Female student-athletes take center court at awards banquet

They kept up their grades, excelled in sports and, last month, received recognition for it.

Madison Juilfs was one of the nearly 40 females honored May 23 at the Las Vegas Athletic Clubs' 11th annual Celebration of Young Women Athletes banquet at Rain Nightclub at the Palms. She is a senior at Shadow Ridge High School, 5050 Brent Lane.

Juilfs graduated this month as co-valedictorian of her school. She is a good athlete, too. Her volleyball coach, Karissa Guthrie, said Juilfs "personifies the student-athlete."

"She didn't let her volleyball get in the way of her schoolwork," Guthrie said. "She was always at practice first and always the last to leave."

Juilfs and others honored at the event each received a trophy, a yearlong membership to Las Vegas Athletic Clubs, a certificate of appreciation from the city of Las Vegas, a senatorial certificate of commendation from Sen. Dean Heller and a Congressional Award of Merit from Rep. Shelley Berkley.

Juilfs' volleyball days are probably over, she said. She plans to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, in the fall and major in accounting and take pre-med classes. She said she would like to go to medical school to become a general surgeon.

"I come across students often that say things like that," said Guthrie, "but Madison will do it. She'll come back 12 years from now and be a doctor."

Guthrie said she will most remember Juilfs for a unique skill.

"She was the girl on the team who could do a 'man-dive,' " Guthrie said. "She will go and do a full on 'man-dive.' Most girls dive on their legs or their side, but she really goes for it and lands on her chest. I've never seen a female volleyball player do that. I'll always remember that about her."

Juilfs said it was a "privilege" to be selected by her school's administrators to represent Shadow Ridge.

"I think it has more to do with academics (than athletics) and being able to balance the two," said Juilfs, who was not a starter for the volleyball team. "It's nonstop work. I would go from practices right after school until sometimes 6:30 at night, go straight home and study until midnight and wake up and do it all over."

Each high school nominated its own recipient. Palo Verde High School, 333 S. Pavilion Center Drive, chose senior Megan Randazzo, a varsity tennis player for four years and the team captain last year.

Randazzo graduated as salutatorian of her class and plans to attend the University of California, Los Angeles and major in mathematics.

Her coach, Jane Centrella, said Randazzo is the type of teammate who cannot be replaced.

"She was always there, always positive, always working the hardest and always pushing others to work harder, too," Centrella said. "It's going to be really sad to lose her. It's sad to even think about it."

Mariel Hundley, a junior at Las Vegas High School, 6500 E. Sahara Ave., had an uneasy experience finding out she would represent her school at the banquet.

"Usually when you're called in the athletic office, it's for something bad," Hundley said. "I asked (the assistant principal) if I were in trouble. He told me I had been selected as the athlete of the year. I was so shocked I got it."

She was also shocked, she said, because her school sent a junior. Hundley played varsity soccer, volleyball and softball and has a 3.2 GPA.

"Being an athlete and keeping up with schoolwork is so hard," she said. "...It's nice having that commemoration."

Juilfs said she also appreciated that female athletes were in the spotlight for a day.

"A lot of times, you only hear about guys getting credit for their athletic abilities," she said. "It's nice that girls are being recognized for once, and they incorporate academics. You can be athletic and everything, but that's not what it's all about."

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.