CHS honors 72 students for high academic achievement and ten students with Special Athletic Awards
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – Chester High School held its 2025 Honors Night Wednesday May 7 at CHS Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. The evening was divided into three separate segments to allow for parents and students to attend only the components that pertained to them.
Segment 1: This segment honored non-scholarship CHS organizations, outside activities and other major entities that presented awards to deserving students. This first portion included National Honor Society, Illinois State Scholars, Southern Illinois Society for High School Achievement, The IPA Principal’s Award, Students that served on the State Senator Terri Bryant Youth Advisory Council, students that earned a spot on the SWIC (Southwestern Illinois College) Top-20, and the 2025 Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizen’s Award winner. These awards were non-monetary.
Segment 2: The second segment of the program featured 2025-26 college scholarship recipients. This year there were 56 college scholarships awarded by 35 different presenting entities or organizations. These scholarships were announced and presented at the May 7th event.
Note: The honorees that were involved in the first two segments were already mentioned in an earlier article in June of 2025.
Segment 3: The students recognized in this article were honored in Segment 3 of the CHS Honors Night event Wednesday May 7th. Students being recognized here include 72 students that achieved high honors, either Academic C’s or Academic Bars, and ten additional students that earned Special CHS Athletic Awards.
Academic C’s: Academic C’s were earned by students who achieved an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.50-3.749 in their 1st, 3rd, 5th, or 7th semester grade reports. The Academic C is an actual chenille orange letter that can be sewn on a letter jacket, sweater, or merely displayed as recognition of high cumulative academic achievement. Students achieving this landmark for the first time receive the chenille letter. This year there 26 students that reached this landmark for the first time and included the following students:
Evan Dunning, Elaina Lutman, Eli Stout, Victor Fuentes, Jr., Monica Anaya, Abigail Carter, Addison Coffey, Jonathan Davitz, Reed Fricke, Natalie Guethle, Caitlyn Hargis, Savannah Heathington, Eagan McClelland, Kale Sprengel, Logan Springston, Maci Ahring, Carlee Cato, Kaylee Cowell, Hannah Crow, Matthew Fuller, Ashley Garcia-Sanchez, Adan Hecht, Gage Lynn, Bently Valleroy, Trenton Westbrook, and Avery Wittenborn.
Academic Bars: There were 46 students who earned Academic Bars. The qualifications to earn this award is the same as for earning the Academic C , however, those who earn an Academic Bar have reached a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50-3.749 during their 1st, 3rd, 5th, or 7th, for two or more times. The Academic Bars are to be attached to the chenille Academic C to indicate continued high academic achievement. Those students who earned Academic Bars included the following students:
Beatrice DeGuzman, John Heffernan, Whitney Sulser, Rylie Conley, Will Welge, Mirra Krieg, Gianna Eggemeyer, Katherine Pierce, Jaden Lopez, Maddox Hunter, Alex Williamson, David August, Lillian Diskey, Addy Gottschammer, Rylie Myers, Camryn Wolff, Tray Peters, Trevor Keeton, Erin Liefer, Southern LaChance, Morgan Throop, Callie Davis, Olivia Vasquez, Aubrey Colvis, Aiden Davis, Aleah Eggemeyer, Grace Kirkpatrick, Logan Brace, Jenna Buskohl, Trey McCartney, Katie Werner, Kross Jany, Brodie Mattingly, TaShawn Palacio, Camdyn Quillman, Isabel Smith, Zane Eggemeyer, Mackenzie Studt, Taylor Throop, Avery Hasemeyer, Kanon Jany, Jackson Scanlan, Macy VanZandt, Jackie Bess, Tallen James, and Rylee Shemonic.
Special Sports Awards: Immediately following the conclusion of the presentation of the Academic C’s and Bars, the evening ended with the presentation of very special sports awards that were originated in honor of and/or as memorials to former Chester High School athletes. In all there were ten awards in six separate categories. These awards were in name only with no monetary academic scholarships attached. Names of the recipients were engraved on perpetual plaques.
Scott Eric Egge Memorial/Athletic Awards: These awards were presented to a senior boy and senior girl that maintained very high academic standing while competing in “three sports” during the school year. All CHS coaches have input and are allowed to nominate athletes for the Scott Egge Award.
This award is in memory of former CHS athlete Scott Egge who excelled both athletically and academically. He passed away suddenly while attend the University of Illinois.
The 2025 Scott Egge Award winners were:
Cayden Brunkhorst, Jack Heffernan, and Elaina Lutman
Mike McLean Memorial Football Award: This award is memory of former CHS Football player Mike McLean. This award is presented to the most outstanding senior football player and is chosen by the CHS Coaching Staff. It is a name-only award and the recipient’s name is engraved on the perpetual plaque Mike McLean plaque.
The 2025 Mike McLean Memorial Award winner was: Zain Al-Jassim
Dick Roth Sportsmanship Awards: These awards are presented to a senior boy and senior girl who demonstrated good sportsmanship throughout their entire high school athletic careers. The honor is a memorial to Dick Roth, former CHS athlete and contributor to CHS and community sports.
All coaches from every CHS sport are encouraged to nominate recipients for these awards. These awards are name-only and the recipient’s names are engraved on the perpetual plaques.
The Dick Roth Sportsmanship Award winners were: Alex Williamson and Rylie Conley
Fritz Roth Memorial Award: The Fritz Roth Memorial Award is presented to the Most Outstanding Senior Athlete of the Year (MVP). Fritz Roth was a senor athlete at CHS who tragically passed away his senior year as a result of a brain hemorrhage he received in a motorcycle accident. He had a minor accident in which he hit his head in uptown Chester. The next day at school at CHS he faced the damage he received the day before.
The Fritz Roth Memorial Award is usually presented to a three-sport athlete who also excels in the classroom. All coaches from all CHS sports, male or female, are encouraged to nominate candidates for this name-only award. The recipient’s name is engraved on a perpetual plaque.
The recipient of the 2025 Fritz Roth Memorial Award was: Kolton Jany
Jeff Brown Memorial Track Awards: This award is a memorial award presented to the Most Outstanding Senior Track Athlete (s) of the year. Athletic ability and success is a prime criteria along with high academic standing.
The award (s) are selected based upon nominations from track coaches and staff. Recipient’s names are engraved on a perpetual plaque as a memorial to former outstanding CHS Track Athlete, Jeff Brown, who passed away at an early age.
The 2025 CHS Jeff Brown Memorial Track Awards were presented to Lannin Caron and Gianna Eggemeyer
The “A” Gamer Softball Award: This award is presented to a Senior Lady Jacket Softball player who is a team leader and key member of the team. This recipient is not always the “best” player of the team, but who is thought of as an essential player that contributes not only athletically to the success of the team, but in many other essential, intrinsic areas.
The “A” Gamer award is determined by the softball coaches and staff members and is a name-only award. The recipient’s name is engraved on a perpetual plaque.
The 2025 “A” Gamer Award recipient was: Elaina Lutman
Pictured are some of the 56 Chester High School Senior students that earned college scholarships in 2025. At the far left are Assistant Principal Robin Barton and Principal Jeremy Blechle and at the far right is Chester High School Counselor Casey Hawkins. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured are Chester High School students that earned the coveted Academic “C” Awards for achieving an overall Grade Point Average of 3.50-3.749 at the end of their 1st, 3rd, 5th, and/or 7th semesters. There were 26 new recipients who earned their initial Academic “C”. Jim Beers Photo
The Chester High School students who earned Academic Bars are pictured here. To receive an Academic Bar a student must have achieved an overall Grade Point Average of 3.50-3.749 for the second, third, or fourth time during their high school careers at CHS. The Bars can be attached to the first-time award of an Academic “C”. There were a total of 46 students who earned Academic Bars for a grand total of 72 students who achieved an overall cumulative GPA of 3.50-3.749. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured are the 2025 Jeff Brown Memorial Track Award winners Gianna Eggemeyer and Lannin Caron. These awards are presented to the Most Outstanding Male and Female Track Athletes of the given year. Making the presentation was CHS Head Boys Track Coach, Chris Kern. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured is Elaina Lutman a Chester High School senior softball player who was the recipient of the 2025 “A” Gamer Softball Award. This award is presented to the player who is not only a good softball player, but demonstrates great leadership, dedication, spirit, and other important intrinsic characteristics. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured are the 2025 Dick Roth Sportsmanship Award winners Alex Williamson and Rylie Conley. The Sportsmanship Awards are presented to the senior boy and senior girl who have demonstrated good sportsmanship throughout their entire high school careers. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured is Kolton Jany the winner of the 2025 Fritz Roth Memorial Award. This award is presented to the Most Outstanding Football Player for the given year. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured are the winners of the 2025 Scott Egge Memorial Awards. These awards are presented to a senior boy and girl athlete who maintained high academic honors as well as competing in three sports their senior year. This year there were two boys and one girl nominated. The 2025 winners are (left to right) Jack Heffernan, Elaina Lutman and Cayden Brunkhorst. Jim Beers Photo