AHEPA Athletics announced its National Athletic Awardees, Hall of Fame Inductees, and AHEPA Scholarship Recipients at the Official AHEPA Athletics Luncheon at the Supreme Convention last month. Supreme Athletic Director Chris G. Atsaves opened the event, followed by greetings from (Past) Supreme President Tsivicos and (Past) Grand President Dritsas. Master of Ceremonies, Ike Gulas, spearheaded the event, kicking off the reception alongside Supreme Athletic Director Atsaves. This year, there were three National Athletic Awardees, five Hall of Fame inductees, and 11 scholar-athlete award winners.
The Agganis-Family-Galatis Award is presented to the Most Outstanding High School Hellenic Athlete, and this year’s honoree is Nikki Kerstein. She is a Four-Time All-Stater basketball player in Illinois and was the Associated Press State Player of the Year, ending her high school career with over 2,000 career points. She led Montini High School to an Illinois State Championship and will play basketball at the University of Wisconsin on a Basketball Athletic Scholarship.
The William G. Chirgotis Most Outstanding College Athlete Award is presented to basketball player John Poulakidas. He is a senior guard and this year’s leading scorer in the Ivy League, averaging nearly 20 points per game at Yale University. John was selected to the All-Ivy First Team, and led Yale to the Ivy League Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second (2nd) consecutive year.
AHEPA’s premier honor is the Harry Agganis Award, which is presented to the Most Outstanding Worldwide Hellenic Athlete. This year’s selectee is Nick Calathes, one of the best point guards in Euro League history. He has played at the highest professional levels in Europe since 2009 for many different professional clubs. These include Panathinaikos, Athens, and the Euro League Finals this season for A.S. Monaco. Additionally, he played for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA for three years, and has long played on the Greek National Team.
(Past) Supreme President Savas Tsivicos said, “AHEPA is proud to recognize an outstanding group of Hellenes; we congratulate all of the honorees and are thrilled that AHEPA remains at the forefront of recognizing excellence in athletic achievement. These three National Athletic Awards are the “triple-crown” of athletic achievements, honoring the Most Outstanding Hellenic Athletes at all three levels, high school, college, and professional. These Greek-American athletes represent not only the stars of today, but certainly athletic prominence in years to come”.
