The finalists have been named for the 11th annual Rochester Area Sports banquet.
Tickets are also on sale for the event, which will be held Jan. 25 at Mayo Civic Center Exhibit Hall. The banquet is being sponsored by the Rochester Amateur Sports Commission.
Scott Hamilton, a former U.S. Olympic figure skater will be the featured speaker.
Tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for students and $400 for a table of 10. VIP tickets are also available for $60 or for $600 for a table of 10. To purchase tickets for the event, which is always a sellout, go to rochsports.com/sportsbanquet or call the RASC office at 280-4701.
The banquet will include a dinner and awards program.
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The finalists for this year's event include:
Team of the Year:
• Kasson-Mantorville softball. Repeated at Class AA state champs and finished with a record of 27-2.
• Dover-Eyota girls basketball.Won the Class AA state championship for the first time in school history and finished with a record of 31-2.
• Grand Meadow football. Won third straight Nine-Man state championship and finished with a 14-0 record.
• RCTC volleyball.Won the Region XIII title and went on to capture the NJCAA Division III national championship. Finished the season with a record of 27-6.
• RCTC football. Won the MCAC state title. Currently 11-0 record and ranked No. 2 in the nation and playing in the NJCAA national championship game on Sunday.
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Coach of the Year:
• Amber Zitzow, RCTC volleyball. Led the team to Division III NJCAA national championship.
• Jeff Fague, Kasson-Mantorville softball. Led team to Class AA state championship for second straight year.
• Brian Harris, Dover-Eyota girls basketball. Led team to Class AA state championship.
• Gary Sloan, Grand Meadow football. Led team to Nine-Man state championship for the third straight year.
• Bill Quistorff, RCTC football. Led team to the MCAC state championship and a spot in the NJCAA national championship game.
Organization of the Year:
Rochester American Legion baseball, Rochester Community Youth Basketball Association, Rochester Youth Fastpitch Softball Association, Kiwanis, SEMWREC.
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Female Athlete of Year
• Maddie Damon, Kasson-Mantorville softball. The pitcher allowed just nine runs all year to lead K-M to second straight Class AA state title. Was named the state's Miss Softball and holds state record for most career strikeouts.
• Andrianna Jacobs, Century track/diving/gymnastics. Went to state in all three sports. Won the Class AA state title in the pole vault then finished first in nation in the event at the summer Junior Olympics. Also placed second in the state in the Class AA state diving competition.
• Carley Miller, Kasson-Mantorville weightlifting. Won the 165 pound female class National Weightlifting Championship. Then competed with the U.S National team in Hungary, helping the U.S win a gold medal.
• Brandi Blattner, Dover-Eyota girls basketball, volleyball. Led basketball team to Class AA state championship, with double-doubles in all three state games. Finished with 68 points, 40 rebounds in three state games. In volleyball, set school record with 944 career kills.
• Jessica Aney, Century boys tennis and girls hockey. In tennis she advanced to the state quarterfinals of the boys state tournament. Ranked in top five of the country in her age class and will play at North Carolina. In hockey, led the state in scoring and finished as state's all-time assist leader and No. 3 all-time in points scored.
Male Athlete of Year
• Andrew Worden, Kasson-Mantorville gymnastics. He competes nationally at level 10, the highest gymnastic level possible. He qualified in the top 20 in the nation for floor, vault and bars at the Junior Olympic Championships. He hopes to go to Iowa, Minnesota or Nebraska to continue his college career.
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• Nick Rooney, RCTC football. The Minnetonka native set a national record for junior college football with 55 touchdown passes this year. Also leads the nation for No. 2 RCTC with 4,111 yards this year. He holds the NJCAA record with 103 career TD passes.
• Alex Kapraun,St. Thomas golf. The Lourdes grad was the MIAC Player of the Year and is a three-time All-American. He was the NCAA Elite 89 Award Winner for highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each championship. Named the most decorated St. Thomas golfer in history.
• Chase Rahman, Planview-Elgin-Millville football. The elite running back finished with more than 2,000 yards rushing and 23 TDs. Named to the Associated Press All-State third team.
• Brady Berge, Kasson-Mantorvillewrestling. As a sophomore he won the Class AA individual state title for the third time of his career. Has a career record of 188-4 and has won his last 100 matches. Currently ranked No. 1 ranked in state in Class AA at 160 pounds and ranked one of the top five in the nation.
Adaptive Athlete/Team of Year
• Sean Healy, Rochester Raiders floor hockey and softball. Captain for floor hockey and softball and named All-Tournament team and selected as All-Conference in both sports. Hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs during the first game at state while helping team to state runner-up finish.
• Raiders softball.Won the conference and went on to finish second at the state tournament.
• Alex Steff, poly hockey. Played in the Special Olympics in poly hockey and led team with 20 goals and six assists in five games. Had seven goals during one game at state and helped the team place third.
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• Ricky Ties, Paralympic USA judo. Earned a bronze medal at the event in Heidelberg, Germany, in April. Is training for Paralympics in Rio in 2016.
• Special Olympics bocce ball.The team advanced to the state championship match.
