Hastings High School is proud to announce that Ava McNamara and Aaron Herber are the recipients of the 2023 Athena and Apollo awards.

These annual awards are given to the outstanding athletes, one female (Athena) and one male (Apollo), in the senior class. Consideration is given based on excellence and accomplishments in both individual and team sports, throughout the duration of the student-athletes career.  Consideration is given to both one-sport and multi-sport athletes. The award is an athletic award, with other accomplishments like leadership, character, and GPA being secondary.

Ava McNamara Ava has earned five (5) varsity letters in swimming. She is a captain and 5x All-Conference, including individual and relay events. She is a 3x section champion, 3x state participant across multiple events, 2x Honorable Mention-All State and 2x All-State where she has placed as high as 2nd, 3rd, and 6th in her career. She set two new individual HHS school records during her career, resetting each record three times. She was named Section Athlete of the Year in girls swimming and set a Section 3AA record in the 100 Fly.  Ava maintains a 3.84 GPA, has earned multiple academic letters, and is involved in the HHS Athlete Leadership Council. She plans to attend Oakland University (MI) where she will study biomedical engineering and compete on their swimming team.

Aaron Herber has earned ten (10) varsity letters as a participant in cross country, alpine ski, and baseball. He is a captain and Raider Award winner in cross country. In alpine ski, he was named Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, 2x MVP, and captain. He is a 5x participant in the MSHSL state meet qualifier, including 1x section runner-up and 1x section individual champion and he earned All-State honors his senior year. Aaron maintains a 3.71 GPA and is involved in FCA, Link Crew, Peer Helpers, and the HHS Athlete Leadership Council. He plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Stout and pursue a degree in engineering technologies.

The Athena Award winner is honored at the St. Paul Athena Banquet in the spring of the year. The Apollo and Athena winners will both be honored with a site-based recognition at Hastings High School, in the spring of the year.