Trillyon Fils-Aime, Madison Feehery top athletes as Players of the Year announced at All-Area Stars Awards Show - Naples Daily News

Adam Fisher Naples Daily News

Published 8:37 PM EDT Jun 18, 2020

A pair of state champions earned top honors from the Naples Daily News Thursday night at the Southwest Florida All-Area Stars Awards Show.

During an online video event, the Daily News announced its high school sports awards for 2019-20. In conjunction with The News-Press, awards were announced by a collection of famous presenters, including Drew Brees, Stephen Curry, Patrick Mahomes and Bill Belichick.

The show culminated with the overall Male and Female Athletes of the Year awards.

More: Big names to highlight On-Demand All-Area Stars show as live event moved due to coronavirus

After winning a state championship in wrestling and making the All-Area first team in football, Palmetto Ridge senior Trillyon Fils-Aime won the Male Athlete of the Year award.

Barron Collier swimmer Madison Feehery was named the top female athlete after winning an individual state title (50-yard freestyle) and leading her team to a state runner-up finish.

WATCH: Replay the 2020 Southwest Florida All-Area Stars Award Show

In the other premier awards, Barron Collier swimming coach Matt Nelson was named Coach of the Year, and Lely soccer player Saoirse Bowe won the Academic Achievement Award.

Fils-Aime went 54-4 wrestling at 220 pounds this season, winning the Class 2A championship. He also won district, regional and Collier County Athletic Conference championships.

"It feels good to know as I'm going to college that I left my mark where I grew up, at my school," Fils-Aime said of winning the award.

In the fall, Fils-Aime was one of three defensive linemen on the Daily News’ Football Defense All-Area first team. He was the only Collier County athlete to make All-Area first team in two sports this year.

Fils-Aime will wrestle at Southeastern University, an NAIA program in Lakeland, next season. He always thought that if he played a sport in college in would be football, which he started when he was 6. Fils-Aime didn't start wrestling until his freshman year at Palmetto Ridge.

“When I started wrestling, to get good I really had to focus, to buy in,” Fils-Aime said. “It can be hard to focus on two sports. It’s a good feeling knowing I did.”

Feehery, a junior, helped Barron Collier place second in the state as a team with an outstanding showing at the Class 3A state meet. She won the state title in the 50 freestyle (23.00) and finished second in the 100 butterfly (55.41), also helping the Cougars to a pair of top-five relay finishes.

“I worked really hard,” Feehery said of her state championship season. “It was a lot of hard hours in the pool, in the weight room and just kind of focusing every aspect of my life to gear toward making myself a better swimmer.

“It wasn’t just all hard work. I credit a lot of my success to my teammates and coaches and the great culture we had both on my club team and high school team.”

Feehery also was named Girls Swimmer of the Year after winning her first state title. She expects big things next year as a senior but said she's focused more on the process than results.

“My goal is to have a lot of fun and just enjoy my senior year with my teammates,” Feehery said. “I swim better when I focus on having a good time and being in the moment instead of putting too much pressure on myself. I want to enjoy the ride, appreciate my teammates and coaches, and enjoy working hard every day.”

More: Fort Myers' Olivia McMurray, Mariner's Leo Perez named Athletes of the Year at All-Area Stars Awards

Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl champion, presented overall athlete of the year awards. Mahomes congratulated Fils-Aime and Feehery by name, adding for the Palmetto Ridge wrestler, "Congrats Trillyon, way to bring home the state title."

Nelson, the Coach of the Year winner, led the Barron Collier boys swimming team to the Class 3A state championship – the only team title in Collier County in 2019-20. It also was the first state championship in program history.

More: Naples Daily News Coach of the Year finalists announced

Nelson also assisted with the girls team that placed second in the state. The Cougars boys team won district, regional and CCAC titles.

A banner year for the entire Cougars program with a state title for the boys and a runner-up finish for the girls was as rewarding as it gets for Nelson.

“It was a phenomenal season, everything just came together really nicely,” Nelson said. “I knew it’d be a good season but to have it go as well as it did with the boys winning and the girls coming in second was amazing. To see tonight Michael Phelps give our swimmers their awards was just amazing and have five out of the six finalists be our kids just made me swell up with pride.”

Bowe won the Academic Achievement Award by being just as determined in the classroom as she is on the field. A four-time All-Area selection, Bowe has a 5.44 weighted grade-point average and ranks third in Lely’s senior class of 409 students.

“Winning these awards means so much to me especially since I was up against such phenomenal athletes,” said Bowe, who also won the Girls Soccer Player of the Year award. “As a captain, I told my team that effort beats talent and I hope that is something they will not only use in sports, but in all aspects of life. Thank you to all my teammates, coaches and people who have supported me throughout the last four years of high school and to Naples Daily News for putting on this event despite the obstacles."

More: 2020 Academic Achievement Award finalists announced

This year Bowe won a regional award from the National Center of Women, the Yale book award, and a Laureate Scholarship. She was in the Engineering Club and National Honor Society and volunteers with Meals of Hope and youth soccer. She will attend Florida State in the fall.

A full list of the celebrity presenters: former Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee (announced cross country), Brees (football), PGA golfer and 2019 U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland (golf), U.S. Women's National Team player Rose Lavelle (soccer), 23-time gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps (swimming), three-time gold medalist in beach volleyball Misty May-Treanor (volleyball), Olympic champion wrestler Jordan Burroughs (wrestling, girls weightlifting), New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (coach of the year), and Mahomes.

The show was hosted by TV personality Jesse Palmer and ESPN's Sage Steele, with other introductions by ESPN reporter Courtney Cronin and NASCAR analyst Jerry Punch. Tennis star Venus Williams, who announced the tennis awards in other USA Today markets, gave a special message to athletes in Florida apologizing that their seasons were canceled. 

Gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas, NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, and Olympic skier Bode Miller — who also presented awards in other markets — appeared in a video saluting the seniors who lost their spring seasons due to the coronavirus.

— Reporters Bryan Cooney and Alex Martin contributed to this article

Naples Daily News Premier Award Winners

Female Athlete of the Year: Madison Feehery, Barron Collier

Male Athlete of the Year: Trillyon Fils-Aime, Palmetto Ridge 

Academic Achievement: Saoirse Bowe, Lely

Coach of the Year: Matt Nelson, Barron Collier

Girls Special Olympics Athlete of the Year: Jennifer Bordes, Lely

Naples Daily News Player of the Year Awards

Boys Basketball: Tony Green, Naples

Girls Basketball: Jada McCray, Naples

Boys Cross Country: Alexander Rodriguez, Naples

Girls Cross Country: Grace O'Malley, Community School

Football Broxson Trophy: Charles Toombs, Immokalee

Football Defense: Collin Miles, Naples

Football Offense: Elan Sommala, Naples

Boys Golf: Jack Irons, Naples

Girls Golf: Addison Klonowski, Naples

Boys Soccer: David Gomez, Lely

Girls Soccer: Saoirse Bowe, Lely

Boys Swimming/Diving: Mason Laur, Barron Collier

Girls Swimming/Diving: Madison Feehery, Barron Collier

Volleyball: Skylar English, Barron Collier

Wrestling: Andy Martinez, Golden Gate

News-Press Premier Awards Winners

Female Athlete of the Year: Olivia McMurray, Fort Myers

Male Athlete of the Year: Leo Perez, Mariner

Academic Achievement: Nicole Rodriguez, Cape Coral

Jeff Sommer Memorial Coach of the Year: Martin Cardenas, Mariner

Boys Special Olympics Athlete of the Year: Justin Borrego, North Fort Myers

News-Press Player of the Year Awards

Boys Basketball: Javian McCollum, Fort Myers

Girls Basketball: Chaniya Clark, Fort Myers

Boys Bowling: Rex Gatewood, North Fort Myers

Girls Bowling: Cydnee Whiteleather, Riverdale

Boys Cross Country: Liam Holston, Fort Myers

Girls Cross Country: Stephy Ormsby, Fort Myers

Football Defense: Derrick Erickson, Bishop Verot

Football Offense: C.J. Shedd, Cypress Lake

Boys Golf: Kevin Kelly, Bishop Verot

Girls Golf: Gabby Vetter, Bishop Verot

Boys Soccer: Leo Perez, Mariner

Girls Soccer: Emilee Hauser, North Fort Myers

Boys Swimming/Diving: Brandon Shepherd, South Fort Myers

Girls Swimming/Diving: Olivia McMurray, Fort Myers

Volleyball: Paris Thompson, Fort Myers

Girls Weightlifting: Jenna McClain, LaBelle

Wrestling: Jesse Martinez, Riverdale

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