Positive Athlete Mountain Region

Today, we’re delighted to recognize our award winners in the Mountain Region from the Dakotas! These award winners raise the bar every day around their campuses:

Landon Mitchell, Shanley HS, Football, Track, Basketball
Landon Mitchell owns his junior year mistakes without excuse. What followed was a senior year defined by encouragement, a near-4.0 GPA, and a maturity his teammates, teachers, and coaches all noticed.

Elizabeth Pinke, Northwood HS, Golf, Track, Basketball
Elizabeth Pinke watched her brother, an NCAA Division I tight end, respond to paralysis with grace. She took notes. Refusing to have a bad day isn’t a phrase for her. It’s a philosophy she lives.

Owen Serck, Alcester-Hudson HS, Wrestling, Football, Track
Owen Serck leads with a simple idea — leave it better than you found it. At Alcester-Hudson it spread from him through the entire athletic program. That’s what real leadership looks like.

Isabella Engstrom, Leeds Public School, Basketball/Volleyball
Hashimoto's disease and alopecia changed Isabella Engstrom's diet and her role on the team. She adjusted, helped win a state basketball championship, and then went and talked to younger students about it. She graduates as class valedictorian.

Be sure to continue following along as we recognize more winners from the Dakotas later today! More Mountain Region markets to be announced later this week!

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Dakotas! Get to know these exceptional nominees:

Jocelyn Berg, Red River HS, Softball 2025 Gatorade Softball
Player of the Year in North Dakota. 4.0 GPA. Band. Orchestra. Youth pitching coach. Jocelyn Berg doesn’t choose between athlete and everything else. She just is everything else too.

Carson Burns, Philip HS, Football, Basketball
Carson Burns grew up on a four-generation family ranch and carries that into how he leads. His coach says when teammates make mistakes, Carson never tears them down. He just helps them back up.

Elizabeth Fedje, Valley-Edinburg HS, Wrestling, Volleyball,
Track State champion. All-State. Multiple track titles. Two knee injuries. Elizabeth Fedje captains three sports and spends the rest of her time in nursing homes, food missions, and coaching youth volleyball.

Tony Evenstad, Northwood High School, Athletic Director
Tony Evenstad doesn’t just administer. He shows up, handles problems directly, and treats every student-athlete at Northwood like they are his own. His coaches know they are backed.

That concludes our Dakotas winner announcements! We’ve got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate incredible winners from the Mountain Region this week!

We are delighted to begin recognizing our award winners in our first market here in the Mountain Region, the great State of Colorado!

Emily Peterson, Ralston Valley High School, Girls Soccer
Emily Peterson testified at the State Capitol and helped get a bill passed for youth mental health in sports. The bill was named for her sister Alyssa, who died by su***de at 13.

Jack Rumley, Timnath Middle/High School, Boys Unified Sports
Jack Rumley was born with Down Syndrome. He’s a four-year varsity manager, a Unified Sports athlete, and works two jobs. He calls it Up Syndrome. That’s where he’s going.

Tim Pacino, McClave Undivided High School, Boys Baseball
Tim Pacino had surgeries on both knees and ankles from a rare genetic condition. When he couldn’t play football this season, he attended every practice and ran every drill he was cleared
for.

Olivia Jukes, Mancos High School, Girls Volleyball
Olivia Jukes holds a voting seat on her school district’s Board of Education and captains her volleyball team. She founded a dress closet for prom, earning a Girl Scouts Gold Award.

Madeline Clark, Mountain View High School, Girls Track & Field
Three stress fractures. Four broken bones. Nerve damage. Madeline Clark logged 150 community service hours, worked two jobs, and earned a scholarship to Boise State. Injury never wrote her ending.

Be sure to continue following along as we recognize all of our winners from the Colorado Market in the next few days. More markets to be announced later this May.

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Colorado Market! If you didn’t know, this year we are recognizing more amazing award winners than we ever have in the Mountain Region. Get to know these exceptional nominees

Diego Lara, Heritage High School
Diego Lara was elected by swimmers statewide to cast real votes on bylaws affecting the sport nationwide. Diego continues to push boundaries, he’s not just in the room. He’s deciding.

Dixie Bitner, Wiley High School
Three losses to su***de. Dixie Bitner responded by choosing psychology, wrestling on the boys
team, and refusing to let grief define what comes next.

Makena Cleveland, Loveland High School
Makena Cleveland recruited 30 players, organized practices, and coached her team through a full season before Loveland hired an official tennis coach.

Isai Savelkoul, The Vanguard School
Isai Savelkoul could not afford club soccer so he trained alone. Years later: all-conference, ten goals, seven assists. Some people find a way. He is one of them.

Teagan Martin, Holyoke Senior High School
At 18, Teagan Martin became the youngest to finish the Leadville 100 and used every mile to raise $13K for schools, cancer patients and adaptive sports.

We have got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate remaining Colorado Market award winners.

We are honored to recognize another outstanding group of award winners from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region. Each of these nominees brings character, leadership, and impact to their communities.

Abby Harper, Cheyenne Mountain High School
Abby Harper is the only girl on her school’s boys varsity hockey team. She plays every game, every practice, and has never made it a story she needs to tell.

Carson Helling, Idalia School
Carson Helling runs tractors, irrigates fields, and hauls grain before school. Then he captains three sports, leads student council, and runs FFA at one of Colorado’s smallest schools.

Jeremiah DeLaCerda, Alamosa High School, Boys Cross Country
After his own practices end, Jeremiah DeLaCerda coaches youth runners. He tutors peers and mentors at his church. None of it was asked for. All of it is consistent.

Dani Cook, Fossil Ridge High School, Most Positive Girls Coach
Dani Cook won Fossil Ridge’s first ever 5A Girls Track State Championship. Her athletes leave the program with confidence that outlasts their time on the team. That’s the real trophy.

Chris Moses, Pine Creek High School, Most Positive Boys Coach
In just his second year, Chris Moses led Pine Creek to its first ever CHSAA Ice Hockey State Championship. His school says the trophy is the smallest part of what he built.

Don’t miss what is next. We have more winners to share soon. More markets to be announced later this May.

These honorees stood out for the way they lead, serve, and show up for others. With this group, we now round out the award announcements from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region.

Montbello High School, Northeast Denver, Most Positive Large School
Montbello High School is proving that character has no zip code. Northeast Denver. A community that shows up for each other without being asked.

DSST: Cedar High School, Denver, Most Positive Small School (tie)
At DSST: Cedar in Denver, the Positive Athlete program took genuine root. Coaches and administrators nominated independently, across different sports, describing the same thing.

The Vanguard School, Colorado Springs, Most Positive Small School (tie)
The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs built the Positive Athlete framework into the fabric of how it runs its programs. The athletes took it from there.

Joe Brown, Niwot High School, Most Positive Athletic Director
Joe Brown believes programs are built by investing in people first. At Niwot that produced three national championships.

Matt Oakes, Telluride High School, Most Positive Athletic Trainer
Matt Oakes brings elite expertise to a small mountain school and makes himself fully available to every student, whether they need rehab, a training plan, or just a trusted adult.

That wraps our Award Winner announcements from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region. Congratulations to this outstanding group of nominees. Stay tuned for announcements from other Mountain Region Markets later this month.

Congratulations to our Positivity Champ Scholarship Winners for 2026!
The Positivity Champ Awards are $1,000 college scholarships given to student-athletes from Colorado who exemplify positivity as they live their lives and strive to impact the culture of the world around them.

This year’s winner(s) are:
Makena Cleveland, Loveland High School — When Loveland High School had no tennis coach, Makena took over. She recruited nearly 30 new players, organized pre-season practices, ran social team social media, organized bonding opportunities and ultimately assisted in the search for a new coach. Off the court she tutored middle schoolers, volunteered for Special Olympics, and has been pursuing internships in HVAC and plumbing, trades she’s drawn to because the work is tangible and in real demand. A natural leader who builds community wherever she goes. 4.2 weighted GPA.

Jeremiah DeLaCerda, Alamosa High School — A tri-sport athlete in the San Luis Valley, Jeremiah competes in cross country, wrestling, and track, then stays after his own practices to coach youth runners in the CARA program. He peer tutors, mentors at his church, and completed more than 150 modules in the Positive Athlete app, holding the national leaderboard lead throughout much of the school year. He approaches character development with the same commitment he brings to competition, and it shows across every corner of his life. 3.9 GPA.

Sulaiman Ebadi, Peak to Peak Charter School — A first-generation Afghan-American balancing a lot, Sulaiman founded Engineer Your Life, a STEM program for at-risk youth, competes in Muay Thai (a striking-based martial art), plays varsity basketball, and carries a 4.0 GPA through all of it. He has earned recognition across leadership, academics, community service, and more. Someone who treats responsibility as something you move toward, not away from.
A huge thank you to Makena, Jeremiah and Sulaiman for championing positivity in their schools and communities.

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from Big Sky! Get to know these exceptional nominees:

Zoey Real Bird, Hardin HS, Cross Country, Basketball, Track & Field
From the Crow Nation, Zoey Real Bird has won four team state cross-country championships. At every meet she walks to the start line before the middle school girls race just to give them high-fives. That detail says everything.

Campbell Smith, Cheyenne Central HS, Wrestling, Football, Track & Field
Two ACL surgeries. A self-started weekly culture group for his football team. Oldest of nine siblings moving between two homes. Campbell Smith doesn’t wait to be asked. He just does what needs doing.

Kyndal Von Eye, Newcastle HS, Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field
Kyndal Von Eye won FBLA Nationals in Sports Management, earned a spot on Wyoming’s statewide Student Advisory Council, and leads su***de prevention efforts as a Sources of Strength peer leader.

Tyler Johnson, Bonneville HS, Athletic Director
At Bonneville, Tyler Johnson is the Athletic Director who paints the lines, sets up the gym, and shows up to away games. His coaches feel supported. That starts at the top.

Delaney Farnsworth, Canyon Ridge HS, Athletic Trainer
At Canyon Ridge, Delaney Farnsworth is as present for the mental and emotional side of athletics as she is for the physical. Her athletes and coaches call her a constant voice of reason. That’s the full job.

That concludes our Big Sky winner announcements! We’ve got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate incredible winners from the Mountain Region this week!

Today, we’re delighted to recognize our award winners in the Mountain Region from Big Sky! These award winners raise the bar every day around their campuses:

Colton Munns, Madison HS, Football, Wrestling
Colton Munns tore his ACL the week before his senior football season. All-conference honors followed. Then a 3rd place finish at state in wrestling. Then back to the lawn care business he runs that employs other students.

Mattea Thomas, Shoshone HS, Volleyball, Cheer, Basketball
One of six students in Idaho to earn the IHSAA Interscholastic Star Scholarship. Mattea Thomas is also student body president, captain of three varsity teams, and a four-year drama participant. She has been leading since before high school asked her to.

Talyn Weaver, Filer HS, Football, Basketball, Track & Field
Talyn Weaver broke school records, led Idaho in receiving yards four years running, and committed to College of Idaho. He has also spent four years coaching youth football camps. The giving back started long before the scholarship.

Briella Wilson, Big Sky HS, Softball, Volleyball
At nine, Briella Wilson lost her brother to a brain tumor. She came away with a belief that positivity gets you further than skill. Four-year letterman and 3.98 GPA later, she hasn’t wavered.

Tony Cade, Treasure Valley Classical Academy, Girls Coach
In his first year at Wilder, Tony Cade gave up his coaching stipend so both teams could have new basketballs. He also paid for a photographer himself. The girls team went from 1-17 to 9-12. He was just getting started.

Blaine Wright, Columbia HS, Boys Coach
Two years at Columbia High School. Two state trophies — the first in school history, both of them. Blaine Wright built the culture first and let the results follow.

Be sure to continue following along as we recognize more winners from Big Sky later today! More Mountain Region markets to be announced later this week!

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from New Mexico! Get to know these exceptional nominees:

Hannah Bell, Gateway Christian School, Track, Volleyball
Hannah Bell is ranked #1 in New Mexico in division 1A triple jump. She competes through constant pain from idiopathic scoliosis, facing possible surgery, with a plan to become an orthopedic surgeon for kids like her.

Robbie Yazzie, Newcomb HS, Cross Country, Basketball, Football
Robbie Yazzie comes from a small Navajo Nation community that isn’t well known. He shows up early, absorbs every coaching cue, and holds himself to a daily standard of helping others. Newcomb knows.

Maverick Hawkins, Texico HS, Basketball, Track & Field, Football Maverick Hawkins returned from a senior season shoulder injury to win a third straight state title, then went home to first-place finishes in FFA farm business management and agricultural mechanics.

Jeneca Montoya, Mayfield High School, Las Cruces, Female Coach
At 35, Jeneca Montoya was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. Eight months of chemo, surgery, and radiation followed. She coached through every bit of it and never stopped showing up for her team.

Peter Dillon Alam, Capital High School, Santa Fe, Athletic Trainer
An hour each way, every day. Peter Dillon Alam shows up for Capital High School athletes with expertise that has made him the go-to resource across the entire Santa Fe Public Schools district.

That concludes our New Mexico winner announcements! We’ve got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate incredible winners from the Mountain Region this week!