Wednesday, May 25, 2022 | 2 a.m.
2022 Sun Standout Awards
- Female Athlete of the Year: Aaliyah Gayles, Spring Valley basketball
- Male Athlete of the Year: Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman baseball
- Female Rising Star: Rebecca Diaconescu, Palo Verde swimming
- Male Rising Star: Yuval Cohen, Palo Verde soccer
- Sun Standout Award: Jenavi Alejandro, Centennial wrestling
- Team of the Year: Coronado girls golf
- Moment of the Year: Moapa Valley football returns home to a state-championship parade
- Game of the Year: Bishop Gorman beats Liberty in thrilling double-overtime basketball affair
- Female Scholar Athlete of the Year: Zoey Robinson, Boulder City volleyball
- Male Scholar Athlete of the Year: Jeffrey Morosini, Durango football and wrestling
- Citizen of the Year: Nykita Rustad, Spring Valley cross country and track
- Hank Greenspun Lifetime Achievement Award: John Kennedy, official
- Coach of the Year: Kevin Soares, Liberty basketball
- Unsung Hero Awards: Marshall Cohen, referee, Kathleen Eakins, transportation, Laquedra Parks, police officer and basketball coach
Rustad organized a weeklong, schoolwide event to raise mental health awareness in the wake of COVID-19.
The senior is Spring Valley’s ambassador for Hope Squad, a suicide-prevention group. She has served in the role since 2020, after being voted to the position by 75 of her peers, and visited with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to discuss her efforts and how to help high schoolers navigate the pandemic.
“When you have a goal, if you try to reach it, those habits become a routine,” she said.
Her message is that suicidal thoughts “can’t be taboo,” especially coming out of the pandemic, when many kids were isolated at home. In addition to finishing second in the 4A state cross country meet, she ranked fourth among 528 in her class academically and won the Nevada Interscholastic Academic Award.
She also volunteers with Opportunity Village, Las Vegas Rescue Mission, the American Cancer Society and the Spring Valley Environmental Club. Rustad will attend University of California, Berkeley next year.
Finalists
Derrick Lyons, Silverado football
Volunteered at Cartwright Elementary School and mentored classmates in an after-school program while maintaining a 4.5 weighted grade-point average and earning an academic scholarship to the University of Arizona.
Joshua Rudisill, Mojave football and volleyball
Named the “Cultural Changer” at Mojave after emerging as a leader on campus by attending nearly every home sporting event to encourage all his classmates.
