There are six nominees up for the Boys and Girls Golfer of the Year at this year’s All-Valley Sports Award Banquet.
Valley golfers came through with top finishes at the district, regional and even state levels, but only one boy and one girl will be able to claim Boys Golfer of the Year and Girls Golfer of the Year.
The winners will be announced at the 2018 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet on June 19 at Mario’s Banquet & Conference Center in Mission.
Sean Elliott, a former NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs who now works with the team as a broadcaster, will be the keynote speaker at the event.
The nominees for Boys Golfer of the Year:
>> Santiago Garcia, Hanna: The senior was the District 32-6A individual champion for the fourth straight year and was the RGV Golf Coaches Association MVP for 2017-18 with a Valley-best 70.78 stroke average. He went to the regional tournament for the fourth straight year and barely missed qualifying for the state tournament. He signed to play at Texas A&M International in Laredo.
>> Jun Min Lee, Sharyland High: Lee dominated the District 31-5A tournament to earn a trip to regionals. Lee then won the regional tournament to advance to state, where he tied for third place.
>> CW Phillips, McAllen Memorial: Phillips dominated the District 30-6A tournament, winning by six strokes to advance to regionals. At the Region IV tournament, Phillips hit some tough shots on the backside to secure his trip to state by one stroke.
The nominees for Girls Golfer of the Year:
>> Raquel Flores, Sharyland High: Flores won the District 31-5A tournament by five strokes to help the Rattlers advance to regionals. Flores also won the regional tournament by seven strokes to lead her team to state. At state, the Rattlers captured second place in the team competition, and Flores finished 18th overall as an individual.
>>Micaela Leandro, Harlingen High: Leandro is quickly making a name for herself in Valley golf as she won the District 32-6A tournament championship to advance to regionals for the second year in a row. At regionals, she performed quite well, shooting a two-day total of 161 to finish in 29th place.
>> Julie Lucio, Brownsville Veterans Memorial: The senior was a district champion for the fourth straight year, this year in District 32-5A, and went to the regional tournament again, where she finished tied for third as the Brownsville Veterans team qualified for state with a second-place showing. At the state tournament, Lucio finished in a three-way tie for 12th with a 151. She was the RGV Golf Coaches Association MVP for 2017-18 with a Valley-best 71.38 stroke average for 18 holes. She signed to play at the University of Houston.
The banquet, hosted by RGVSports.com and AIM Media Texas in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, will see 33 awards presented to athletes, coaches and teams across all 12 UIL sports. The prestigious Tom Landry Award of Excellence will honor a student-athlete for outstanding achievements on and off the field.
The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, The Brownsville Herald, Mid-Valley Town Crier and RGV Sports Hall of Fame will vote to determine the winners in the sports categories. While The Monitor, the Star and the Herald have previously named their All-Area teams in certain sports, the All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet will recognize the very best across all three coverage areas.
The banquet, which will run approximately 6 to 8 p.m., returns to Mario’s for a second consecutive year. The venue has a seating capacity of more than 500 people. Tickets will be on sale soon at a cost of $40 per person. For sponsorship opportunities, call Marcia Kitten at 956-683-4463 or email [email protected].
