Heller, Cook Win Escanaba's Top Athletic Honors

ESCANABA---The Escanaba High Sch0ol honored its top athletes at the 2014 athletic awards banquet Wednesday night.

The most prestigious award is the Gessner Award, which has been given out at the Escanaba High School since 1924. It was joined with the Pfotenhauer Award in 1992, and it honors the best male and best female athletes, as picked by a committee of varsity coaches. It is based on athletics, academic grades, and character.

Travis Heller was named the top male athlete. He had four varsity letters in wrestling, and was a state qualifier in all four years.

In three of those years, he placed at the MHSAA Individual State Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills....taking third in the state this year.

In football, Heller was the Eskymo quarterback this year an All-Upper Peninsula selection. He was also chosen to the Great Northern Conference team as a quarterback and as a linebacker. Heller also had two varsity letters each in baseball and tennis.

Ashley Cook was named the top female athlete. She had two letters in volleyball, and was an All-State selection in that sport. Cook also had two letters in basketball, and was an All-Conference selection in that sport. And she is a three-time letter-winner in softball, and has been selected All-Region in two of those three years.

Meanwhile, the Gary Abrahamson Award was also given out during Wednesday night's ceremony. This award goes to the boy and girl who have earned the most varsity letters in their high school career, and have the best grade point averages their senior years.

Aubree Peterson won the Abrahamson Award for the girls. She had four letters in cross country running and four letters in track and field. Peterson also had three letters as a student manager for the wrestling team, for a total of eleven varsity letters.

Steve Wood won the Abrahamson Award for the boys. He had four varsity letters in hockey, four letters in tennis, and two letters in football, for a total of ten letters.

In 2013, David Falish and Codi Jenshak won the Pfotenhauer-Gessner Award, while the Abrahamson Award went to Falish and Jalyn Dagenais.
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