Jesus “Chuy” Rodriguez
Woodburn High School
Class of 2019
Part of a Woodburn soccer team that has been dominant in recent years, Jesus “Chuy” Rodriguez has been a significant contributor to the Bulldogs’ success as a member of Woodburn’s three state championships at both the 5A and 4A level. Individually, he has been named to the All-State First Team twice, and was named the 2018 4A State Player of the Year last fall.
Prep Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Colleen Uzoekwe
Westview High School
Class of 2020
12 months ago, the name Colleen Uzoekwe was almost unheard of in the Oregon prep sports sphere. Fast forward to now and it is safe to say this is no longer the case. After taking home four Metro League district titles, she continued her dominance to the state meet, where she took cleaned out and earned first place in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and long jump. Uzoekwe became the first three time state champion in Westview’s history, and was named the OSAA 6A Female Athlete of the Meet for her success.
George Pasero Team of the Year
Jessica Pistole
Southern Oregon University softball
Pistole and her Southern Oregon softball team will forever have their names etched in the record books, winning the NAIA Softball World Series this past spring. It was the Raiders’ first championship of any kind in school history. This wasn’t just a one hit wonder for Southern Oregon: Pistole has implemented sustained success since arriving in Ashland, setting the school record for wins for the third consecutive year during her five year tenure.
Prep Baseball Player of the Year
Mick Abel
Jesuit High School
Class of 2020
Abel is arguably the best high school baseball player in the country and poised to make a name for himself as early as the 2020 MLB Draft unless he decides to attend Oregon State. Both a right handed pitcher and first baseman for Jesuit’s state championship squad, Abel was named Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball. Abel was almost unstoppable in 2019 with a 10-0 record and 1.26 ERA. Recently, Abel was a participant of the inaugural High School All-American Game, a collaboration event between the MLB and USA Baseball and is in the running for the U-18 World Cup in South Korea.
From the Prep Football Player of the Year to Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, another week of the 2019 Oregon Sports Awards is in the books.
Each day, we at NBC Sports Northwest and the Oregon Sports Awards will be announcing winners daily on the Brian Noe Show and The Bridge.
Here is a recap of our winners this week:
EJ Holland wins Prep Boys Cross Country Player of the Year
Kaitlyn Dobler wins Prep Girls Swimmer of the Year
Prep Football Player of the Year
Casey Filkins
Lake Oswego High School
Class of 2020
After a dominant junior year where he had over 2000 all purpose yards and 37 touchdowns, helping lead Lake Oswego to the 6A football state title, Filkins has much more in store for the future. Committed to Cal but also received interest/offers from a host of other Ivy League and PAC-12 schools, the 5-foot-11, 190 pound 3 star “athlete” is one of two Oregon athletes committed to the Golden Bears, the other being Jesuit’s Andy Alfieri.
Luke Thornbrue
Century High School
Class of 2019
Century High’s Thornbrue has been dominant in both the high school and club swimming scene for some time now. On his club team, Hillsboro HEAT, Thornbrue has consistently finished at the top of his events in national meets. After winning the 200 and 500 meter freestyle state title as a freshman, Thornbrue solely focused on club meets during his sophomore and junior year.
In Thornbrue's return to the high school swimming scene for his senior season, he not only “repeated," but also shattered his own state record in the 100.
Kaitlyn Dobler
Aloha High School
Class of 2020
Kaitlyn Dobler is one of the top swimmers in the nation. Committed to the University of Southern California (USC), she has been an elite swimmer, a 6A state champion in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke.
Dobler is a staple in the USA swimming program, qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials and made IRONMAN Official’s top 25 18 and under athletes as a 16 year old. This is her second-consecutive Prep Girls Swimmer of the Year award.
EJ Holland
Ashland High School
Class of 2020
Holland is not only an elite cross country runner (both regionally and nationally), but also unsurprisingly excels as a long distance runner in track and field as well. This past year, he was dominant, winning every prep cross country race he was apart of, including the 5A state meet. Holland showcased his chops on the national scale too, placing 16th at the Nike Cross Nationals, which took place at local Glendoveer Golf Course.
Welcome to the 2019 Oregon Sports Awards!
Each day, we will be announcing winners of all different categories from Oregon-based schools on NBC Sports Northwest.
Here is your recap of the winners from this past week:
Serim Jin wins Prep Tennis Player of the Year
Ariel Carlson wins Prep Softball Player of the Year
Mitchell Fink wins Ad Rutschman small-college Male Athlete of the Year
Annie Wright wins Ad Rutschman small-college Female Athlete of the Year
Katy Gilbert wins Prep Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year
Alex Slusher wins Prep Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year
Adley Rutschman wins Bill Hayward Amateur Athlete of the Year
Isaac Buerger wins Prep Boys Golfer of the Year
Rose Booth wins Prep Girls Volleyball Player of the Year