Bay State Games Selects Athletes of the Year

August 19, 2021

Jordan Talty of Reading selected as Female Athlete of the Year and Brady O'Donnell of Newburyport selected as Male Athlete of the Year

Left: Jordan Talty at 2021 BSG Figure Skating competition; Right: Brady O'Donnell at 2021 BSG Boys Soccer Showcase

After holding Summer Games for the first time since 2019, Bay State Games has selected its Athletes of the Year. This award is based on participation in the Games and other athletic achievements. The 2021 selections for Athlete of the Year are:

Female Athlete – Jordan Talty

Male Athlete – Brady O’Donnell

Jordan Talty is a resident of Reading, MA who has been competing in figure skating for 14 years. This past year Jordan was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Determined not to let that interfere, she has persevered in her skating by passing her senior freeskate in December and qualifying for the Excel National Festival where she competed in August.

Jordan competed in Bay State Games for the first time in 2012 and won gold in pre-preliminary test track. Most recently, Jordan won gold in senior ladies short program and silver in senior ladies freeskate in the 2021 BSG figure skating competition. In 2017, she was also a show performer, which she earned by winning gold in the open freeskate. Jordan has competed at two State Games of Americas and has won several medals. In 2017, she won two medals, and in 2019, she followed up her performance by winning 5 medals (3 gold and 2 bronze).

Outside of Bay State Games, Jordan earned a bronze medal in the Colonial Open in Senior Ladies Excel (2021), was a pewter medalist in the New England Regional Singles Intermediate Ladies (2020), USFS Excel National Festival Intermediate Ladies Champion (2019), Boston Open pewter medalist Intermediate Ladies (2019), and Cranberry Open silver medalist Intermediate Ladies Short (2019). She was also awarded the 2021 Lillian Tribby Award and 2020 Nelson S Burbank Athlete of the Year from North Shore Skating Club and was also named 2019 Most Improved Skater from North Shore Skating Club.

Jordan also spends time as a Reading Kids Connect Mentor, a Reading Recreation Special Skates Volunteer, and a North Shore Skating JR Club volunteer where she teaches Learn to Skate where she is a great role model and mentor to the younger skaters just starting their journey. Jordan is headed to Michigan State University this fall.

Brady O’Donnell is a rising senior at Newburyport High School. Brady has been playing soccer for 15 years. This past summer, he played on the Northeast team in the Boys Soccer Showcase. He scored every goal for the team in the tournament.

When he was born, Brady was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome as parents Carrie and Chris were told to prepare themselves to raise a child with significant disabilities. At age 3, defying his diagnosis, Children's Hospital Boston named him its 2007 Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Champion for Massachusetts. By age 3, Brady endured several surgical procedures to remove precancerous lesions, has overcome a brain abnormality and legal blindness in his left eye to thrive as a student-athlete.

Brady made the varsity soccer team as a freshman at Newburyport High School and continued to grow over the next two years, becoming not only the leading scorer as a junior this year for his high school team but second in overall points in the entire conference. His efforts led Newburyport High School to its first ever Cape Ann League Championship in the fall of 2020. He was named team captain as a junior and was also named Most Valuable Offensive Player this past season. Other soccer accolades include being named to Cape Ann League All-Star First Team and Daily News All-Star Team. Brady plays club soccer for Rush North Shore and just returned from Barcelona where his team placed 3rd in a European tournament after they trained at FC Barcelona, Espanyol Girona, and Villareal.

A well-rounded student-athlete, Brady has excelled academically as well. He was inducted into the National Honor Society last year, has made the honor roll every semester of high school, garnering an impressive 4.3 grade point average.

Outside of playing soccer, Brady volunteers to coach players aged 3-5 with Newburyport Youth Soccer, 5th-8th graders with Elite Week. He also volunteers for Christmas Tree Santas, distributing free Christmas trees to area families in need. Since was little he has been a snow angel, shoveling and raking for his elderly next-door neighbor.

Individuals chosen as Bay State Games Athlete of the Year were also submitted for recognition as the National State Games Athlete of the Year. Brady O’Donnell was selected as the NCSG Male Athlete of the Year – 18 & older. Brady, along with the other National Athlete of the Year recipients will be recognized at the National Congress of State Games annual symposium on September 29 at the SportsTravel Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City.

For more information on the Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program and past winners, go to www.baystategames.org/AOY.

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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 .