NDP senior Katherine Carlson has been named the 2015 Walt Bazylewicz Athlete of the Year by the Catholic High School League. Carlson was selected from more than 27,000 students in nearly 30 Catholic high schools in the Detroit area. Each year, one senior male and one senior female athlete are chosen for this honor.
Carlson is the fourth from Notre Dame Prep to receive the award. Last year, current U-M standout soccer player Taylor Timko was the league’s Athlete of the Year. Molly Coldren (2008) and Sara Barron (2012) also received athlete of the year honors from the CHSL.
"It is a tribute to you and your accomplishments to be named as the top female athlete from among all of the student-athletes in the league," Vic Michaels, the director of the CHSL, said in a letter to Carlson. She will be receiving her award formally at the Catholic League Baseball Championships on the infield at Comerica Park on May 15 between the C-D and A-B finals.
Carlson, who was named Miss Volleyball for the State of Michigan in November, led Notre Dame to the state championship for Class B in 2013 and to the semifinals last year where the Irish fell to eventual champion North Branch.
Notre Dame athletic director and volleyball coach Betty Wroubel says Carlson's ability to raise the level of her teammates was unmatched.
"Katherine would have been all state in any sport that she played," Wroubel added. "She is a terrific soccer and basketball player. In middle school, she was also a softball standout and prior to focusing on volleyball, Katherine also ran track.
(Photo: Kim Bucchi Photography)
ACCOLADES
A four-year varsity starter at Notre Dame Prep with more than 1,000 kills last season, Carlson has acquired an impressive number of awards during her high school career, including:
2014 awards as a senior
Gatorade Player of the Year
AVCA & Under Amour All American HM
MLive Detroit Player of the Year
Individual Academic All State (senior-only award)
PrepVolleyball 2014 National Player of the Year Finalist
Mizuno All-American (Second Team)
Team Academic All State
All League, All Catholic
Finalist and winner of 2014 Michigan Miss Volleyball
AVCA Player of Week, Michigan, 8/25/14 and 9/15/14
Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Oakland Press top players and players to watch list)
2014 MaxPreps Medium Schools All-American Player of the Year
AVCA Team Academic honors
2013 awards as a junior
AAU All American 16U OPEN
Junior National All Tournament 16U OPEN
First team Underclassman All American Maxpreps 2013
PrepVolleyball Junior of the Year Runner Up
AVCA Player of Week, Michigan 10/7/13
1st team All State Class B Michigan
All Region, All County, All Catholic, All League
Team Academic All State
AVCA Team Academic honors
2012 awards as a sophomore
1st team All State Class B Michigan
Led state (all classes in kills with 923)
All Region, All County, All Catholic, All League
1st Team All American (Maxpreps, medium schools)
National Sophomore of the Year (medium schools) (Maxpreps)
Finalist for National Player of the Year (all size schools) (PrepVolleyball)
AVCA Player of Week, Michigan 8/12/12
Team Academic All State
AVCA Team Academic honors
2011 awards as a freshman
All Region, All County HM, All Catholic League HM
Notre Dame Prep most improved
Team Academic All State
AVCA Team Academic honors
Carlson has committed to play volleyball in college at Valparaiso University.
About the Walt Bazylewicz Athlete of the Year Award
During the 1988-89 school year, the Walt Bazylewicz Athletes of the Year Award was created in honor of the man who served the longest term as director of the Catholic League – 15 years. During challenging times, rather than accept budget cuts and possible league closure, Bazylewicz set in place a funding base that secured the league's survival. The creator of several programs, including the Prep Bowl, it was under Bazy's term that girls' championships and the Hall of Fame were formed. Since 1989, this award has recognized the accomplishments of the league's top male and top female senior athletes. Bazylewicz also coached football and basketball at Notre Dame High School in the 1960s.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.