NYRR Youth Awards Night
Based on their outstanding 2023 performances, runners were nominated for awards that were presented at NYRR Youth Awards Night.* These runners’ incredible achievements were celebrated as we honored the best of the New York City youth running community.
Below are the lists of nominees for age-group awards from the 2023 NYRR club points season, along with information about several special award categories.
*This was an invite-only event
Runner of the Year (Age-Group Award) Nominees (Scroll Horizontally to View All Nominees)
| Ages 1-14 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys |
Girls |
Non-Binary |
|||
| Name | Club Team | Name | Club Team | Name | Club Team |
| Matthew Parada | - | Abigail Cochran | - | ||
| Sam Ziff | - | Julia Duzynski | POLSKA Running Team | ||
| Mason James | - | Scheherazade Schonfeld | - | ||
| Kassie Polanco | - | ||||
| Gabriella James | - | ||||
| Ages 15-19 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys |
Girls |
Non-Binary |
|||
| Name | Club Team | Name | Club Team | Name | Club Team |
| Adrian Matamoros | Queens Distance Runners | Danielle Pancer | JRunners | Ry Hong | |
| Matt Califano | Staten Island AC | Alicia Zhang | Misty Mountain Runners | ||
| Alex Califano | Staten Island AC | Grace Grommes | Achilles International | ||
| Angel Acocal | - | Samantha Hatcher | - | ||
| Kayla Scanni | - | ||||
| - | - | Rose Coats | Prospect Park Track Club | ||
Runner of the Year (Age Group Award) Nominee Eligibility Rules
Presented based on the following criteria and eligibility rules:
- Membership: Runners must be a member of NYRR for at least six months of the calendar year, including at the time of nomination.
- Qualifying Races: Within the calendar year, runners must complete at least six fully scored NYRR races across a range of distances.
- Age Group: A runner who changes age groups during the year will be considered for nomination in the age group in which they belonged for the majority of the year.
- Awards Committee: The Awards Committee is comprised of NYRR staff members and representatives from the local running community. The 43rd Annual NYRR Club Night Awards Committee members are Anil Bhambhani, Tom Kelley, Iber Gonzalez Vidals, Gordon Bakoulis, Sean Weir, Ben Grundstein, James Gusmer, Alysia Dusseau, Scott Bartucca, and J Solle.
- Selection Process: For each age category, runners are ranked based on their best performances for the year. These rankings, through the top 20 in each age group, are reviewed by the Awards Committee with special consideration made for head-to-head competition and performances at a range of distances.
Special Award Categories
Rising New York Road Runners Runner of the Year - Boy
Miguel Vargas
Rising New York Road Runners Runner of the Year - Girl
Gabriella James
Rising New York Road Runners Wheelchair Racing Athlete of the Year
Rishi Upadhyay
Presented based on the following criteria and eligibility rules
- Membership: Athletes must be a member of the Rising NYRR Wheelchair Training Program for at least one full calendar year.
- Qualifying Events: Within the calendar year, athletes must participate in at least half of the in-person Rising NYRR Wheelchair Training Program practices and one Rising NYRR youth event with the program.
- Awards Committee: The awards committee is comprised of Rising NYRR Wheelchair Training Program staff and coaches, including Arianna Moliere, Kelsey Helgesen, Mary Rose Penner, and Tony Nogueira.
- Selection Process: The Rising NYRR Wheelchair Racing Athlete of the Year, in addition to satisfying the qualifying events requirement, consistently embodies the qualities of a good teammate by making others feel included on the team, encouraging their teammates to do their best, demonstrating a willingness to try new things at practices and/or Rising NYRR events, and consistently giving their best effort.
Outstanding Rising New York Road Runners Youth Ambassador of the Year
Sven Nanitelamio
Rising New York Road Runners Honor Award
Mike Rauh