Freedom High School Lacrosse Player and Allentown Central Catholic High School Soccer Standout Named Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute Athlete of the Year

Freedom High School lacrosse player Connor Bevan and Allentown Central Catholic High School soccer player Julia Roth named Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute’s Athlete of the Year during a live broadcast on PBS39 May 24. Each athlete was surprised with a live interview during the broadcast and was awarded a $10,000 scholarship based on athletic accomplishments, academics and community involvement.

The Athlete of the Year event is the culminating celebration of the Athlete of the Week program, sponsored by Coordinated Health. The 32-week program, featured in The Morning Call, gives the public an opportunity to vote for three male and female student-athletes weekly. Each weekly winner receives a $500 scholarship and appears on a PBS39 news segment.

During this year’s event all 64 Athlete of the Week winners were recognized. Also, former Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sprole spoke remotely to students about the importance of resiliency and strength.

Several other awards were announced during the event, including:

• Community Support Award – Demi Olatilo, soccer, Parkland High School
• Comeback Player of the Year – Samantha Roth, basketball, soccer, Allentown Central Catholic High School
• The Morning Call Boys’ Coach of the Year – Chad Shirk, wrestling, Saucon Valley High School
• The Morning Call Girls’ Coach of the Year – Sue Butz-Stavin, field hockey, Emmaus High School
• Male Fan Favorite – Cooper King, football and basketball, Northampton Area High School
• Female Fan Favorite – Skyler Searfoss, basketball, Jim Thorpe Area High School
• Male Team Fan Favorite – Parkland High School boys’ basketball
• Female Team Fan Favorite – Allentown Central Catholic girls’ soccer

The Athlete of the Year event was supported by PBS39 as the Premier Production Partner and The Morning Call as the Premier Media Partner. You can watch the event on the PBS39 Facebook page or Opens in new tab pbs39.org/aoty.

Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute Athlete of the Year is the region’s largest scholarship program for student-athletes with over $400,000 in scholarships being awarded since it began in 2013.