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Readers decide West Michigan Conference 2022 spring sports Players of the Year

Banquet is Thursday, June 30, for the event sponsored by VanDyk Mortgage.

CatchMark nominated three student-athletes from each 2022 spring sport for the VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference Player of the Year awards.

The awards’ recipients were determined entirely by our readers. From last Thursday until this afternoon, readers weighed in through fan polls and now the results are final.

The VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference Players of the Year have been determined: North Muskegon’s Troy McManus in baseball, Oakridge’s Brooklyn Galdeen in softball, North Muskegon’s Natalie Pannucci in girls soccer, North Muskegon’s Logan Wolters in boys golf, North Muskegon’s Noa Bowen in girls tennis, Whitehall’s Trannon Aylor in boys track and field, and Hart’s Jessica Jazwinski in girls track and field.

The polls were open from 6 a.m. Thursday, June 16, through 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 21. Readers were allowed to vote once per hour in each poll.

The seven polls generated more than 20,000 total votes, with more than a third of them coming from the Player of the Year poll in girls soccer.

CatchMark is inviting all Player of the Year award winners and finalists to a presentation banquet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Viking Athletic Center, 541 E. Slocum St., in Whitehall. The banquet should last approximately two hours. Dress code is casual to business casual.

Each Player of the Year will receive an individual trophy, courtesy of VanDyk Mortgage, the title sponsor. A trophy with award winners’ names engraved on it will stay in the CatchMark office. All finalists also will receive certificates.

Here are details about each of the Player of the Year award winners, along with how voting turned out in each sport:

BASEBALL: Troy McManus, North Muskegon

North Muskegon’s Troy McManus takes a cut during a doubleheader against Montague during a Division 3 district final Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Montague, Mich. (Bethany McCullough | CatchMark)
  • Junior pitcher/center fielder.
  • First-team all-conference, all-district and all-region.
  • Put up impressive numbers offensively and was the Norsemen’s ace pitcher.
  • The left-handed hitter batted .472 with 15 doubles and two triples to go with 49 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 28 stolen bases, 16 walks and only three strikeouts.
  • On the mound, the left-hander was 6-3 with a 1.64 ERA, finishing with 63 strikeouts and 16 walks in 55 2/3 innings pitch.
  • Defensively, he sported a .971 fielding percentage defensively with 66 putouts and five assists.

SOFTBALL: Brooklyn Galdeen, Oakridge

Oakridge’s Brooklyn Galdeen fires a pitch against Ravenna during a West Michigan Conference doubleheader Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in Muskegon, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)
  • Senior pitcher/shortstop.
  • First-team all-conference, all-district and all-region, and Division 2 all-state honorable mention.
  • Batted .376 with a .466 on-base percentage and .569 slugging percentage to go along with 12 doubles and four home runs, plus 36 RBIs.
  • In the pitcher’s circle, the right-hander was 14-5 with a 2.11 ERA with 113 strikeouts and 26 walks in 112 2/3 innings.
  • Oakridge finished 28-8 overall and won a sixth straight WMC title with a 14-0 record.
  • The Eagles lost to Coopersville in a tight Division 2 district semifinal.
  • Oakridge’s overall statistics were impacted by playing a very tough nonleague schedule.
  • Signed to play softball at Muskegon Community College.
  • Earned Division 2 first-team all-state honors last season. All-state for this season has not been determined yet.

GIRLS SOCCER: Natalie Pannucci, North Muskegon

North Muskegon’s Natalie Pannucci, middle, runs upfield during a Division 4 girls soccer state semifinal Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at Comstock Park High School’s Panther Stadium in Comstock Park, Mich. (Courtesy of Rhonda Kinahan Photography)
  • Junior forward.
  • First-team all-conference, all-district, all-region and first-team all-state.
  • Team-high 19 goals, plus nine assists on the season.
  • North Muskegon had a 16-4-1 overall record and 7-0 mark in the West Michigan Conference.
  • The Norse finished ranked No. 4 in Division 4. They captured conference, district and regional championships.
  • North Muskegon’s season ended in a 1-0 state semifinals loss to Kalamazoo Christian Tuesday at Comstock Park.
  • Pannucci also is a standout volleyball player, as she was a 2021 VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference Player of the Year finalist in that sport.

BOYS GOLF: Logan Wolters, North Muskegon

North Muskegon’s Logan Wolters tees off during the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association boys golf tournament Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Stonegate Golf Club in Twin Lake, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)
  • Senior.
  • First-team All-West Michigan Conference.
  • Ranked second in the final West Michigan Conference player standings.
  • Averaged 42 in 9-hole events and 84.7 in 18-hole events.
  • Finished seventh at the GMAA tournament with an 82.
  • Will take his golf talents to Aquinas College.

GIRLS TENNIS: Noa Bowen, North Muskegon

North Muskegon’s Noa Bowen serves during tennis practice Thursday, May 19, 2022, in North Muskegon, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)
  • Senior No. 1 singles.
  • Posted a 21-7 record this season.
  • Division 4 first-team all-state.
  • GMAA runner-up.
  • Coastal Conference champ.
  • State quarterfinalist in Division 4.
  • North Muskegon was ranked No. 4 in Division 4 and tied for fourth as a team at the state finals. The Norse finished with a 14-1-2 dual-meet record as they won conference, GMAA and regional titles among their team championships.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: Trannon Aylor, Whitehall

Whitehall’s Trannon Aylor, far right, was a member of the Vikings’ 4×200-meter relay team that won a Division 2 state title Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Forest Hills Eastern. From left, Nate Bolley, Malcolm Earvin and Lukas Palmer also ran on the relay team. (Courtesy of Whitehall track)
  • Sophomore sprinter.
  • Finished Division 2 state runner-up in the 400-meter dash, in the process setting a school record with a time of 49.39.
  • Ran a leg on Whitehall’s state championship 4×200 relay team that posted a school-record time 1:29.73 at the Division 2 finals.
  • Ran a leg on Whitehall’s state runner-up 4×400 relay team (3:25.13).
  • Won the 400 at the GMAA and West Michigan Conference meets.
  • Exhibited his raw talent all season in multiple events.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD: Jessica Jazwinski, Hart

Hart’s Jessica Jazwinski competes during the Division 3 track and field state finals Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Kent City High School. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)
  • Freshman distance runner.
  • Key member of Hart’s Division 3 team state championship track and field team.
  • Division 3 state runner-up in the 3200-meter run (10:48.07).
  • Member of Hart’s state championship 4×800-meter relay team (9:30.18).
  • Third at the state finals in the 800-meter run (2:16.42).
  • Fourth in the 1600-meter run (4:58.11) at the state finals.
  • West Michigan Conference champ in multiple events.
  • Also a standout on Hart’s cross country state championship teams. In the fall, she was a finalist for the VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference cross country runner of the year award.

Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

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