25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards

AWARD FINALISTS

25th Greater Cleveland Sports Award Nominees!

25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards presented by Medical Mutual and Ancora has announced award finalists in five categories below. The winner from each category will be announced live during Sports Awards which will be held on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse!

Fans have the opportunity to cast their votes to help determine a winner in each category. Click on each athlete name below for graphics that can be used to post on social media to share on who you think should win and encourage others to vote too! Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is accepting votes until Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST.

VOTE

Nominees for 2024 Male High School Athlete of the Year presented by University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute 

Marquise Davis, Cleveland Heights High School, Football

• 2024 All-Conference, All-District 1st Team
• Cleveland Browns Game of the Week MVP (10/27/24)
• Finalist for FOX 8 Friday Night Touchdown MVP
• Set a school record by rushing for 463 yards and eight touchdowns on 26 carries (by the end of the third quarter)
• Totaled 1,800 Yards and 24 Touchdowns
• Committed to University of Missouri

Quinn Woidke, Saint Ignatius High School, Basketball

• Scored 412 points, leading team to first state championship in 23 years
• As a junior, averaged 14.2 points, 2.2 assist, 1.6 steals
• Scored career high of 27 points twice last season against St. Joe's Prep (PA) and Centerville
• Committed to Kent State University

Marcus Johnson, Garfield Heights High School, Basketball

• All-Ohio Division I Player of the Year
• All-OHSAA First Team
• Ohio MaxPreps High School Players of the Year
• Ranked #1 player in Ohio in USA Today pre-season poll
• Averaged 23.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assist, 1.9 steals
• Committed to Ohio State University

VOTE

Nominees for Female High School Athlete of the Year presented by University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute 

Grace Kingery, North Ridgeville High School, Basketball

• Averaged 25.8 points per game
• Sits as the all-time leading scorer for both the girls and the boys' basketball programs at North Ridgeville High School with 1926 career points
• Set the Lorain County record for 81 threes in a season and 277 in career
• 3x 1st Team All- Southwestern Conference
• All-Lorain County and All-District recipient
• 1st Team Division 1 All Ohio and 4 times All Ohio
• Currently a freshman on Ball State University Women’s basketball team

Riley LaVogue, Bay Village High School, Lacrosse

• Led Bay Village High School to OHSAA State Finals with 110 goals & 27 assists
• 1st Team Division II All-Ohio, Regional Position Player of the Year and USA Lacrosse All-American (2x)
• Bay Village High School records for most goals in a game (9), career goals (320), points in a game (12), and career point in a game (410)
• Currently a freshman on Kent State University Lacrosse Team

Annabelle Groomes, Saint Joseph Academy, Volleyball

• 2024 OHSVCA Division I All-Ohio 1st Team
• 4x Letter Winner and 3x Captain
• Recorded over 100 career assists
• Led Saint Joseph to 19-9 record and state runner up finish in Division I; Ranked 4th in final state poll
• Had 23 assist, 6 digs, 6 kills and 3 block assists during State Championship Match
• Committed to University of San Diego

VOTE

Nominees for Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year presented by H. Jack's Plumbing & Heating Co. "The Super Plumber!"

Joey Marousek, Baldwin Wallace University, Baseball (North Royalton High School)

• Batted .326 in 68 games during 2024 season
• Led team and OAC with a career-best 66 hits
• All-Ohio Athletic Conference first-team selection; Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree
• Named American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Region 7 selection
• Ohio Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team honoree

Harold Fannin Jr, Bowling Green State University, Football (McKinley High School)

• Named Mid-American Conference (MAC) Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and 1st Team All-Conference
• Ranks #1 nationally among tight ends in 17 categories including; Receptions (66), Receiving Yards (947), Touchdowns (6), Yards After Catch (533), All-Purpose Yards (996), Receiving Yards Per Game (118.4), Receptions Per Game (8.3)
• Standout performace against Akron (9 passes for 135 yards, 2 rushes for 37 yards, game winning 31-yard TD)
• Highest rated tight end in college football (95.2)

Luke Chicone, John Carroll University, Basketball (Mentor High School)

• Named 2024 OAC Player of the Year and First Team All-OAC
• 2024 NABC Second Team All-American and D3hoops.com Second Team All-American
• 2024 NABC First Team All-District and D3hoops.com All-Region Honors
• Named to the 2024 OAC Tournament All-Tourney Team
• D3hoops.com Preseason All-American

VOTE

Nominees for Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year presented by H. Jack's Plumbing & Heating Co. "The Super Plumber!"

Mandy Leigh, University at Buffalo, Volleyball (Padua Franciscan High School)

• 684 assists in Mid-American Conference play earning her All-MAC Second Team Honors
• Program leader in career honors earner her 15th MAC Setter of the Week title after being named MAC Setter of the Week of 9/30/24
• Set school record of career assists with 4,374
• Finished with 10.21 assists per set, finishing 4th in MAC. Added 1.01 kills per set, 0.19 aces per set, 2.60 digs per set, 0.51 blocks per set and 1.51 points per set. On the attack she had a hitting percentage of .412

Lora Clarke, University of Michigan, Field Hockey (Shaker Heights High School)

• Gold medal with the U.S. Women's Hockey5s National Team
• All-Big Ten First Team
• Started 79 of 91 total games played at University of Michigan and boasts 23 career goals, 24 assists and 70 points
• Named NFHCA All-West Region First Team and NFHCA All-American Third Team

Melissa Holzopfel, Cleveland State University, Softball (Perry High School)

• Named First-Team All-Horizon League as both a pitcher and postion player; first student-athlete in league history to be named in both categories
• As a pitcher led the league with 117 strikeouts and finished second with a 1.84 ERA in league games
• Named Horizon League Tournament MVP after allowing just five earned runs in 40 innings and leading Cleveland State University to the Horizon League Tournament Title
• Offensively ranked third in the league with .382 batting average and 23 RBI
• Ranked 8th with .632 slugging percentage
• Totaled 200 stikeouts on the season for the seond time in her three-year career

VOTE

Nominees for Professional Athlete of the Year presented by KeyBank 

José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians, Third Base

• Named to his sixth American League All-Star Team
• 2024 was perhaps the best year of his career leading the Cleveland Guardians to the American League Central Division Championship Series
• Hit 39 home runs, 39 doubles, 41 stolen bases, 118 RBI and .537 slugging percentage
• Finished in the top of the American League in most offensive categories
• First Team All-MLB and American League Silver Slugger (5x)

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Shooting Guard

• Made his second NBA All-Star appearance as a Cleveland Cavalier
• Averaged 26.2 ppg along with career-highs in rebounds (5.1), assist (6.1) and steals (1.84)
• In 55 games, he scored at least 20 points 44 times, topped the 30-point mark 21 times and went for 40-plus points on 5 occasions
• Career high of six double-doubles
• Currently averaging 23.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.4 apg 

Katie Moon, USA Track and Field Team, Pole Vault (Olmsted Falls High School)

• Silver Medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris by clearing 4.85 meters
• 2024 US National Champion Indoors
• Bronze Medal at 2024 Indoor World Championships
• 5th highest vault in history of the sport

Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns, Cornerback

• Named Cleveland Browns 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year; Recognizing the NFL's best players for their performance on the field and dedication to the community
• Allowed a mere 43.8% completion rate on passes thrown his way, yielding just 373 yards according to Pro Football Reference
• Through nine weeks, tops the NFL with 15 pass deflections while adding 16 tackles
• Ranks first in NFL with 19 passes defended
• Added 33 tackles, 2 INT's and 1 forced fumble

VOTE

JOIN US FOR THE BIGGEST NIGHT IN CLEVELAND SPORTS!

Available this year for the first time is a $75 admission ticket to the Diehard District presented by K&D Group and ESPN Cleveland. Diehard District is a seating section in the arena bowl that allows common to diehard Cleveland sports fans the opportunity to attend the show at a discounted price, which will feature unique fan experiences for guests of all ages. The show will see national and local celebrities in attendance led by a nationally recognized host. Below is what purchasers get with their ticket. 

Diehard District: $75 ADMISSION TICKET

• Access to a live Awards Show
• One (1) seat located in arena bowl - Section 112 - 114
• Ticket pre-loaded with $10 for concessions
• On-site games and activities for attendees upon arrival 
• Special appearances from Cleveland sports personalities
• Access to Sports Awards After Party presented by Westfield in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse atrium (immediately following the Awards Show)

PURCHASE TICKETS

ADDITIONAL AWARDS FOR 25TH GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS AWARDS INCLUDE:

• Courage Award, presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine
• Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Cleveland-Cliffs
• Best Moment in Cleveland Sports, presented by JACK Entertainment
• Senior Athlete Award, presented by Medical Mutual
• Sports Development Award

To view a full list of all past Greater Cleveland Sports Awards winners, click here.