2026 Delaware County Athletic Awards honors county's best high school athletes

[ASFN Admin]

MUNCIE — The best high school athletes and coaches in Delaware County were recognized Sunday, May 17, at the third annual Delaware County Athletic Awards show.

The Muncie Sports Commission put on the event for the third year in a row and the second at the Horizon Convention Center. Athletes from all eight high schools within Delaware County were eligible for awards — Burris, Cowan, Daleville, Delta, Muncie Central, Wapahani, Wes-Del and Yorktown — with nominees for each award submitted by coaches and athletic administrators from each school.

The event began with a red carpet photo-op, sponsored by the YMCA of Muncie, and a pre-show reception, sponsored by The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, for the student-athletes being recognized. Awards honored the high school players of the year for each sport, plus coaches of the year, scholar-athletes of the year, mental attitude awards, and the Tim Cleland Youth Development Champion Award.

The Boys and Girls Athlete of the Year Awards went to Yorktown senior Jabin Barnes and Delta senior Jordan Bunch, respectively. They also each won Player of the Year in their respective sports — Barnes for football and Bunch for girls soccer — and saw those two teams bring home the Boys and Girls Team of the Year awards.

"It's good to see awards that aren't necessarily about chasing numbers, especially when it's voted on by people who are watching and peers," Barnes said. "I'm not necessarily a person who likes to be the center of attention, but it's just proof that winning isn't loyal, but the work is loyal to everybody. Everybody wants something to work their butt off in, and I'm just proud to be part of something that recognizes people in this community."

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The selection committee for the awards was composed of members of the Muncie Sports Commission, local coaches and local media, including The Star Press. Local celebrity award presenters included Munciana volleyball club director Mike Lingenfelter, longtime Star Press sports journalist and 2026 Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Doug Zaleski, Muncie Sports Commission board president Brad Edmondson, Burris Broadcast director Rob Jones, and Star Press sports journalist Cade Hampton.

Here are all of the winners and nominees from the 2026 Delaware County Sports Awards:

2026 Delaware County Sports Awards​

(Winners are listed in bold.)

Boys Cross Country

• Noah Smith, senior, Burris
• Isaac Campbell, senior, Cowan
• Colin Elam, freshman, Daleville
• Peyton Engle, junior, Delta
• Zachary Hinckley, senior, Muncie Central
• Mason Tomboni, senior, Wapahani
• Christopher Lopez, junior, Wes-Del
• Wyatt Turner, junior, Yorktown

Girls Cross Country

• Sophia Warner, freshman, Burris
• Abby Campbell, sophomore, Cowan
• Kynlie Keffer, junior, Daleville
• Everly Carter, sophomore, Delta
• Lily Clark, junior, Muncie Central
• Ava Cook, junior, Wapahani
• Noelle Ernstberger, sophomore, Wes-Del
• Auden Turner, freshman, Yorktown

Boys Soccer

• Beau Edmonds, junior, Burris
• Noah Nixon, senior, Daleville
• Cooper Pierce, junior, Delta
• Angel Rueda, senior, Muncie Central
• Kaleb Keihn, senior, Wapahani
• Gavin Redick, junior, Yorktown

Girls Soccer

• Sydney Jackson, senior, Burris
• Jordan Bunch, senior, Delta
• Rianna Webb, senior, Muncie Central
• Bella Richardson, junior, Wapahani
• Harper Mitchell, senior, Yorktown

Boys Tennis

• Shashwat Sabapathy, junior, Burris
• Aaron Elliott and Tyce Dishman, senior and junior, Delta
• Caleb Byrn, senior, Muncie Central
• Aaron Buehler, junior, Yorktown

Girls Golf

• Elle Churchill, junior, Delta
• Laela Davis, junior, Muncie Central
• Mackenzie Brannon, senior, Wapahani
• Hayden Browning, senior, Wes-Del
• Lindsey Mathews, sophomore, Yorktown

Football

• Cole Mynett, senior, Delta
• Marquis Allen, senior, Muncie Central
• Brock Nauman, senior, Wes-Del
• Jabin Barnes, senior, Yorktown

Volleyball

• Emi Cukrowicz, senior, Burris
• Savannah Hall, junior, Cowan
• Maddie Rees, junior, Daleville
• Kate Manor, senior, Delta
• Grace Walker, senior, Muncie Central
• Olivia Walters, senior, Wapahani
• Taylor Freeman, senior, Wes-Del
• Chloe Ritchie, sophomore, Yorktown

Boys Swimming/Diving

• Oliver Moring, senior, Burris
• Samuel Stokes, junior, Delta
• Gavyn Cook, sophomore, Muncie Central
• Ty Filkovski, junior, Yorktown

Girls Swimming/Diving

• Emiliia Kadurina, junior, Burris
• Alivia Jackson, junior, Delta
• Johanna McKee, junior, Muncie Central
• Maria Yant, senior, Yorktown

Boys Wrestling

• Jackson Bradley, senior, Cowan
• James Gibson, sophomore, Daleville
• Jensen Boyd, junior, Delta
• Brodyn Zick, senior, Muncie Central
• Brogan Long, senior, Wapahani
• Luke Powers, senior, Wes-Del
• Jackson Webb, senior, Yorktown

Girls Wrestling

• Kynlie Keffer, junior, Daleville
• Learah Rollins, junior, Muncie Central
• Paislee Chambers, senior, Wes-Del

Boys Basketball

• Sam Isom, sophomore, Burris
• Luke Garrett, senior, Cowan
• Carson Tighe, junior, Daleville
• Lucas Bragg, senior, Delta
• Landen Wells, senior, Muncie Central
• Camden Bell, senior, Wapahani
• Julian Carpenter, senior, Wes-Del
• Mason Trammell, junior, Yorktown

Girls Basketball

• Sydney Jackson, senior, Burris
• Savannah Hall, junior, Cowan
• Olivia Pratcher, junior, Daleville
• Addison Barnes, senior, Delta
• Kei'Maija Hickey, sophomore, Muncie Central
• Nola Baker, freshman, Wapahani
• Joy Toney, freshman, Wes-Del
• Lilly Sylvester, senior, Yorktown

Boys Track and Field

• Asher Kaplan-Fox, junior, Burris
• Aidan Glenn, senior, Cowan
• Logan Parker, senior, Daleville
• Grey Backus, senior, Delta
• Jacob Tyler, senior, Muncie Central
• Grady Mahaffey, senior, Wapahani
• Wyatt Turner, junior, Yorktown

Girls Track

• Sloane Sanchez, sophomore, Burris
• Abby Campbell, sophomore, Cowan
• Kara Coffey, senior, Daleville
• Jillian Barr, senior, Delta
• Jayden Embry, senior, Muncie Central
• Ava Cook, junior, Wapahani
• Caroline Wallace, junior, Yorktown

Girls Tennis

• Lucia Donahue, senior, Burris
• Kate Manor, senior, Delta
• Grace Walker, senior, Muncie Central
• Lauren Delk, freshman, Yorktown

Boys Golf

• Ashton Goney, sophomore, Cowan
• Coltan Manor, freshman, Delta
• Alakai Wallace, senior, Muncie Central
• Dylan Dodd, junior, Wapahani
• Gavin Perdue, freshman, Wes-Del
• Noah Barnet, senior, Yorktown

Softball

• Taylor Young, senior, Cowan
• Rylan Leonard, junior, Daleville
• Everly Carter, sophomore, Delta
• Clair Riddle, sophomore, Muncie Central
• Zoey Koger, senior, Wapahani
• Keylie Byrd, senior, Wes-Del
• Liv Jones, sophomore, Yorktown

Baseball

• Jesse Benion, junior, Burris
• Hunter Collins, junior, Cowan
• Caleb Aikin, senior, Daleville
• Everrett Linn, senior, Delta
• Fletcher Kahle, senior, Muncie Central
• Quentine James, senior, Wapahani
• Ryan Burkholder, senior, Yorktown

Cheer Recognition

• Tommy Sparrow, senior, Burris
• Isabella Dickey, junior, Cowan
• Olivia Pratcher, junior, Daleville
• Stella Sieber, senior, Delta
• Kendalynn Lee, senior, Muncie Central
• Avery Tuttle, senior, Wapahani
• Maria Yant, senior, Yorktown

Boys Mental Attitude

• Noble Hollan, senior, Burris
• Isaac Campbell, senior, Cowan
• Logan Parker, senior, Daleville
• Noah Parrot, senior, Delta
• Reggie Reynolds, senior, Muncie Central
• Kason Thrasher, senior, Wapahani
• Ryan Burkholder, senior, Yorktown

Girls Mental Attitude

• Dorothy Eads, senior, Burris
• Taylor Young, senior, Cowan
• Elizabeth Bamidele, senior, Delta
• Jasmine Ray, senior, Muncie Central
• Caroline Huntzinger, senior, Wapahani
• Mya Trammell, senior, Yorktown

Boys Coach of the Year

• Max Alvarado, Burris boys soccer
• Aaron Wells, Cowan baseball
• Julius Gerencser, Daleville wrestling
• Mark Detweiler, Delta boys basketball
• Kyle Buresh, Muncie Central football
• Heath Dudley, Wapahani baseball
• Matt Nuckols, Wes-Del football
• Mike Wilhelm, Yorktown football

Girls Coach of the Year

• Isidro Alvarado, Burris girls soccer
• Amber Huber, Cowan volleyball
• Joe Rench, Daleville girls basketball
• Mason Turner, Delta girls soccer
• Kate Hughes, Muncie Central volleyball
• Bo Stevenson, Wapahani cross country/track and field
• David Lamb, Wes-Del cross country/track and field
• Stephanie Bloom, Yorktown volleyball

Boys Scholar-Athlete

• Oliver Moring, senior, Burris
• Barron Smith, senior, Cowan
• Jeffrey Hamilton, senior, Daleville
• Noah Parrot, senior, Delta
• Brodyn Zick, senior, Muncie Central
• Hunter Rodeffer, senior, Wapahani
• Henry Tokar, senior, Yorktown

Girls Scholar-Athlete

• Sydney Jackson, senior, Burris
• Ava Gregory, senior, Cowan
• Jordan Bunch, senior, Delta
• Kendall Kahle, senior, Muncie Central
• Olivia Walters, senior, Wapahani
• Maria Yant, senior, Yorktown

Tim Cleland Youth Development Champion Award

• Bobby Hatfield

Boys Athlete of the Year

• Brayden Saleem, junior, Muncie Burris
• Jackson Bradley, senior, Cowan
• Carson Tighe, junior, Daleville
• Maddox Huffman, senior, Delta
• Marquis Allen, senior, Muncie Central
• Camden Bell, senior, Wapahani
• Brock Nauman, senior, Wes-Del
• Jabin Barnes, senior, Yorktown

Girls Athlete of the Year

• Emiliia Kadurina, junior, Burris
• Candice Matson, senior, Cowan
• Kynlie Keffer, junior, Daleville
• Jordan Bunch, senior, Delta
• Grace Walker, senior, Muncie Central
• Zoey Koger, senior, Wapahani
• Taylor Freeman, senior, Wes-Del
• Liv Jones, sophomore, Yorktown

Boys Team of the Year

• Muncie Burris soccer
• Cowan baseball
• Daleville soccer
• Delta wrestling
• Muncie Central swimming and diving
• Wapahani baseball
• Wes-Del football
• Yorktown football

Girls Team of the Year

• Muncie Burris soccer
• Cowan volleyball
• Daleville cheer
• Delta soccer
• Muncie Central volleyball
• Wapahani volleyball
• Wes-Del wrestling
• Yorktown softball

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Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: 2026 Delaware County Athletic Awards winners and nominees

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