WORCESTER—Worcester athletes and coaches earned both international and regional notoriety for their championship performances in 2024.
It was a year marked by Olympic medals, an undefeated basketball season, scoring exploits, a showdown with Caitlin Clark and some of the best youth teams in New England.
While the successes were numerous throughout Worcester’s amateur sports scene this year, the following athletes, coaches and teams truly distinguished themselves as the top performers.
Sports moment of the Year: Stephen Nedoroscik wins Olympic medals in Paris
Bespectacled Worcester native Stephen Nedoroscik garnered global recognition and social media stardom during his time competing in the Paris Olympics this summer. The Worcester Tech graduate affectionately dubbed “pommel horse guy” by the Internet, won two bronze medals, one for the team gymnastics competition and a second in the individual pommel horse finals.
The team medal was the first for USA men’s gymnastics since 2008. As a follow up to his Olympic medals, Nedoroscik teamed with Rylee Arnold to finish fourth on the 33rd season of ABC’s ‘Dancing With the Stars.’
Male Athlete of the Year: Amir Jenkins, North High School, boys basketball
Junior guard Amir Jenkins led North High to an undefeated 24-0 season and a second consecutive Division 1 state championship in March. He was named the 2023-24 Massachusetts MaxPreps Player of the Year, averaging 13.6 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. Jenkins was masterful in the state title game with team-highs of 21 points and seven assists in a thrilling 59-53 come-from-behind win over Franklin.
As if that wasn’t enough hardware, Jenkins helped the 2024 USA 3×3 Men’s U18 National Team win a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Hungary this summer. A champion at home and abroad, Jenkins now stars for the basketball team at Worcester Academy.
Female Athlete of the Year: Nicole Jodoin, South High Community School, girls soccer and girls basketball
One of the top offensive threats in the state, senior Nicole Jodoin had an explosive senior soccer season for South High netting 60 goals and 17 assists to lead the Central Mass. region with a whopping 77 points this fall. She helped lead South to 11 wins, including a perfect record in Inter-High play (6-0).
She was also a key member of the girls basketball team at South that went 23-2 and captured the Central Massachusetts championship.
The Colonels were narrowly defeated in the state final game. Jodoin will continue her soccer career at the University of Louisville in 2025.
Male Coach of the Year: Al Pettway, North High School, boys basketball
Al Pettway wrapped up one of the greatest coaching stints in Central Mass. boys basketball history this year. His North High Polar Bears went 24-0 to capture their second consecutive Division I state title. Going back to the 2022-23 season, North won an astounding 45 straight games under Pettway’s leadership.
The last time the Polar Bears lost to a team from Massachusetts was more than two years ago. The state championship in 2023 was the first-ever Division 1 title by a Worcester public school. In May, Pettway was introduced as the head men’s basketball coach at Worcester State University. A 1994 graduate of Worcester State, Pettway is the all-time leading scorer for the Lancers with 2,205 points.
Female Coach of the Year: Maureen Magarity, College of the Holy Cross, women’s basketball
Magarity led the Crusaders (21-13) to their first NCAA Tournament win in three decades as well as a second consecutive Patriot League title in 2024. Holy Cross was the only Division I basketball team from Massachusetts, women’s or men’s, to participate in the NCAA Tournament this year. In the NCAAs, the Crusaders played tough against the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer. Holy Cross trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter. The 2023-24 campaign marked the third consecutive 20-win season for Magarity, who stepped down as head coach in August to spend more time with her family.
Male Team of the Year: North High boys basketball
The Polar Bears didn’t lose a single game as they went back-to-back with another state title in 2024. The seniors on the team, including the dominant tandem of Joe Okla and Teshaun Steele, ended their careers on a 45-game winning streak. No win was more significant than the overtime thriller against Xaverian in the state semifinals. North trailed by two points with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation when Steele calmly stepped to the free throw line and drained both shots to force overtime and breathe a second life into the Polar Bears. Jenkins, Okla, Steele and Khari Bryan combined to form one of the most formidable starting lineups in recent memory.
Female Team of the Year: South High girls basketball
The Central Mass champion South Colonels (23-2) came up just seven points shy of a Division 2 state title, falling to top-seeded Medway 48-42 in the final. South, who came into the finals tilt on a 19-game winning streak, became the first Worcester Public Schools girls basketball team to reach the championship game. The Colonels finished the season unbeaten against area teams. Seniors Naima Bleu (11 points per game, six rebounds per game) and Anitsy Robles (9.4 points per game) were the veteran leaders for the Colonels. A strong core of players return for South coach Diago McClain in 2024-25 as they look to get back to the state finals.
Boys Youth Team of the Year: U13 Worcester Vikings football
The U13 Worcester Vikings captured the CMYFCC Super Bowl championship with a 28-8 win over Wachusett on Nov. 3. The Vikings came together this fall to win eight of nine regular season games and advance to the Division 2 Super Bowl game. After beating Wachusett in the Super Bowl, the Vikings advanced to the regionals where they were defeated by Rhode Island. Standout quarterback Ariella Robinson turned heads by throwing for a staggering 39 touchdowns in 11 games. The Vikings’ offense was further bolstered by impressive performances from wide receivers Tayden Weeks and Ramiel Minor. George Muniz Jr. solidified the offensive line at center and was also the team’s top defensive lineman.
Girls Youth Team of the Year: 12U Burkett softball
The Jesse Burkett 12U all-star softball team had quite a memorable summer, winning its second consecutive state title and advancing to the New England regional tournament in Bristol, CT. Heading into the regionals, the team went a perfect 10-0 and outscored its opponents 110-11. Burkett earned wins over Vermont and New Hampshire in its first two regional games before falling to Rhode Island and Connecticut. Overall, the team won 12 of 14 games this season. The quartet of Jocelyn Baumann, Sophia D’Andrea, Sophia Delvalle and Mady Smith have played together on the all-star team for four years. D’Andrea, Delvalle, Smith and Mya Domineck formed a dominant four-way pitching rotation that limited opponents to just over one earned run per game heading into regional play.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
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