The Greater Middlesex Conference celebrated 70 student-athletes, who have conducted themselves on and off the field with dignity and grace, during the 23rd annual Dan Hayston Memorial Sportsmanship Awards luncheon at The Pines Manor in Edison on Wednesday.
In addition, the conference honored four student-athletes with Kindness Counts Awards.
Despite the added pressure of being held to a higher standard as a student-athlete, the Sportsmanship Award recipients have set an example for teammates and opponents, served as role models for youngsters, and are a credit to their schools and communities.
They are a reflection of their parents, coaches, and teachers who have molded them to respect the game, its rules and its participants.
A complete list of honorees can be found below.
In addition to honoring one boy and one girl from each member school, the conference presented Sportsmanship Awards to New Brunswick, Middlesex, Sayreville, and Wardlaw-Hartridge for accumulating the most team sportsmanship awards during the spring 2023, fall 2023 and winter 2024 seasons combined.
South Brunswick High School boys soccer coach and math teacher Chris Hayston, who has helped the Vikings reach 10 conference tournament finals, served as the keynote speaker for the luncheon.
He is the son of Sportsmanship Awards namesake Dan Hayston, who coached boys soccer for 22 years and taught physical education for three decades at East Brunswick High School, where he compiled a 358-91-24 mark and won a league record 10 conference tournament championships. The legendary Hall of Fame coach passed away in 2006 at the age of 56.
A staunch supporter of Greater Middlesex Conference student-athletes and their peers statewide, Senator Patrick Diegnan was in attendance to congratulate the honorees, along with Middlesex County Commissioner Charles Tomaro.
The four student-athletes who received Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Awards during the luncheon were Aaron Bansal of J.P. Stevens, Ennyn Chiu of Highland Park, Jomar Mena of North Brunswick, and Dalisha Romero of Perth Amboy (please click on the name of each award recipient to read a story about their kindness).
The award, which The Peter Fund and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation sponsored in partnership with the conference, is presented to student-athletes who demonstrate compassion, generosity, kindness, sportsmanship, inclusivity, and empathy.
In recognition of the award, each student-athlete received a commemorative plaque and $500 to donate in their name and honor to a charity of their choice that assists Middlesex County children in need.
A member of the Greater Middlesex Conference community nominated the recipients for the Kindness Counts Award, which was established in loving memory of the late Peter Bonn Elchoness, a student-athlete from Niwot High School in Colorado who died suddenly and without warning in his sleep from a rare disease that causes damage to the heart.
Peter was renowned throughout his school community as a magnetic presence who always looked out for others. Shortly after his passing at the age of 17 in November 2022, Peter’s family learned even more about his generosity of spirit through condolence letters they received from his classmates. Among other acts, Peter stood up to bullies, supported kids in crisis, and rooted for teammates and competitors.
His parents, Dave Elchoness, an Edison High School alumnus, and Eve Bonn, were told Peter saved lives.
Dave Elchoness traveled nearly 1,800 miles to return to his hometown to deliver a keynote address and personally present the Kindness Counts Awards to the recipients during the luncheon.
Out of an unfathomable tragedy, the Bonn-Elchoness family has found an ineffably meaningful way to keep alive Peter’s indomitable spirit through the Kindness Counts Award.
The Greater Middlesex Conference awarded a total of 10 scholarships in the amount of $300 each to Sportsmanship Award honorees selected via a random draw.
Paying forward the kindness of Jim Gano, the owner of Crown Trophy of Flemington, who generously donated the Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Award plaques, The Peter Fund and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation each donated a $300 scholarship to a Sportsmanship honoree. Those recipients were also selected via a random draw.
A complete list of Greater Middlesex Conference Sportsmanship Award recipients can be found below.
2024 GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Calvary Christian: Joshua Stevens, Anastasia Awadalla
Carteret: Zorawar Singh, Keena Tall
Colonia: Matthew McSorley, Myiah Sutton
Dunellen: Dalan Hopper, Alyssa Vargas Gonzalaz
East Brunswick: Derick Christie, Caitlin Gay
East Brunswick Magnet School: Matthew Murphy, Aralyn Torres-Perez
Edison Academy Magnet School: Rahil Patel, Soumya Singh
Edison: Mason Manolopoulos, Ghelsey Go
Highland Park: Nick Merino, Ciara Marsh
John F. Kennedy: Nathaniel Richemond, Omotola Oyinkolade
John P. Stevens: Leo Bunion, Brianna Fenderson
Metuchen: Daniel Kuhne, Samantha Pfeiffer
Middlesex: Dakota Clark, Peyton Chie
Monroe: Myles Marabuto, Allison Nieves
Mother Seton: Aubriana Gaiter-Johnson
New Brunswick: Quamir Thompson, Brissa Valentin Guzman
North Brunswick: Manish Vankadhara, Tiana Robinson
North Plainfield: Ramir Bellazzin, Avani Jones
Old Bridge: Logan Roman, Jenna Magrino
Perth Amboy: Brandon Bradsher, Natasha Iglesia
Perth Amboy Magnet School: Jeremy Valdez, Kiara Tapia
Piscataway: Garret Pech, Courtney Edmundo
Piscataway Magnet School: Abraham Aparicio-Rosales, Deborah Villacorta
Saint Thomas Aquinas: Reed Kerstetter, Elizabeth Negron
Sayreville: Gene Moore, Jillian Bourbeau
Somerset Tech: Gagan Voonna, Tianni Austin
South Amboy: Benjamin Hernandez, Ashley Moreira-Burgos
South Brunswick: Matthew Pierre, Krisztina Marthi
South Plainfield: Nolan Hook, Riley Cassio
South River: Jason Brill, Madison Vitucci
Spotswood: Luc Acquaviva, Ava Fama
Saint Joseph: Evan Chin
Wardlaw-Hartridge: Jai Maurya, Rajwans Sindhar
Timothy Christian: Jonathan Walker, Lynsey Trejo
Woodbridge Academy Magnet School: Sujal Dhoka, Kiah Parehk
Woodbridge High School: Jeffrey De Leon Vaca, Alyssa Pollock
