Bay State Games Announces 2024 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 15, 2024

WOBURN (November 15, 2024) – The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2024 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.

“Since its inception in 1989, the Future Leaders Scholarship Program has recognized outstanding high school students that excel in the classroom, in the community, and on the field of play,” said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “We are proud that this program has provided nearly $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of these well deserving student-athletes that represent all regions of Massachusetts and many different sports.”

This year’s six scholarship recipients are Akosua Adu-Gyamfi, Priya Bedard, Shannon Gustin, Keira Manning, Emilia Maria-Babcock, and Amelia Spencer.

Akosua Adu-Gyamfi is a resident of Holden and attends the Winchendon School. At school, she plays on the varsity basketball team, where she is an active team leader. She played in the 2024 Bay State Games Girls Basketball Showcase on the Central team and won the DICK’S Sporting Goods Sportsmanship Award. Akosua started a Bible study club at her school and plays the piano. Outside of school, she is a childcare worker at a local elementary school and volunteers at the Akwabba Free Clinic in Worcester. She hopes to continue playing basketball in college while studying criminal justice with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

Priya Bedard is a senior at Medway High School. At school, she is captain of the varsity softball team and plays on the varsity soccer and basketball teams. Priya competed in the 2024 Bay State Games Softball Showcase and was awarded the DICK’s Sporting Goods Sportsmanship Award for the Southeast team. She was selected as her school’s representative to attend the MIAA Leadership Conference. At school, Priya is a photographer for the school newspaper and volunteers for Relay for Life. She is currently completing an internship at the Innovation Center Pathways at Milford Regional Hospital. She volunteers at the Medway food pantry. After graduation, Priya plans to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of Hartford as a member of the softball team.

Shannon Gustin is a senior at Rockland High School. She is ranked #11 in her class, sporting a 4.22 GPA through her junior year. Shannon is the Spirit Chair on the student council, which includes planning inclusion pep rallies, dances, spirit weeks and any other school spirit related event hosted at our school that bring us together as one “Bulldog Nation”. At school, she is also a member of the volleyball team, a founding member of her school’s DECA chapter and Vice President of Career Development, is a feature editor and writer for the RHS Veritas newspaper, and a secretary of Key Club. She was a founding member of the Women’s Empowerment Club at her school, which successfully was able to get feminine hygiene products installed in all the girl’s bathrooms at her school. Shannon is a high school sports and prom dress content creator as well. Shannon also competes in figure skating with the Winterland Skating School and has competed in Bay State Games Figure Skating competitions since 2016. Shannon plans on attending a 4-year university to study marketing and journalism to later work in the sports media field after graduation.

Keira Manning is a native of Marlborough and attends the Advanced Math & Science Academy, where she plays field hockey and lacrosse. She is captain of her co-op field hockey team with Marlborough High School and is on the MIAA Student Advisory Committee. Within her school community, she is involved in a variety of clubs, including Leaders of Tomorrow, NHS, and Peer Mediation. She is a member of the Principal’s Council and is a Bay State Games Ambassador. Keira played for the Central team in the Bay State Games Field Hockey Showcase for 3 years. Keira is involved in the community through the Marlborough Public Library as a member of the Teen Advisory Board. She has won several leadership awards and attended leadership conferences all around the county, including being one of the four students from Massachusetts to be selected to attend the National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis this past summer. Keira plans to continue playing field hockey at Dickinson College after graduation while studying international studies or pre-law with hopes of attending law school.

Emilia Maria-Babcock is a senior at Everett High School. She is ranked #6 in her class of 630 students with a 4.76 GPA. She is captain of the varsity basketball and soccer teams and plays softball at Everett High School. She played in the Bay State Games Girls Basketball Showcase for the Metro team twice, winning a silver medal in 2023 and gold in 2024. Emilia is the president of her class, in NHS and Spanish NHS, a student ambassador, and a member of Key Club. She has been presented with a National Women in Sports Leadership Award. When she’s not on the field or court, you can find Emilia playing the violin in the high school orchestra. Emilia is a youth basketball and softball coach and works as a sailing instructor. She hopes to become a physical therapist.

Amelia Spencer is a native of Lynn and Winthrop and attends Winthrop High School. She holds a 4.3 GPA through her junior year. She has been president of her class for two years, is president of the student council, and was the sophomore class videographer. She is also a member of student government, debate club, math club, and wellness club. She is an MIAA Student Ambassador, Morgan’s Message Ambassador, and Bay State Games Ambassador. Athletically, she is captain of her school’s ice hockey and softball teams and played in the Bay State Games Girls Ice Hockey Showcase for 3 years, winning the gold medal each time. She is a Learn to Skate instructor, a Special Olympics volunteer, and completed an internship with the North Shore Navigators. Amelia was one of 4 students from Massachusetts to attend the National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis this past summer. In college, Amelia will continue to play NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey and will be studying special education and minoring in nutrition. Her dream job is to become an adaptive physical education teacher.

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.

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Bay State Games Inducts Three Into the 2026 Hall of Fame

August 26, 2026

Representative Patricia Haddad (legislative leadership), Representative John Barrett (legislative leadership), and Ryan McCarthy (baseball coach) have been selected for induction into the 2026 Bay State Games’ Hall of Fame. The inductees will receive their award at a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park on Sunday, June 14 prior to the Red Sox game against Texas. The Bay State Games Hall of Fame was created to recognize past participants who have gone on to prestigious and successful athletic careers, as well as former and current coaches, officials, sports organizers, and volunteers who have made significant contributions to the organization throughout its 38-year history. Past inductees among the over 60 previous honorees include the NBA’s Dana Barros (‘06), Pat Connaughton (‘25) and the late Reggie Lewis (‘02); WNBA’s Rebecca Lobo (‘03); Major League Baseball’s Rich Hill (‘13); Olympians Nancy Kerrigan (‘07), Ada Korkhin (‘25) and Samantha Livingstone (‘18) and US Paralympic Gold Medalist Joe Lemar (‘15). “The Bay State Games is proud of the many athletes who have participated in the program and gone on to achieve success at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. We are equally proud of the coaches, sport organizers, community leaders, and supporters whose dedication, expertise, and generosity have helped make the Bay State Games possible.” Said Kevin Cummings, the Bay State Games Executive Director. “We are honored to recognize this year's Hall of Fame class and celebrate the significant contributions each inductee has made to the Bay State Games. Their commitment, leadership, and lasting impact have strengthened the organization and enriched the experience of countless athletes throughout the Commonwealth.” REP. PATRICIA HADDAD - LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP Massachusetts State Representative Patricia Haddad championed state support for the Bay State Games for over two decades. She has supported the recreation, health, and education-based programs of the organization that benefit thousands of Massachusetts participants each year. A former teacher for 14 years, Rep. Haddad represented the 5th Bristol District for 25 years and served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for ten years. REP. JOHN BARRETT - LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP Massachusetts State Representative John Barrett from Berkshire County has been a strong supporter of the Bay State Games since the mid-1980s. Rep. Barrett was instrumental in bringing the Winter Games to Berkshire County, where they have been held for over 35 years. He has served as State Representative for Berkshire County since 2017 and was formerly Mayor of North Adams for 26 years. Rep. Barrett is also a leading advocate of the statewide Summer Games. RYAN MCCARTHY - BASEBALL COACH Ryan McCarthy from Portsmouth has served as volunteer baseball coach at the Bay State Games for over two decades. He has led the Northeast team to numerous championship medals. Ryan has devoted more than 25 years to coaching high school student-athletes in both baseball and football at Triton Regional High School, Newburyport High School, and Dighton-Rehoboth High School. He has had a positive impact on countless Massachusetts high school student-athletes. For more on the Bay State Games Hall of Fame and past inductees, click here. https://www.baystategames.org/hall-of-fame

Bay State Games Announces 2026 Athletes of the Year

August 25, 2026

Bay State Games is excited to announce its selections for the 2026 Athlete of the Year Awards. Any athlete who participated in the 2026 Bay State Summer or Winter Games was eligible to be nominated for these awards. Selection is based on participation in the Games and other athletic achievements. The 2026 selections are: Female Youth Athlete – Dana Howling Wolf Keller Male Youth Athlete – Holden Choma Female Adult Athlete – Kiara Cabral Male Adult Athlete - Jacob DeAndrade Dana Howling Wolf Keller , 17, of Shrewsbury, is a senior at Notre Dame Academy in Worcester and an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Native American Tribe. Volleyball has been a major part of her life. She started unable to serve over the net but, after countless hours of dedication, has turned serving into one of her strengths and learned that confidence is built through persistence. Dana plays setter and right side for her high school team and SLAM national club team, and captains both teams. She was named to the 2025 Central MA Athletic Conference All-Star Team and represented her school as a MIAA sportsmanship delegate. Dana represented the Central region for Girls Volleyball in the Bay State Games in 2024 & 2026. This year, she was also named the sportsmanship recipient for the Central Girls Volleyball team. Dana has also been a Bay State Games High School Ambassador. She has committed to continue playing volleyball in college at the University of St. Joseph (CT). Off the court, Dana extensively volunteers at the Shrewsbury Public Library and Shrewsbury Special Olympics. Notre Dame Academy honored her with the Katherine Forbes Eskrine Award for her community service. Dana is also active in her parish's youth group and has participated in several Catholic leadership programs. She aspires to become a forensic pathologist, and last summer served as a lab assistant to Dr. Ann Burgess in Boston College's Forensic Science Summer Program. Holden Choma, 17, of West Newbury, is a senior at Pentucket Regional High School. Holden has competed in Track and Field since his freshman year and specializes in the high jump. He dedicated himself to jumping higher, and in his first year, he improved from 5'2 to 6'6.75, and was at the top of the MIAA. He is also a 2x USATF Region 1 champion in the high jump. He also competed at the 2025 USATF Junior Olympics and was the 15-16 National Runner-Up. This year he faced a setback after suffering a patellar tendon tear on his jumping leg. After nearly a year to fully heal, he was the MIAA Division 5 champion in the spring, and this summer he competed in his second Bay State Games after winning silver in the 2025 high jump. Holden broke his slump by shattering a 30-year-old Bay State Games record in the high jump at 2.05m (6'8.75) and took home the gold medal. Outside of jumping, Holden enjoys volunteering at Ipswich Junior Sailing, teaching children how to sail safely, and now works as an instructor. As a member of his school's band, he marched in West Newbury's Veterans Day Parade and held a private performance for local veterans. Kiara Cabral, 23, of Somerset, is a recent graduate of Bridgewater State University. She also competed as a student-athlete on the track and field team in sprinting events. She had a storied career as a Bridgewater State Bear achieving accolades from the school to the national level. Kiara was named 2026 Woman’s Athlete of the Year by Bridgewater State and holds five school records in 60m Indoor, 200m Indoor, 400m Indoor + Outdoor, 500m Indoor, and 4x100 Outdoor. In the MASCAC conference she holds six championship titles which she earned from 2022 to 2026. The conference named Kiara Athlete of the Week on 21 occasions and she holds two conference records in the 4x100 and the 400m. Kiara was placed on the All-Academic team for three seasons and the Sportsmanship team once. She has been nationally recognized as an NCAA All-American and qualified for both the indoor and outdoor nationals in 2025 and the indoor nationals again in 2026. Kiara was first team All-American in the outdoor 4x100 relay in 2025 and the indoor 400m in 2026, and was named second team All-American for outdoor 400m in 2025. This summer, Kiara competed in the Bay State Games in the 100m and 200m events. She was the gold medalist in both events running a time of 12.51 in the 100m and 25.35 in the 200m. Kiara graduated last spring with a degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education. She has always had a passion for helping children understand and enjoy math, and will enter her first year teaching middle school math this fall. Jacob DeAndrade, 26 , of Foxboro, graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2024 with a Master of Business Administration and currently works in finance. Jacob was an accomplished student-athlete at Bridgewater State. In his rookie season at Bridgewater State, the school named him Rookie of the Year. He was a 10x Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference champion and a 3x member of the DIII All-Academic team. He is a 2x competitor in the Bay State Games Track and Field event. This year, Jacob had an especially impressive showing, earning gold in the 100m Open and 200m Open events with times of 10.83 and 22.04. In his free time, Jacob enjoys running, lifting, and playing soccer. Bay State Games Athlete of the Year recipients will receive a plaque commemorating their accomplishment. For more information on the Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program and past winners, go to www.baystategames.org/AOY .