Park Hill High’s Shaye Koski wins 2022 Evelyn Gates Award as KC’s top volleyball player

Park Hill High School senior Shaye Koski, a team captain, two-time team MVP and four-year starter who will attend the University of Texas-Tyler, is the 2022 recipient of the Evelyn Gates Award as the top high school volleyball player in the Kansas City area.

Koski, a hitter, surpassed the 1,000-kills mark this season and ranks among Park Hill’s all-time leaders in kills and kills per game.

In the classroom, Koski is a member of the National Honor Society, among other accomplishments. She’s also an artist who won a Gold Star District Award.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning at Park Hill High School. Koski was presented a traveling trophy for display at her school and a $500 stipend for her school’s athletic department.

Each year, a committee comprised of area high school coaches selects a recipient who embodies “top-tier skill, spirit and sportsmanship,” as noted on the WIN for KC/Kansas City Sports Commission’s website.

The other three finalists for this year’s award were:

• Ashlyn Bellamy, Lee’s Summit

• Ashley Mullen, Liberty

• Carlie Cisneros, Liberty North

Evelyn Gates, a retired histology technician at KU Medical Center, officiated high school and college volleyball, softball and basketball games in the metro for more 45 years.

She was a staunch supporter of girls high school sports right up until her death in 2003, and the reach of her legacy continues today with the award in her name.

“As WIN for KC continues celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the legacy of Evelyn Gates showcases the lasting impact trailblazers, like Evelyn, made for young women and girls across the country,” Ruth Feldblum, director of WIN for KC, said in a statement.

“This award not only represents excellence in skill and sportsmanship but honors the dedication and sacrifice of women who officiated, coached and played sports in a less equitable time.”

Past winners

2022: Shaye Koski, Park Hill

2021: Addison Beagle, Liberty North

2020: Honorable mentions, 29 of them (no winner due to COVID)

2019: Ellie Bolton, St. James Academy

2018: Ellie Bichelmeyer, St. Teresa’s Academy

2017: Annika Welty, Park Hill South

2016: Madison Lilley, Blue Valley West

2015: Orie Agbagi, Oak Park

2014: Lexi Hart, Truman

2013: Anna Kropf, St. Teresa’s Academy

2012: Cheyanne Lyons, Raymore-Peculiar

2011: Paige Brown, St. James Academy

2010: Hanna Forst, St. James Academy

2009: Marianne Beal, Lee’s Summit North

2008: Jessica Kopp, Lee’s Summit West

2007: Kathleen Ludwig, Bishop Miege

2006: Michelle Jantsch, St. Theresa’s Academy

2005: Erin Birmingham, Park Hill South

2004: Sammie Williams, Fort Osage