TRAJAN LANGDON YOUTH AWARD FINALISTS
For Leadership, Sportsmanship and Inspiration – For a person or team who has demonstrated leadership, integrity and sportsmanship during the past year and positively influenced and inspired others to be better sportsmen or sportswomen.
Jeremy Lane, Point Lay prep athlete
Edited from his nomination: I recommend this young man because in recent years we have had some very tough times in our village of Point Lay. Our sports seasons have been cut short or canceled and this senior stepped up to make whatever season we had a positive experience. He previously was a hard student to coach, but the last few years he has stepped up to be someone that our entire school, including our youngest students, can look up to. He did so on the court, in the classroom and in our community. He took his captain role seriously by helping others when they were down and keeping his teammates motivated. He helped any and all involved including his coaches. He also taught them things and always wanted to better himself and his team. Jeremy Lane has the highest integrity of any athlete I have seen. He holds his head up high in the worst of situations and keeps the peace. He is Point Lay’s pride.
Ian Keim, West Anchorage prep hockey player
Edited from his nomination: Over the course of the last few years, no local high school athlete has impressed me more with his character and talent than senior Ian Keim. As a captain, he led the Cook Inlet Conference in the 2022 hockey regular season and played a key role in the Eagles’ 2020 DI First National Cup championship. The team also won the academic award for the CIC and DI State. In Saturday’s state tournament third-place game, he dressed with his teammates for his final time and asked not to play so they could get more minutes. The kid has a lot going for him and I’m eager to see all he accomplishes in the future.
Tawny Smith, Sitka prep multi-sport athlete
Edited from her nomination: Tawny Smith is an extraordinary young woman. As her basketball coach, I witnessed multiple examples of her determination, grit, and talent; now as her principal, I marvel at her fortitude and academic prowess. Tawny exhibits leadership, sportsmanship, and inspiration, and she is an integral positive and energetic part of Sitka High School. Tawny has many talents on and off the competitive courts, and she has been a letter winner on our cross country, basketball, and track teams. She has made significant contributions on each, served as a team captain on all, and led her groups to multiple regional and state championships. Tawny is a role model off the court who makes significant contributions in community service. As a student, Tawny excels in our most rigorous academic courses, and she leads by example. Tawny is an active member of the National Honor Society, a local small business owner, and volunteers with local youth programs. She demonstrates the ability to handle large extracurricular workloads while balancing a 4.0 grade point average in our most challenging academic offerings. Tawny displays an unmatched work ethic. She consistently demonstrates the ability to rise to any challenge, and she is fully prepared to be successful in the next chapter of her life.
Finalists were selected by the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
Previous winners (most recent first): Anchorage West Legion baseball team, Houston football team, South High boys basketball team, Brenner Furlong
The Directors’ Awards winners will be announced from the lists of finalists in each category on the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Facebook Live page at 3pm AK Time on Wednesday, April 6th.