn Lewis: “Alex has been a fantastic addition to the Governor wrestling line up this year. He is only an 8th grader but is currently rated 2nd in Class A at 106 pounds. In Brookings, Alex pinned his first two opponents in the first period. In the semifinals he had to battle back after giving up an early lead to his opponent and won by a score of 8-6. During the championship match he won by a score of 2-0 over an opponent that he has previously lost to. Alex’s dedication to the sport of wrestling has shown all year. He has a commitment to be better every single time he steps on the mat. During the course of the year he has demonstrated the poise of an upper classmen during both victory and defeat. Great things are happening and are yet to lay ahead for this young man!”
Comments