Huntington seniors Teddi Carnesi and Dylan Coleman were named the first ever Empire Automotive Group Scholar Athlete Award recipients. The dynamic duo was honored at the 54th annual Blue Devil senior athletic awards ceremony in the high school auditorium
The Empire Automotive Group Scholar Athlete Awards were provided by Michael Brown, a 1987 Huntington graduate who played on the Blue Devil football team and won All-County honors with the track team. He went on to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees at Boston University and has been in the automotive business his entire professional career.
Ms. Carnesi and Mr. Coleman were presented with attractive personalized plaques along with checks for $500. The pair posed for a commemorative photo and as crowd of several hundred applauded.
“The first award goes to a Blue Devil basketball player with an incredible will to win,” master of ceremonies Michael Schwendemann told the crowd about Mr. Coleman. “Playing basketball and winning is all he has thought about since he learned to walk. He helped lead Huntington to its first playoff appearance and post-season victory in many years. A great student and a no-nonsense kind of guy who is headed to Binghamton University; Dylan Coleman.”
Next it was Ms. Carnesi’s turn in the spotlight. “Our second Empire Automotive scholarship goes to a three-sport athlete who has been an incredible leader and teammate,” Mr. Schwendemann said. “She will fill any role to help her team win. She helped lead the soccer team into the playoffs and was a key to Huntington’s upset victory over Commack. She contributed to the Huntington basketball team’s league title and Final Four appearance this past winter. She is headed to the US Military Academy at West Point to become one of the leaders of the US Army; Teddi Carnesi.”