Congratulations to our three award winners for 2026! Read about past Yearly Award Winners on our Tour History page.
Lillian Small - Athlete of the Year
The 12th annual Athlete of the Year award is our highest honor given to our travelers. This traveler demonstrates athletic success in International competition. But that’s just part of the story. This traveler also appreciates the culture and diversity of the different places we visit. They display awesome patriotism and interact positively with our new International friends and make a strong positive impression about America! They demonstrate leadership throughout the trip with their teammates and coaches. READ MORE HERE.
Honorable Mention
- Maki Mitchell – From Coach Horton, “Led us in scoring, had a heroic two-way effort in our 20-point comeback win, and won 3 game MVPs.”
- Karlie Smith – From Coach Coffey, “I think she was the best Women’s Basketball player from any team in the entire tournament.”
- Claire Myers – From Coach Nowell, “Tournament MVP as a goalie with sharing time in cage (which shows & means a lot as the award is voted by the refs). When not in cage, happy and cheering on her teammates. Talking to the refs and other teams in good sportsmanship. During the trip talking to everyone (team & parents) getting everyone engaged, having fun and being a leader for the women’s team.”
- Miles Degner – From Coach Horton, “Was the model of consistency. He had 3 double doubles and averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds.”
- Mason MacEwen – Nominated by Coach Perritano.
About Lillian and Why She Was Chosen?
Christin Blazekovic - Guest of the Year
The 12th annual Guest Traveler of the Year award is our highest honor given to our travelers. This ‘Trip Mom’ (or Dad) makes the trip better for all travelers. They are great at ‘going with the flow’ and handling the ups and downs of International group travel. During the trip they help the SaWUSA staff care for each traveler by going above and beyond to assist other travelers, especially those traveling without parents. Most importantly, they make the trip more enjoyable just by being along for the ride. READ MORE HERE.
Honorable Mention
- Tammy Walz – From Coach Coffey, “Like a general manager for the whole tour.”
- Grant Small – From Coach Shank, “Grant was awesome! He was always down for the ride with the trip. Very positive! He took a solo athlete traveler under his wing and allowed her to spend time with them and hang with them on tours and free time.”
- Juan Hedtler – From Coach Perritano, “Took good care of the drivers with food. Overall great companion, friendly and very positive.”
- Shannon Roberts – From Coach Ryan Nowell, “Very easy going even when we had to make changes to the tour because of the weather (how hot it was) or closure to the one excursion. Enjoyed the culture of the two countries and wanted to experience it all. Never complained. Super helpful on the days of the lacrosse tournament. She helped get both teams ice & making sure everyone was hydrated. Just a great parent that was super engaged and great to work with.
- James Papadinis – From Coach Ryan Nowell, “Very easy going even when we had to make changes to the tour because of the weather (how hot it was) or closure to the one excursion. Enjoyed the culture of the two countries and wanted to experience it all. Never complained. Super helpful on the days of the lacrosse tournament. He was both teams photographer (took a lot of great photos with his camera). Just a great parent that was super engaged and great to work with.
- Michael Degner – From Coach Horton, “For introducing us to the Game Changer App, which he used to stat, record, and produce game recaps for us.”
- Jennifer Bullock – From Coach Shank, “She helped me coach and was a huge asset to the trip.”
About Christin and Why She Was Chosen?
Ray Edwards - Coach of the Year
The 12th annual Coach of the Year award is our highest honor given to our travelers. The selection is based on; helpfulness in trip preparation, post-trip survey results from parents and athletes, commitment to team safety, commitment to trip morale, athletic competition success, and a commitment to well-being of our STUDENTathletes. READ MORE HERE.
NOTE: This is an award that can only be won one time.
Honorable Mention
- Brady Harrington – received awesome guest reviews and led his team to an 8-1 record!
About Ray and Why He Was Chosen?
Ray is no stranger to SAWUSA—this summer marked his record-tying 5th tour with us! (Argentina ’22, Costa Rica ’23, Portugal ’24, UWG ’25, UWG ’26).
On the court, Coach Edwards led his team to a 7–1 record. But that’s only half the story
We’ve always appreciated Ray’s loyalty to our tours and our travelers—but this year he took it to a whole new level. He took punches for us—literally. When a game in Mongolia got a little heated, Ray stepped in, helped calm things down professionally, and kept communication tight with our team back home.
And it wasn’t just our group that noticed. We received a message from an Austrian player who wanted to personally thank Ray for his kindness—taking time to talk with him and keep him calm while they waited for the paramedics after he was injured in our game.
That’s the kind of leadership SAWUSA is built on.