Some of Bermuda’s most talented young sports stars were honoured at the Denton Hurdle Memorial Awards ceremony last night.

Held in order to recognise the nascent athletic and educational prowess of a clutch of youngsters at all school levels, the ceremony at the Phoebe Purvis Memorial Hall at Warwick Academy was a huge success with award winners on hand to collect their prizes.

The Senior School Girls’ Award was handed to Azari Easton, who attends The Berkeley Institute. Easton is deputy head girl, prefect and green house vice-captain at Berkeley Institute and is the student council secretary. She is a member of the under-20 women’s national football team and scored the third goal in a 3-1 over Anguilla in the Concacaf qualifying tournament.

An honourable mention was also given to Warwick Academy’s Shayla Cann, who represented Bermuda at the 2023 Carifta games in the Bahamas and has been accepted into NCAA Division I Elon University to compete in cross country and athletics.

Kwame Naylor picked up a notable double when winning the Senior School Boys Award after winning the middle school title in 2019. Naylor is head boy at Warwick Academy and captains several of the school sports teams.

He has represented Bermuda at the under-19 Caribbean Rugby Championships and plays for Robin Hood in the Premier Division. He was also named MVP of the under-17 league.

J’Auza James, of The Berkeley Institute, received an honourable mention in the category after winning the bronze medal in the octathlon at the 2023 Carifta Games.

He was the over 16 co-champion boy at the BSSF track and field championships after winning the 800 and 1,500 and finishing second in the high jump. He also serves as a crash-boat volunteer for the Bermuda Powerboat Association

Warwick Academy’s Cameron Adkins picked up the Middle School Boys Award. A student council member, debate team member and captain of the track and cross country team, Adkins competed in the 3,000 metres at the 2023 Carifta Games. He was victorious in the BSSF cross country championships and won the 1,500 at the BSSF Track and field championships.

He was a member the under-14 national football team, which took part in the Caribbean Football Union Challenge series, and won the mile race in the 2023 NY Armory Track meet.

Honourable mentions in that division went to Saltus Grammar School’s Noah Maranzana and Maximus Lightbourn of Whitney Institute.

The Middle Schools Girls award was won by Kelise Wade, of Sandys Secondary Middle School.

Wade is a two-times junior winner of the Sinclair Packwood Memorial Cycling road race. She was also a member of the Dandy Stars team which won the 2023 under-13 Kappa classic. She is back-to-back champion in the Skyport Magic Mile and won the 2023 Butterfield mile in the middle school division. She has been a national champion in cycling, track and field, cross country and triathlon.

An honourable mention was also given to Amaris Munya of Warwick Academy and Zoe Mir of Somersfield Academy.

Phoenix Williams, of West Pembroke Primary, collected the award for Primary School Girls.

Williams is head girl, student leader, house captain and the recipient of the 2023 Principal’s award and language, science, math, social studies, health, art, performance arts and sportsmanship awards. She is an active contributor to the boys’ football and cricket teams and placed first when representing Bermuda’s Bermy Bouncers in jump rope at the 2023 Colorado Classic.

Honourable mentions were awarded to Sukanya Jobson, of Purvis Primary, and Jasmine Reid-Rubaine of Harrington Sound.

The Primary School Boys Award was accepted by Jace Postlethwaite, of Purvis Primary. Postlethwaite is a student leader and house captain for Purvis House. He is also a co-founder of the Purvis Gombey troop and placed first in the Sir Stanley Burgess Race and Jingle run.

He was the BSSF champion boy at the track and field championships, winning the 100 metres and long jump, and finishing second in the 200. He broke the Purvis school record for the 800 and led the football team to the nine-a-side final. He also won the WTCS junior duathlon in 2021 and 2022.

Adam Barritt, of Saltus Grammar, West Pembroke’s Jaylon Glasford and Cairo Burgess, of Somersfield Academy, were all given honourable mentions.