by Defensive Player of the Year
Co-winners: Lauren Galaska & Mia Kalich of Olmsted Falls
This was one of the toughest awards to pick. There are so many great defenders in the SWC but I couldn’t think of a better combination that will shut you down the likes Lauren Galaska and Mia Kalich will.
Lauren is pure energy; I love watching her play. She plays with spirit, tenacity, energy and makes the players around her better. I’ve seen some of the best perimeter defense come from her this season. That starting 5 is one of the best collections of talent you will ever find, and Lauren is a great leader.
Those rare times that a ball handler gets past either Lauren, Grace Simon or Allison Milligan, then Mia Kalich is waiting there to shut it down. What Kalich does may not show up in the box scores, but her lock down defense cannot be ignored. In an era of no more true centers, she has the potential to be one, or at the very least, a damn good power forward.
Head coach Jordan Eaton had this to say about the duo of defenders, “Top of the press players that are tough for other teams to prepare for. Their energy and effort are second to none! “
I had several honorable mentions for this award I wanted to point out as well. Those being Athena Sevastos of Berea-Midpark, Catie Geiger of Avon, Emma Knick of Avon Lake & Izzy Patarini of Midview. It was extremely hard to narrow it down.
Catie Geiger played out of her mind in the playoffs, and was easily the Avon MVP over the last few weeks while they were short handed and then into the playoffs. I wanted to be sure to mention that. That young lady really impressed me during crunch time.
