The Day to Host 'High School Athlete of the Year' Ceremony June 26 in New London

New London, CT – The Day will host an inaugural High School Athlete of the Year dinner and awards ceremony recognizing outstanding athletes from high schools in southeastern Connecticut.  The event will be held June 26, 2019 at Port ‘N’ Starboard at Ocean Beach Park in New London and will serve as a celebration for each of the athletes who were selected as The Day's High School Athletes of the Year for the Fall 2018, Winter 2018/2019 and Spring 2019 seasons in their respective sports.
 
Since the 1982-83 school year, The Day’s sports writers have closely monitored the high school sports circuit, keeping tabs on scores and individual player stats.  At the end of each season they analyze the data and select whom they deem as the Athlete of the Year in over fifteen sports.  In addition, they also name the athletes who would have a spot on each sports All-Area team.
 
The event will feature a buffet dinner, special guest speaker and awards ceremony. At the close of the awards ceremony four additional awards will be announced, an overall male and female athlete of the year and overall male and female coach of the year. 
 
The special guest speaker will be Heather Buck, a 2008 Stonington High School graduate who was named The Day’s Athlete of the Year three times for women’s basketball and was named to The Day’s All-Area team all four years of high school.  In addition, Buck was the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the year twice and was an all-state selection all four years of high school. She finished her high school career with 2,205 points, 1,406 rebounds and 331 blocked shots. Buck attended UConn where she held a spot on the women’s basketball team and was part of three of their national championship teams.
 
“This will be a special night for the athletes we are honoring as well as their families who have given them so much support over the years,” said Timothy Dwyer, president and publisher of The Day. “It is also a chance for all of us in the community to come together and celebrate the success that these talented young men and women have achieved.”

The event is open to the public, tickets are being sold for $35.00 each. Each student honoree is invited to attend free-of-charge and is eligible to bring two free guests. Tables of 10 are being offered for $300.  To purchase tickets and RSVP (by June 10th) contact Jaclyn Nardone at j.nardone@theday.com.

To further honor the student athletes, The Day will publish a special section which will be inserted into the newspaper on July 13th and will feature bios and photos of each of the athletes and photos from the event. Businesses and organizations interested in advertising in the special section or sponsoring the event should contact David J. Glaski at d.glaski@theday.com or call (860) 701-4203.

A roster of students being honored, and additional event information is available at theday.com/athletedinner.