Positive Athlete Mountain Region

Positive Athlete Mountain Region Positive Athlete is a national recognition, leadership, and career development program for high school student-athletes. Positive Athlete honors & develops H.S.

Our Mountain Region serves nominees from: AZ, CO, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, SD, UT, WY. For more information visit PositiveAthlete.org! athletes for excellence beyond sports with scholarships & career pathways. Serving AZ, CO, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, SD, UT, WY. Nominate at PositiveAthlete.org!

What a powerful day honoring Colorado student-athletes at the Positive Athlete Colorado Awards Experience. 🏆We are so gr...
06/08/2026

What a powerful day honoring Colorado student-athletes at the Positive Athlete Colorado Awards Experience. 🏆

We are so grateful to our partners and donors for helping make this celebration possible and for standing behind a mission that recognizes character, resilience, leadership, and positivity in action.

To the families, coaches, schools, and nominators, thank you for believing in these young leaders and helping their stories be seen. And to our award winners and every nominee across Colorado, congratulations. Your impact reaches far beyond the game, and your example continues to lift up teams, schools, and communities across the state.

We’re very excited to announce our winners of the 2026 O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarships in the Mountain Region! These scholar...
06/04/2026

We’re very excited to announce our winners of the 2026 O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarships in the Mountain Region! These scholarship awards are very special to us, because these are OURS!

Our O.P.E.R.A.T.E. scholarships are given to a female and male athlete who O.P.E.R.A.T.E.S. with all Seven Definitions of a Positive Athlete on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
This year’s male winner is

Lincoln Ames Olympus High School | UT
Lincoln Ames was raised by a single mother supporting three kids on one income. He responded by building things for others.

He co-founded Scone Sunday, a weekly youth gathering that has met every Sunday for four years serving over 50 teenagers, and founded his own window-cleaning business after excelling in door-to-door sales and being tapped to recruit, train, and manage a sales team across multiple states.

On the field, he set the Olympus High single-season sack record with 19.5 sacks and earned 5A First Team All-State honors before tearing his ACL and meniscus in the same season — three days before his twin sister broke her back at cheer practice.

He learned that real strength isn’t measured by sacks or statistics. It’s no wonder their family motto is “We are more than athletes.”

Let’s celebrate Lincoln for representing male Positive Athlete nominees in the Mountain Region!

We’re very excited to announce our winners of the 2026 O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarships in the Mountain Region! These scholar...
06/04/2026

We’re very excited to announce our winners of the 2026 O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarships in the Mountain Region! These scholarship awards are very special to us, because these are OURS!

Our O.P.E.R.A.T.E. scholarships are given to a female and male athlete who O.P.E.R.A.T.E.S. with all Seven Definitions of a Positive Athlete on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
This year’s female winner is

Charlotte Gould Corona del Sol High School | AZ
Charlotte Gould was born with a cleft lip and palate, and grew up in a world where not a single Disney princess had a scar on her face. She decided to change that. At seven, she founded Stitches by Charlotte, handmade surgery companion dolls designed so children can add stitches to match their own medical journey. She has donated over 500 dolls to pediatric patients across the Phoenix area, watched kids carry them into operating rooms a little braver, and built an annual Teddy Bear Picnic connecting cleft families across Arizona.

As President of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Teen Council, she led a fundraiser that raised $80,000 for behavioral health. She then took her fight to Washington, testifying before Congress for insurance protections for cleft patients nationwide. Charlotte cheers for her school. She has spent her life cheering for everyone else.

Let’s celebrate Charlotte for representing female Positive Athlete nominees in the Mountain Region!

Today, we’re delighted to recognize our award winners in the Mountain Region from the Dakotas! These award winners raise...
05/30/2026

Today, we’re delighted to recognize our award winners in the Mountain Region from the Dakotas! These award winners raise the bar every day around their campuses:

Landon Mitchell, Shanley HS, Football, Track, Basketball
Landon Mitchell owns his junior year mistakes without excuse. What followed was a senior year defined by encouragement, a near-4.0 GPA, and a maturity his teammates, teachers, and coaches all noticed.

Elizabeth Pinke, Northwood HS, Golf, Track, Basketball
Elizabeth Pinke watched her brother, an NCAA Division I tight end, respond to paralysis with grace. She took notes. Refusing to have a bad day isn’t a phrase for her. It’s a philosophy she lives.

Owen Serck, Alcester-Hudson HS, Wrestling, Football, Track
Owen Serck leads with a simple idea — leave it better than you found it. At Alcester-Hudson it spread from him through the entire athletic program. That’s what real leadership looks like.

Isabella Engstrom, Leeds Public School, Basketball/Volleyball
Hashimoto's disease and alopecia changed Isabella Engstrom's diet and her role on the team. She adjusted, helped win a state basketball championship, and then went and talked to younger students about it. She graduates as class valedictorian.

Be sure to continue following along as we recognize more winners from the Dakotas later today! More Mountain Region markets to be announced later this week!

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Dakotas! Get to know these exceptional nominee...
05/30/2026

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Dakotas! Get to know these exceptional nominees:

Jocelyn Berg, Red River HS, Softball 2025 Gatorade Softball
Player of the Year in North Dakota. 4.0 GPA. Band. Orchestra. Youth pitching coach. Jocelyn Berg doesn’t choose between athlete and everything else. She just is everything else too.

Carson Burns, Philip HS, Football, Basketball
Carson Burns grew up on a four-generation family ranch and carries that into how he leads. His coach says when teammates make mistakes, Carson never tears them down. He just helps them back up.

Elizabeth Fedje, Valley-Edinburg HS, Wrestling, Volleyball,
Track State champion. All-State. Multiple track titles. Two knee injuries. Elizabeth Fedje captains three sports and spends the rest of her time in nursing homes, food missions, and coaching youth volleyball.

Tony Evenstad, Northwood High School, Athletic Director
Tony Evenstad doesn’t just administer. He shows up, handles problems directly, and treats every student-athlete at Northwood like they are his own. His coaches know they are backed.

That concludes our Dakotas winner announcements! We’ve got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate incredible winners from the Mountain Region this week!

We are delighted to begin recognizing our award winners in our first market here in the Mountain Region, the great State...
05/29/2026

We are delighted to begin recognizing our award winners in our first market here in the Mountain Region, the great State of Colorado!

Emily Peterson, Ralston Valley High School, Girls Soccer
Emily Peterson testified at the State Capitol and helped get a bill passed for youth mental health in sports. The bill was named for her sister Alyssa, who died by su***de at 13.

Jack Rumley, Timnath Middle/High School, Boys Unified Sports
Jack Rumley was born with Down Syndrome. He’s a four-year varsity manager, a Unified Sports athlete, and works two jobs. He calls it Up Syndrome. That’s where he’s going.

Tim Pacino, McClave Undivided High School, Boys Baseball
Tim Pacino had surgeries on both knees and ankles from a rare genetic condition. When he couldn’t play football this season, he attended every practice and ran every drill he was cleared
for.

Olivia Jukes, Mancos High School, Girls Volleyball
Olivia Jukes holds a voting seat on her school district’s Board of Education and captains her volleyball team. She founded a dress closet for prom, earning a Girl Scouts Gold Award.

Madeline Clark, Mountain View High School, Girls Track & Field
Three stress fractures. Four broken bones. Nerve damage. Madeline Clark logged 150 community service hours, worked two jobs, and earned a scholarship to Boise State. Injury never wrote her ending.

Be sure to continue following along as we recognize all of our winners from the Colorado Market in the next few days. More markets to be announced later this May.

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Colorado Market! If you didn’t know, this year...
05/29/2026

Next up, we are recognizing additional outstanding award winners from the Colorado Market! If you didn’t know, this year we are recognizing more amazing award winners than we ever have in the Mountain Region. Get to know these exceptional nominees

Diego Lara, Heritage High School
Diego Lara was elected by swimmers statewide to cast real votes on bylaws affecting the sport nationwide. Diego continues to push boundaries, he’s not just in the room. He’s deciding.

Dixie Bitner, Wiley High School
Three losses to su***de. Dixie Bitner responded by choosing psychology, wrestling on the boys
team, and refusing to let grief define what comes next.

Makena Cleveland, Loveland High School
Makena Cleveland recruited 30 players, organized practices, and coached her team through a full season before Loveland hired an official tennis coach.

Isai Savelkoul, The Vanguard School
Isai Savelkoul could not afford club soccer so he trained alone. Years later: all-conference, ten goals, seven assists. Some people find a way. He is one of them.

Teagan Martin, Holyoke Senior High School
At 18, Teagan Martin became the youngest to finish the Leadville 100 and used every mile to raise $13K for schools, cancer patients and adaptive sports.

We have got plenty ahead, so follow along with us as we continue to celebrate remaining Colorado Market award winners.

We are honored to recognize another outstanding group of award winners from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region. ...
05/29/2026

We are honored to recognize another outstanding group of award winners from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region. Each of these nominees brings character, leadership, and impact to their communities.

Abby Harper, Cheyenne Mountain High School
Abby Harper is the only girl on her school’s boys varsity hockey team. She plays every game, every practice, and has never made it a story she needs to tell.

Carson Helling, Idalia School
Carson Helling runs tractors, irrigates fields, and hauls grain before school. Then he captains three sports, leads student council, and runs FFA at one of Colorado’s smallest schools.

Jeremiah DeLaCerda, Alamosa High School, Boys Cross Country
After his own practices end, Jeremiah DeLaCerda coaches youth runners. He tutors peers and mentors at his church. None of it was asked for. All of it is consistent.

Dani Cook, Fossil Ridge High School, Most Positive Girls Coach
Dani Cook won Fossil Ridge’s first ever 5A Girls Track State Championship. Her athletes leave the program with confidence that outlasts their time on the team. That’s the real trophy.

Chris Moses, Pine Creek High School, Most Positive Boys Coach
In just his second year, Chris Moses led Pine Creek to its first ever CHSAA Ice Hockey State Championship. His school says the trophy is the smallest part of what he built.

Don’t miss what is next. We have more winners to share soon. More markets to be announced later this May.

These honorees stood out for the way they lead, serve, and show up for others. With this group, we now round out the awa...
05/29/2026

These honorees stood out for the way they lead, serve, and show up for others. With this group, we now round out the award announcements from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region.

Montbello High School, Northeast Denver, Most Positive Large School
Montbello High School is proving that character has no zip code. Northeast Denver. A community that shows up for each other without being asked.

DSST: Cedar High School, Denver, Most Positive Small School (tie)
At DSST: Cedar in Denver, the Positive Athlete program took genuine root. Coaches and administrators nominated independently, across different sports, describing the same thing.

The Vanguard School, Colorado Springs, Most Positive Small School (tie)
The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs built the Positive Athlete framework into the fabric of how it runs its programs. The athletes took it from there.

Joe Brown, Niwot High School, Most Positive Athletic Director
Joe Brown believes programs are built by investing in people first. At Niwot that produced three national championships.

Matt Oakes, Telluride High School, Most Positive Athletic Trainer
Matt Oakes brings elite expertise to a small mountain school and makes himself fully available to every student, whether they need rehab, a training plan, or just a trusted adult.

That wraps our Award Winner announcements from the Colorado Market in the Mountain Region. Congratulations to this outstanding group of nominees. Stay tuned for announcements from other Mountain Region Markets later this month.

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