Frontiersman Student-Athletes of Year to be recognized Thursday at Mat-Su Miners game

PALMER — Recipients of the 2016 Frontiersman Student-Athlete of the Year awards will be recognized Thursday at Hermon Brothers Field prior to the Mat-Su Miners home game against the Peninsula Oilers.

Kimberly Quincy, a 2016 graduate of Houston High School, and Chase Ferris, a 2016 graduate of Palmer High, were each selected as winners of the Frontiersman’s annual award. With the awards, Quincy and Ferris have each earned a scholarship worth $1,000 to assist with their post-secondary education. Quincy will attend UAA in the fall. Ferris will attend the University of Mary in North Dakota, where he will play football for the Division II Marauders.

Quincy and Ferris were picked by a selection committee from a group of eight finalists, four girls and four boys. The finalists were nominated by local high school administrators. Nominees had to meet a basic criteria, which took into account work in both academics and athletics. The list of finalists also included Colony High School graduates Dakota Peterson-Thompson and Chase Stephens; Wasilla High graduates Leya DePriest and Logan Wagner; Palmer High graduate Carly Venzke and Houston High graduate John Koeneman.

Quincy was a multisport standout at Houston High, and her school’s class of 2016 valedictorian. She was named first-team all-conference and third-team all-state in basketball as a senior, finished second in the girls’ discus at the 123A state championships and maintained a 4.0 grade point average.

Ferris also stood out in multiple sports. He was a two-time first-team all-state selection in football, and helped the Palmer boys basketball team win a conference title in 2016. Ferris graduated with a 4.140 grade point average, and will study petroleum engineering in college.

The Frontiersman Student-Athlete of the Year is awarded to a pair of graduating seniors each year, with the help of the Mat-Su Seahawkers.

The presentation is slated for Thursday at 6:40 p.m. at Hermon Brothers. The Miners will face the Oilers at 7 p.m. Mat-Su is the winningest team in the storied Alaska Baseball League over the past three seasons.