THORNTON | Aurora has produced yet another winner of the prestigious Hoyt Brawner Award, as Grandview’s Mia Wood received this season’s nod as the state’s top senior swimmer/scholar/citizen, revealed at the Coaches Invitational Dec. 19.
The Wolves had a co-winner of the Hoyt Brawner last season in 2015 graduate Morgan Ammon and followed that up with Wood, who was nominated by coach Karen Ammon and finished atop five finalists in voting of Colorado coaches.
Chatfield’s Ron Johns presented the Hoyt Brawner plaque to Wood — a Colorado School of Mines commitment — who carries a 4.0 (unweighted)/4.67 (weighted) GPA and currently ranks No. 6 in Grandview’s Class of 2016, putting her on track to be one of its valedictorians.
In her nomination letter, Ammon detailed Wood’s academic distinctions — 11 Advanced Placement classes, three-year Academic All-State First Team and 2014 winner of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award plus longtime memberships in the National Honor Society and Society of Women Engineers — in addition to her time spent for her entire high school career as a student tutor and volunteer.
In the pool, Ammon called Wood “an integral member” of the team and describes her as “a dedicated and disciplined trainer who gives a hundred percent at every practice.”
A former soccer and volleyball player, Mia Wood owns the 500 yard freestyle school record and scored in both distance freestyle events — fourth in the 500 free, 11th in the 200 free — at last season’s Class 5A state meet, in addition to swimming on two powerful Grandview freestyle relay teams. She also counts a pair of Centennial League individual championships in the 200 individual medley.
Wood had an outstanding meet at the Coaches Invitational, as she finished as the runner-up in both the 200 and 500 freestyles and helped the Wolves place an all-time best fourth in the 5A rankings of the tough multi-classification meet.
Wood’s twin sister, April, is also a core member of the swim team and her younger sister, Lyssa, is a key freshman contributor this season. Her parents, Tari and Brian, are varsity soccer coaches at Grandview.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel