At SoMo Sports, we understand the importance of student-athletes competing in prep sports in terms of development, both mentally and physically, for young adults who are preparing for life after high school.
Not only does competing in prep sports help build character, but it also provides student-athletes with tools such as communication, leadership and self-drive that will benefit them as they continue on life’s journey.
With that in mind, SoMo Sports wanted to honor the top athletes in the area who put in countless hours of hard work during practice, workouts, games/meets as well as on their own time by naming them as a SoMo Sports Athlete of the Year.
The Athlete of the Year selections go out to the top area athlete in each sport during the fall, winter and spring prep seasons.
The standout athletes are chosen by SoMo Sports reporters Jason Peake and Lucas Davis, who tirelessly cover prep sports for Joplin and its surrounding communities during the school year. Along with nominations by area coaches, SoMo Sports used individual accomplishments during the regular season and postseason as well as team success as factors for choosing each Athlete of the Year.
The SoMo Sports Athletes of the Year awards will be divided up in three stories—fall, winter and spring. Each sport will have an Athlete of the Year, and if warranted, there may be one or two honorable mentions per sport as well.
The SoMo Sports Athletes of the Year three-part story is sponsored by Cell Phone Medics.
SOMO SPORTS WINTER ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
BOYS BASKETBALL
K’dyn Waters, guard, Neosho, senior
Though K’dyn Waters was only at Neosho for one season, it was an impactful one to say the least. The 6-foot-5, 165-pound guard, who is committed to North Arkansas at the collegiate level, burst onto the scene as a move-in from Florida and instantly showed the ability to score the ball from anywhere on the floor, and we mean anywhere. While he averaged a robust 23 points, he also averaged 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals per contest to have an impact in every area of the game.
Waters was a first-team unanimous all-Central Ozark Conference selection, while also garnering unanimous all-district honors as well as being named to the all-state team. He scored at a 63 percent rate from inside the 3-point line and shot 40 percent beyond the arc for the Wildcats, knocking down 82 percent from the free-throw line. He was also named to the Pea Ridge all-tournament team, the Locust Grove all-tournament team and was the Neosho Holiday Classic MVP in a season where he scored 30 or more points five times. All of this while helping lead the Wildcats to a 17-11 season.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Destiny Buerge, guard, Carl Junction, junior
At the conclusion of her stellar junior campaign, Carl Junction’s Destiny Buerge earned a number of accolades, including 4-States Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year and Class 5 District 6 Player of the Year. Buerge can add SoMo Sports Girls Basketball Player of the Year to her resume. A 5-foot-8 do-it-all guard, Buerge averaged 23 points, six rebounds, four steals and just under three assists per game in 2021-22 for Brad Shorter’s Bulldogs.
A first team all-conference pick, Buerge surpassed 1,500 career points as a junior and led the way as the Bulldogs went 22-8, captured a seventh straight district championship and concluded the season in the Class 5 state quarterfinals against eventual state champion West Plains. Buerge, who made 73 3-pointers, hit 76 percent of her free-throw attempts and had five 30-point games, was named all-state for the second straight season.
Buerge’s other accolades include MVP of the Carl Junction Classic and all-tourney honors at Joplin’s Kaminsky Classic and McDonald County’s Mustang Classic.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Chloe Miller, Carl Junction, sophomore
Chloe Miller’s sophomore season could be described as remarkable.
Miller earned three trips to the awards podium at the MSHSAA Class 1 Girls Swimming & Diving Championships. She was the state runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle with her time of 24.39 seconds. Miller also finished sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.61 to earn all-state recognition.
The Bulldogs finished fourth in the 200 medley relay in 1:53, with Skyler Sundy, Abigail Wilson, Miller and Ally Montez earning all-state honors. Also, the CJ team of Sundy, Elyanna Dogotch, Montez and Miller finished ninth in the 200 free relay (1:42). The Bulldogs finished sixth in the Class 1 team standings.
At the Central Ozark Conference Meet, Miller played a part in four victories, two individual events and two relays.
Miller was the COC champion in both the 50 freestyle (25.17 seconds) and the 100 free (54.95). The time in the 100 freestyle is a pool record at the Buck Miner Swim Center. Miller was part of CJ’s winning 200 freestyle relay with Montez, Carsyn Smith and Sundy. Miller, Sundy, Wilson and Montez teamed up to win the 200 medley relay.
BOYS WRESTLING
Brady Roark, Seneca, junior
With still a year left in his prep career, it will be interesting to see how Seneca wrestler Brady Roark tops his junior campaign. Roark wrestled in 48 matches and earned a win in 48 matches, which included a 44-0 undefeated regular season before making his way through the state tournament unblemished and earning a 20-4 technical fall over Helias Catholic’s Carter Prenger to win his second straight Class 2 state title at 120 pounds. As Roark heads into his senior year, he is currently on a 76-match win streak as he seeks his third state title in three years.
GIRLS WRESTLING
Isabella Renfro, Seneca, sophomore
Seneca wrestler Isabella Renfro had a dominating season in 2021-22, and the good news is she has plenty more time to build upon her remarkable success. Renfro, a sophomore for the Indians, finished with a 36-2 and finished with a runner-up finish on the medal stand at 174 pounds to become the first girls’ state finalist in Seneca history. Renfro added six tournament titles this season—Diamond State Invitational, Nixa Invitational, Ms. Claus Texas Slam, Gem City Scramble, Big 8 Conference Tournament and the District 3 tournament.
