Bay State Games Selects Athletes of the Year

August 19, 2021

Jordan Talty of Reading selected as Female Athlete of the Year and Brady O'Donnell of Newburyport selected as Male Athlete of the Year

Left: Jordan Talty at 2021 BSG Figure Skating competition; Right: Brady O'Donnell at 2021 BSG Boys Soccer Showcase

After holding Summer Games for the first time since 2019, Bay State Games has selected its Athletes of the Year. This award is based on participation in the Games and other athletic achievements. The 2021 selections for Athlete of the Year are:

Female Athlete – Jordan Talty

Male Athlete – Brady O’Donnell

Jordan Talty is a resident of Reading, MA who has been competing in figure skating for 14 years. This past year Jordan was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Determined not to let that interfere, she has persevered in her skating by passing her senior freeskate in December and qualifying for the Excel National Festival where she competed in August.

Jordan competed in Bay State Games for the first time in 2012 and won gold in pre-preliminary test track. Most recently, Jordan won gold in senior ladies short program and silver in senior ladies freeskate in the 2021 BSG figure skating competition. In 2017, she was also a show performer, which she earned by winning gold in the open freeskate. Jordan has competed at two State Games of Americas and has won several medals. In 2017, she won two medals, and in 2019, she followed up her performance by winning 5 medals (3 gold and 2 bronze).

Outside of Bay State Games, Jordan earned a bronze medal in the Colonial Open in Senior Ladies Excel (2021), was a pewter medalist in the New England Regional Singles Intermediate Ladies (2020), USFS Excel National Festival Intermediate Ladies Champion (2019), Boston Open pewter medalist Intermediate Ladies (2019), and Cranberry Open silver medalist Intermediate Ladies Short (2019). She was also awarded the 2021 Lillian Tribby Award and 2020 Nelson S Burbank Athlete of the Year from North Shore Skating Club and was also named 2019 Most Improved Skater from North Shore Skating Club.

Jordan also spends time as a Reading Kids Connect Mentor, a Reading Recreation Special Skates Volunteer, and a North Shore Skating JR Club volunteer where she teaches Learn to Skate where she is a great role model and mentor to the younger skaters just starting their journey. Jordan is headed to Michigan State University this fall.

Brady O’Donnell is a rising senior at Newburyport High School. Brady has been playing soccer for 15 years. This past summer, he played on the Northeast team in the Boys Soccer Showcase. He scored every goal for the team in the tournament.

When he was born, Brady was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome as parents Carrie and Chris were told to prepare themselves to raise a child with significant disabilities. At age 3, defying his diagnosis, Children's Hospital Boston named him its 2007 Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Champion for Massachusetts. By age 3, Brady endured several surgical procedures to remove precancerous lesions, has overcome a brain abnormality and legal blindness in his left eye to thrive as a student-athlete.

Brady made the varsity soccer team as a freshman at Newburyport High School and continued to grow over the next two years, becoming not only the leading scorer as a junior this year for his high school team but second in overall points in the entire conference. His efforts led Newburyport High School to its first ever Cape Ann League Championship in the fall of 2020. He was named team captain as a junior and was also named Most Valuable Offensive Player this past season. Other soccer accolades include being named to Cape Ann League All-Star First Team and Daily News All-Star Team. Brady plays club soccer for Rush North Shore and just returned from Barcelona where his team placed 3rd in a European tournament after they trained at FC Barcelona, Espanyol Girona, and Villareal.

A well-rounded student-athlete, Brady has excelled academically as well. He was inducted into the National Honor Society last year, has made the honor roll every semester of high school, garnering an impressive 4.3 grade point average.

Outside of playing soccer, Brady volunteers to coach players aged 3-5 with Newburyport Youth Soccer, 5th-8th graders with Elite Week. He also volunteers for Christmas Tree Santas, distributing free Christmas trees to area families in need. Since was little he has been a snow angel, shoveling and raking for his elderly next-door neighbor.

Individuals chosen as Bay State Games Athlete of the Year were also submitted for recognition as the National State Games Athlete of the Year. Brady O’Donnell was selected as the NCSG Male Athlete of the Year – 18 & older. Brady, along with the other National Athlete of the Year recipients will be recognized at the National Congress of State Games annual symposium on September 29 at the SportsTravel Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City.

For more information on the Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program and past winners, go to www.baystategames.org/AOY.

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Bay State Games Announces 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 18, 2025

The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants. These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. “Bay State Games is proud to continue the Future Leaders Scholarship program which since 1989 has provided over $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of outstanding young leaders." said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “These well deserving student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, representing a variety of schools, sports and regions across Massachusetts” This year’s six scholarship recipients are Elyse Bissada, Brooke Blahut, Abigail Howie, Olivia Laaper, Sabina Mackechnie, Molly McIntyre. Elyse Bissada is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, where she is a four-year varsity field hockey and track & field athlete, as well as the team captain for both sports. In 2025, Elyse was a member of the Bay State Games Southeast field hockey team where she won a gold medal. Elyse is the founder of the Veterinary Medicine Club at her school and in her free time volunteers at local farms and Animal Rescue Leagues across the state. Elyse has committed to play field hockey and study biology at Hamilton College, where she plans to pursue veterinary medicine and ultimately establish an affordable low-cost clinic that serves her community. Brooke Blahut is a senior at North Quincy High School where she is a 4-year varsity member of the soccer team, and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. Brooke is also a well accomplished figure skater. She began skating at age 2 at Winterland Skating School and is now a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Brooke has participated in Bay State Games annually since 2016, medaled 6 times, and is a 4-year Bay State Games High School Ambassador. Brooke is also the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Ambassador for NQHS. Brooke is Vice President of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and academically ranks in the top 5% of her class with a 4.6 GPA. Brooke is a two-time team leader and participant in the FBI Teen Leadership Academy and plans to pursue her master’s in forensic science and criminology and become an FBI Special Agent. Abigail Howie is a senior at Wilmington High School, where she is on the varsity soccer team and is captain of the Winter and Spring Track teams. Abigail serves as President of Student Council and the Wildcat Service Council, where she founded the “Bridging Generations” community initiative. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Best Buddies. Abigail coaches a Wilmington fourth-grade team and is a USSF-certified soccer referee. She has most recently created an Alzheimer's Awareness community service project for her senior year. She hopes to continue her athletic career in college while studying sports management and marketing. Olivia Laaper resides in Stow and is a senior at Fusion Academy in Burlington. Laaper has been a captain of multiple high school sports teams including Track & Field and Swimming. Olivia is captain of her archery team at Riverside Archers and has won multiple medals in archery at Bay State Games and state competitions. Beyond athletics, Olivia has gained hands-on experience in emergency medicine as a high school intern with Pro EMS and plans to take her EMT certification this fall. She gives back to her community by lifeguarding and coaching youth swimming at Goldfish Swim School, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and at local food banks. In college, Olivia plans to pursue a degree in nursing with a minor in emergency medicine and psychology. Sabina Mackechnie is a senior at East Longmeadow High School where she is a three sport athlete and captain in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. She has earned all-league and second-team All-Western Mass honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sabina has been a By State Games Ambassador for two years and is a member of her school's Athletic Leadership Council and Pink Ribbon Club. Sabina participates in canned food drives and fundraisers for her school sports teams. Sabina will continue her lacrosse career at Springfield College while pursuing a degree in Education. Molly McIntyre is a senior at Norton High School where she is a three-sport captain in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, earning multiple TVL All-Star honors, and MVP awards. Molly serves in key leadership roles on Student Council, DECA, Best Buddies, and five National Honor Societies. She volunteers at local youth sports programs, community events, and the MSG Gregory Trent Foundation. Molly works part-time at a donut shop and local ice cream store. She plans on attending Stonehill College where she will compete in track and study Finance and Marketing. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here. For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here . About the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation/Bay State Games The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 1982 to host the first sanctioned state games of the Commonwealth. It operates with the mission of promoting personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship to Massachusetts citizens of all ages and abilities. The Foundation is recognized for hosting high quality, Olympic-style events through the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, as well as educational programs, including the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and the High School Ambassador Program.