Honor given annually to Wyoming’s top athletes of the year

Powell High School graduate Josh Cragoe was named one of five finalists for the 2012 Milward Simpson Athlete of the Year Award. The honor is given annually to the top male and female senior athletes in the state of Wyoming.

Powell has also had two female recipients of the award in Jesseca Cross (1993) and Kristy Johnson (1996).

Cragoe is a four-sport athlete in Powell, competing in football, basketball and track and field for the high school. He is also a member of the Powell Pioneers American Legion baseball team.

Over the course of his prep career, Cragoe earned seven all-conference and six all-state awards. He was named the most valuable player of the football team following both his junior and senior seasons. Last fall, Cragoe was named to the Casper Star-Tribune’s Super 25 team and is currently practicing for the Shrine Bowl as a member of the North team.

In basketball, Cragoe was twice named an all-conference selection. He was a three-time all-state track athlete, was named to ESPN’s top 25 baseball players in Wyoming and was an all-state selection for the Pioneers last summer. He was named Powell High School’s senior athlete of the year at the school’s annual year-end athletic awards night last month.

Cragoe has narrowed his college selection down to two schools. He will attend either Oregon Institute of Technology or South Dakota School of Mines to pursue a degree in engineering.

Other finalists for the Milward Simpson male athlete of the year honors include Matt Eddington from Evanston, Riley Ryan from Sheridan, Tanner Simpson from Lander and Daniel Wille from Little Snake River. Finalists for the women’s award include Cody’s Brooke Myers, Torrington’s Mikayla Brower, Wheatland’s McKenzie Hellbaum, Cheyenne Central’s Christie Schiel and Rawlins’ Kereston Thomas.

Winners of the award will be announced on Saturday, June 16, in Casper.

Considered by many to be the most prestigious honor bestowed upon Wyoming high school athletes, the Milward Simpson awards are named in honor of the late Milward Simpson, a former Wyoming governor (1954-58) and United States Senator (1962-67) from Cody.

Simpson served as the team captain for the University of Wyoming football, basketball and baseball teams and earned varsity letters in each sport from 1917-1921. He turned down a professional baseball contract to attend Harvard Law School.

Former finalists

Here’s a list of the 14 Milward Simpson Athlete of the Year Award finalists from Powell. The newest addition to the list, Josh Cragoe, will learn on Saturday, June 16, if he is the fourth award winner from the community.

Award winners

1984 — Mark Farmer

1993 — Jesseca Cross

1996 — Kristy Johnson

Finalists

1985 — Will Black

1986 — Kelly Henry

1988 — Abby Sewchok

1989 — Tony Nemitz

1990 — Mike Rogers

1998 — Toby Laird

2000 — Zack Zawacki

2002 — Jaci Henry

2007 — Justin Cross

2010 — Hannah Pollart

2012 — Josh Cragoe