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John Cooper student athletes applauded at Athletic Awards evening

By: Lynn Boeding, The John Cooper School
| Published 06/05/2018

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Athletes from The John Cooper School joined family members, coaches and faculty at the annual Athletic Awards Evening held on May 18. Individual and team athletic accomplishments for the 2017-18 athletic season were recognized at a ceremony held in the Glenn Performing Arts Center.

Cooper Director of Athletics John Hoye opened the ceremony with the theme of the evening, “greatness,” by thanking the coaches and parents for their support throughout the year before recognizing the honorees. “This is what greatness looks like: teachers, administrators, booster club representatives, coaches and trainers, all who contribute to the successes of our teams,” Hoye said.

Sophomore Madison Breaux was named Female Athlete of the Year and junior Logan Leax was named Male Athlete of the Year. Seniors Grayson Sloop and Eric Grosser were each presented with The John Cooper School Athletic Leadership Award.

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Athletes of the Year were chosen for their proven success in their sports and recognition in their sports and conference, as well as for leadership demonstrated by performance and actions. “Our male and female Athletes of the Year have been named to three all-conference teams in their respective sports,” said Hoye. “Both of them were responsible for helping their teams set school records and are regarded by their peers and coaches as team leaders.”

Madison Breaux earned Female Athlete of the Year honors for her efforts on the cross country, soccer and track & field teams.

Breaux earned the Dragon Award for her spirit and determination on the varsity girls’ soccer team and was named the Most Improved Runner in her first year on the school’s cross country team that finished in third place in SPC South Zone and fifth place at the SPC Championships. Breaux excelled this year, finishing ninth at the Trinity Valley Invitational, 12th at both Nike South and SPC South Zone, and finally, placing 28th in the SPC Championships.

Breaux earned the track & field team’s High Point Award and All-SPC honors, helping to lead the team to their best ever SPC finish at fifth place. She dominated individually at hurdles, both 100m and 300m, and was a member of the successful girls’ 4x400m relay team. Highlights this year included a first place sweep in 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, and the 4x400m relay at The John Cooper/Lutheran South Dual Meet; fourth place in both hurdle events and third in the 4x400m relay at the St. John’s Maverick Relays; second place in both hurdle events at the Concordia Lutheran Crusader Relays; fourth place in the 300m hurdles and fourth in the 4x400m relay at the Royal Invitational in Orlando, FL; second in the 300m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the Cooper Dragon Invitational; second in the 100m hurdles, third in both the 300m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the Nick Finnegan Spring Invitational. At the SPC Championships, Breaux earned second in the 300m hurdles and third in the 300m hurdles and was a member of the third place 4x800m relay and the fourth place 4x400m relay.

“Madison has an energy that is seemingly boundless and contagious,” said Scott Holland, head coach for track & field. “When she leaves the track after a hard workout, she has a smile and is always interested in what she can do to improve. Madison is a joy to work with and has the respect of all her coaches and teammates.”

Breaux is a high honor roll student and a member of the Photography Club and the Women’s Equity Club at Cooper.

Male Athlete of the Year Logan Leax earned recognition for his performance on the football and baseball fields.

Named All-SPC 3A in football as a wide receiver, Leax was the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. He was also named to the second team All-Montgomery County Football Team as a wide receiver and honorable mention on Vype magazine’s Houston Area Private School Football Team. Leax also set a school record for receiving yards in a season (772).

As captain of the varsity baseball team where he plays center field, Leax was also selected the team’s most valuable player and earned All-South Zone and All-SPC honors. Leax set school records this season for plate appearances in a season (146) and for singles in a season (38); he also tied the school record for hits in a season (53).

An honor roll student at The John Cooper School, Leax is a member of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has committed to playing baseball at George Washington University in the Fall of 2019.

“I am extremely proud of Logan; he had an incredible year in both football and baseball and has set records in both sports,” said Head Football and Baseball Coach Brent Landrum. “Logan is very deserving of the Athlete of the Year award. His athleticism helped him become a two-way player in football, lead the team in hitting in baseball, and make some incredible catches in football and in baseball.”

THE JOHN COOPER SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AWARD

The John Cooper School Leadership Award is sponsored by the Dragon Booster Club and selected by the Athletic Department, to recognize students who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, sportsmanship, citizenship, competitive spirit and dedication as a varsity athlete. Seniors Eric Grosser and Grayson Sloop were each honored with a 2018 Leadership Award.

A Cooper student since kindergarten, Eric Grosser, was a captain of both the school’s football and track & field teams, earning all-conference honors in track & field and honorable mention All-SPC honors in football. He is considered a pioneer on the school’s football team, having played each year since the school’s inaugural season and he earned the team’s Blood Sweat and Tears Award for his perseverance as an outside linebacker and wide receiver. Grosser is a member of the team’s Leadership Council. On the track & field team, he not only earned the Dragon Award for spirit and determination, he was also a member of the school’s record-setting relay team, setting school records in the 4x100m, the 4x200m and the 4x400m.

“The leadership award describes Eric Grosser perfectly,” said Coach Landrum. “He leads in the classroom, on the field, and in the hallways. Having a leader like Eric made my job easier. When he’s on the field it is like having an extra coach out there.”

Grosser chaired the school’s Honor Council and helped update the school’s Honor Code this year. He also chairs the Alumni Committee of Student 2 Student, a group that welcomes new students to the Cooper community. Grosser will study engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in the fall.

Shortstop Grayson Sloop not only led as a captain of the softball team, she coordinated the team’s community service group, Pitching In. Sloop is a four-year varsity softball player and played six years in the Cooper program. This year she earned All-SPC and All-SPC South Zone honors, plus the team’s Dragon Award for spirit and determination.

Sloop applies her considerable athleticism and commitment to the school’s aerial dance program, known as “silks,” where she is not only a performer but an assistant instructor on the Lyra, a metal hoop that hangs six feet in the air. She has performed with the school’s aerial dance program for six years.

A high honor roll student and member of the school’s Cum Laude Society, Sloop is also vice president of Bibliophiles book club, and a member of the alumni committee for Student 2 Student.

“Grayson Sloop has been in my program for six years and she has really bought in,” said Head Softball Coach Nicole Hedden. “She watched all the leaders before her and took notes on what works and what doesn’t, then created a clear vision of what it takes to lead the team this season. She is a strategic planner and believes in teamwork. I believe she is a big part of why we were so successful.”

Sloop will attend Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina in the fall.

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