Valley Christian senior Alyssa Braun was named the AIA’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 1A-3A at the annual AIA Champions Awards Luncheon on Monday, May 18 at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Senior Gavin deFisser was recognized as the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year finalist.
Alyssa joined 2004 graduate Julie-Anne Bailey as the only two Valley Christian students to ever be named the AIA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It was the first time that VCHS had two finalists for the honor.
Alyssa has competed in four years of basketball and volleyball and three years of track and field while at Valley Christian. As a basketball player, she has been a two year starter and helped her team win back to back section championships as well as get to a 65-2 record in those two years. As a volleyball player, she was also a two year starter and made it to the state tournament both her junior and senior years. Not only has Alyssa been a key competitor in basketball and volleyball she also was a strong distance runner for the track and field team for three seasons.
Academically, Alyssa has received different college scholarship offers because of the course load she has taken during her time at Valley Christian. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA while participating in athletics and has become one of the top athletes at VCHS.
Gavin’s academic performance speaks for itself with his grades, challenging course load and his desire to take every advanced course offered at Valley Christian. Gavin will be graduating number one in his class of 75 and has been named his class co-Valedictorian. He was a Commended Student in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program and carries a 4.0 GPA. Not only has Gavin excelled tremendously in the classroom he has been a part of the Valley Christian golf team all four years, leading the Trojan golf team to three consecutive state championships. He has added great value to the team not only with his great aptitude and ability for golf, but also with his leadership abilities.
In short, Gavin is a rare student athlete that works hard to be the best while humbly and sincerely lifting those around him up.