The Sweet Home High School girls varsity soccer team named senior Milah Weld its Most Valuable Player Friday evening during the team’s annual awards banquet.
Weld also won Best Forward and the Coach’s Award, which she shared with senior Cora McKee.
Junior Madelyn Neuschwander won Best Defender and the Hustle Award. Junior Ashley Farthing was Best Midfielder.
Most Improved went to senior Liz Chelstad.
Facing injuries all season long, this team finished the year with two wins in league and three overall.
“From the first game, we started to get people hurt,” said Coach Ramiro Santana. At different points, up to half of the girls were hurt, and he drew heavily on the junior varsity to fill in.
Freshman goalkeeper Natalie Rodgers won Rookie of the Year.
The junior varsity named Esther Ramsey its Most Valuable Player.
Other JV award winners were Katie Robeck, Coach’s Award; Maren Weld, All-Star Forward; Alexis Yoder, All-Star Midfielder; Emily Farthing, All-Star Defender; Kailey James, Best Attitude; and Nadia Chimsri, Most Improved.
Santana praised his four-year letter winners, seniors Jessi Thomas, Cora McKee, Milah Weld and Kendyl Stutzman.
“This group has been fun all four years,” he said. He could rely on them to help him out with the younger players. “They stayed together, and it’s tough to do that.
“These four girls are just something that’s really tough to let go.”
Earning their first letters in soccer were seniors Rachel Busek and Katelynn Towry; junior Kate Hawken; sophomore Moira Curtis; and freshmen Esther Ramsey, Natalie Rodgers, Sicily Neuschwander and Katie Robeck.
Second-year letter winners were seniors Bethany Gingerich, Hannah Ramsey and Hikari Kawai and sophomore Torree Hawken.
Winning their third letters were senior Liz Chelstad and juniors Sydney Mauer, Ashley Farthing, Madelyn Neuschwander and Kendal Soland.