Two BSG Athletes Named National Athletes of the Year

October 7, 2020

Teagan Dymek (Osterville) wins National Youth Female Athlete of the Year

Reese Stevenson (Harvard) wins National Youth Male Athlete of the Year

Pictured: Teagan Dymek (right) at home, and Reese Stevenson (left) at the 2019 Bay State Games Swimming Finals.

Officials with the National Congress of State Games (NCSG) announced the 2020 Athletes of the Year. A youth female, youth male, adult female and adult male athlete are chosen as Athlete of the Year. Athletes are nominated after winning Athlete of the Year at their local State Games. In 2020, 30 State Games organizations awarded Athletes of the Year and submitted their nominations for the national award.

Within the winners of the four categories, two athletes hail from Massachusetts.

Youth Female: Teagan Dymek – Volleyball – Osterville, MA
Youth Male: Reese Stevenson – Swimming – Harvard, MA

The 2020 recipients will be recognized at the NCSG Virtual Annual Symposium and TEAMS Virtual Conference and Expo.

Teagan Dymek, 17, exemplifies what it means to be a scholar-athlete. Not only has she excelled in the classroom, overcoming the obstacles of hearing loss and an auditory processing disorder, but she continues to be an outstanding athlete who sets her own bar for excellence very high. Teagan competes in volleyball, swimming, and rowing/crew. None of these sports are offered at her high school. Therefore, she has had to adjust her own schedules to accommodate for long drives to and from practices, as well as to and from competitions. Although physically very small in size, the size of this tiny competitor's heart continues to be evident in every sport in which she competes and throughout her life as she interacts not only with her peers, but also the community at large. Her smaller stature and competitive nature ignited a fire in Teagan to prove the coaches wrong who told her she was too short but putting in additional hours at the gym to be the best athlete she can be. Her determination is also mirrored in the classroom and community, as she has attained high honors and developed a program called “Greenwood Gives Back”, which began as a food drive and has blossomed into a program in which eyewear is collected and distributed in Africa. Teagan is also a Bay State Games Ambassador at her School, Teagan worked with her peers and Athletic Director to not only promote the Bay State Games but to also initiate the formation of a volleyball team at her school.

Reese Stevenson, 17, has been swimming in Bay State Games since 2015, winning several medals along the way. He has been swimming competitively since he was 11 and also played rugby for his school. He has not traveled the most natural path to find his success, but he has persevered. Reese chose to attend a boarding school that did not have a swim team rather than one that did because it was the right academic fit, but he found a way to make it work. He became a member of the Thoreau Sharks and trained at 5:00 AM at a community center with adults, most of whom were three times his age. On his team and during competition at the Bay State Games he has medaled, set records, won titles, and is consistently used as an example to younger swimmers. The last few summers Reese has joined swimmers from across Massachusetts as a member of Team New England and participated in the AAU Junior Olympic Games, where he has won 50 and the 100 free in back to back years. At the 2019 AAU Junior Olympics, Reese qualified for the 2019 USA Futures meet in both the 50 and 100 free. Out of the pool, Reese has been a Bay State Games High School Ambassador, been a member of the Kimball Union Academy Fire Brigade, a proctor in his dorm, assisting in theater, and was named Outstanding Male Citizen in the Junior Class, while maintaining grades for High Honor Roll. Reese is a quiet, unassuming, dedicated, humble, and supportive teammate. He is a role model to younger swimmers who have watched him achieve his dreams through hard work and dedication. Reese is currently a first-year student at Bryant University, where he is a member of the men's swimming team.

Teagan and Reese become only the third and fourth Bay State Games Athlete to be selected as the recipient of this national award. The NCSG has awarded Athletes of the Year since 1994. The last Massachusetts athlete to receive this honor was Dorian McMenemy (Northboro, Swimming), who was named National Adult Female Athlete of the Year in 2017. The only other National Athlete of the Year from Massachusetts is Louise Wing (Lynn, Synchronized Swimming) in 2004. For complete list of previous winners please visit www.stategames.org/aoy.

For more on the Bay State Game Athlete of the Year program, please click here.

About the National Congress of State Games

The National Congress of State Games (NCSG) is a membership organization comprised of over 30 Summer State Games and 10 Winter State Games organizations and a member of the United States Olympic Committee's Multi Sport Organizational Council. The mission of the NCSG is to support State Games member organizations in the promotion of health, fitness and character building through Olympic-Style competitions and physical activities.

About the Bay State Games

The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization with the primary function of organizing the Bay State Summer and Winter Games. These programs attract more than 7,000 athletes from the State of Massachusetts, who compete in over 30 different sports. Summer Games begin with statewide tryouts in June and conclude with Sports competitions held in Eastern and Central Massachusetts throughout July. The Bay State Winter Games are annual held in the Berkshire Region of Massachusetts and attract athletes in figure skating, ice hockey, and curling. In addition to the Summer and Winter Games, the Bay State Games also organizes a number of enrichment programs including the Future Leaders Scholarship program, the Kristian Rose Memorial Scholarship, the Adopt an Athlete Program, the High School Ambassador Program, a Sports Medicine Symposium, Athlete of the Year Award, and the Bay State Games Hall of Fame.

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Bay State Games Announces 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

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The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants. These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. “Bay State Games is proud to continue the Future Leaders Scholarship program which since 1989 has provided over $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of outstanding young leaders." said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “These well deserving student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, representing a variety of schools, sports and regions across Massachusetts” This year’s six scholarship recipients are Elyse Bissada, Brooke Blahut, Abigail Howie, Olivia Laaper, Sabina Mackechnie, Molly McIntyre. Elyse Bissada is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, where she is a four-year varsity field hockey and track & field athlete, as well as the team captain for both sports. In 2025, Elyse was a member of the Bay State Games Southeast field hockey team where she won a gold medal. Elyse is the founder of the Veterinary Medicine Club at her school and in her free time volunteers at local farms and Animal Rescue Leagues across the state. Elyse has committed to play field hockey and study biology at Hamilton College, where she plans to pursue veterinary medicine and ultimately establish an affordable low-cost clinic that serves her community. Brooke Blahut is a senior at North Quincy High School where she is a 4-year varsity member of the soccer team, and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. Brooke is also a well accomplished figure skater. She began skating at age 2 at Winterland Skating School and is now a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Brooke has participated in Bay State Games annually since 2016, medaled 6 times, and is a 4-year Bay State Games High School Ambassador. Brooke is also the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Ambassador for NQHS. Brooke is Vice President of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and academically ranks in the top 5% of her class with a 4.6 GPA. Brooke is a two-time team leader and participant in the FBI Teen Leadership Academy and plans to pursue her master’s in forensic science and criminology and become an FBI Special Agent. Abigail Howie is a senior at Wilmington High School, where she is on the varsity soccer team and is captain of the Winter and Spring Track teams. Abigail serves as President of Student Council and the Wildcat Service Council, where she founded the “Bridging Generations” community initiative. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Best Buddies. Abigail coaches a Wilmington fourth-grade team and is a USSF-certified soccer referee. She has most recently created an Alzheimer's Awareness community service project for her senior year. She hopes to continue her athletic career in college while studying sports management and marketing. Olivia Laaper resides in Stow and is a senior at Fusion Academy in Burlington. Laaper has been a captain of multiple high school sports teams including Track & Field and Swimming. Olivia is captain of her archery team at Riverside Archers and has won multiple medals in archery at Bay State Games and state competitions. Beyond athletics, Olivia has gained hands-on experience in emergency medicine as a high school intern with Pro EMS and plans to take her EMT certification this fall. She gives back to her community by lifeguarding and coaching youth swimming at Goldfish Swim School, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and at local food banks. In college, Olivia plans to pursue a degree in nursing with a minor in emergency medicine and psychology. Sabina Mackechnie is a senior at East Longmeadow High School where she is a three sport athlete and captain in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. She has earned all-league and second-team All-Western Mass honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sabina has been a By State Games Ambassador for two years and is a member of her school's Athletic Leadership Council and Pink Ribbon Club. Sabina participates in canned food drives and fundraisers for her school sports teams. Sabina will continue her lacrosse career at Springfield College while pursuing a degree in Education. Molly McIntyre is a senior at Norton High School where she is a three-sport captain in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, earning multiple TVL All-Star honors, and MVP awards. Molly serves in key leadership roles on Student Council, DECA, Best Buddies, and five National Honor Societies. She volunteers at local youth sports programs, community events, and the MSG Gregory Trent Foundation. Molly works part-time at a donut shop and local ice cream store. She plans on attending Stonehill College where she will compete in track and study Finance and Marketing. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here. For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here . About the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation/Bay State Games The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 1982 to host the first sanctioned state games of the Commonwealth. It operates with the mission of promoting personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship to Massachusetts citizens of all ages and abilities. The Foundation is recognized for hosting high quality, Olympic-style events through the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, as well as educational programs, including the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and the High School Ambassador Program.