Positive Athlete Announces 2025-26 North Texas Positive Athletes of the Year

Frisco, TX, May 10, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Positive Athlete, a national organization dedicated to recognizing high-character student-athletes, proudly announced its 2025-26 North Texas Positive Athletes of the Year, honoring 32 standout student-athletes and coaches from across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Now in its second year recognizing North Texas honorees, the Positive Athlete program received more than 1,000 nominations representing 307 public and private high schools across the region, covering 37 different sports. Nominations were submitted by coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, parents, and community members.

The selected winners were recognized not only for athletic achievement, but for consistently demonstrating leadership, resilience, service, encouragement, and integrity within their schools and communities.

“These student-athletes and coaches represent what youth sports are truly about,” said Jeremy Lukas of Positive Athlete. “Their stories go far beyond wins and statistics. They are leaders, encouragers, servant-hearted teammates, and examples of positivity for their schools, families, and communities.”

Positive Athlete’s recognition model is built around the organization’s core values, represented by the acronym O.P.E.R.A.T.E.:
• Optimistic
• Puts Team First
• Encouraging
• Respectful
• Admits Imperfection
• True Heart for Others
• Embraces Service

The Positive Athlete movement was originally founded by sports industry veteran Scott Pederson to promote positivity and character development in youth athletics nationwide. Since its launch, the organization has recognized thousands of student-athletes and awarded more than $700,000 in scholarships nationally. Positive Athlete is free for all schools/teams/alliances involved with 9-12 grade high school sports, made available by foundation donors and program sponsors.

2025-26 North Texas Positive Athlete Winners
High School Athletes
• Aris Preston — Duncanville High School (Duncanville) — Football
• Avery Ross — Fellowship Academy (Kennedale) — Basketball
• Brady Eldridge — Southwest Christian (Fort Worth) — Track & Field, Football
• Carson Kolb — Plano West (Plano) — Football, Track & Field
• Chloe Garcia — Garland High School (Garland) — Volleyball
• Chloe Tao — TAG Magnet (Dallas) — Figure Skating
• Destiny Arinze — Sunnyvale High School (Sunnyvale) — Basketball, Track & Field, Volleyball
• Dominic Wilson — Rockwall High School (Rockwall) — Wrestling
• Dylan Ota — Southlake Carroll (Southlake) — Wrestling
• Emmett Olsen — Homeschool — Archery
• Grayson Grant — R.L. Paschal (Fort Worth) — Soccer, Cheerleading/Stunt
• Harlow Delzell — Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) — Volleyball
• Jason Girvin — West Mesquite (Mesquite) — Football
• John Pacheco — Frisco Emerson (Frisco) — Soccer, Football
• Judd New — Clifton High School (Clifton) — Football, Powerlifting, Baseball
• Juliet Amparan — Homeschool — Softball
• Kamryn Hall — Vernon High School (Vernon) — Powerlifting
• Kasen Crane — Caddo Mills High School (Caddo Mills) — Football, Baseball, Golf
• Kinsey Geasland — Keller Central (Keller) — Soccer
• Lanz Lavina — Lake Dallas High School (Lake Dallas) — Soccer
• Libby Deakyne — Arlington High School (Arlington) — Cross Country, Cheerleading/Stunt, Track & Field
• Londyn Pope — North Forney High School (Forney) — Volleyball
• Mason Forbes — Kennedale High School (Kennedale) — Basketball
• Matthew Holloway — Hebron High School (Carrollton) — Football
• Michael Borjon — Mineral Wells High School (Mineral Wells) — Cross Country, Soccer
• Olivia Puente — Denton High School (Denton) — Soccer, Cross Country
• Rashel Ceciliano — Arlington Heights (Fort Worth) — Flag Football, Basketball
• Riley Morriss — McKinney North (McKinney) — Swimming, Softball

High School Coaches
• Aaron Wessner — Frisco Emerson (Frisco) — Soccer
• Chris Brent — Kaufman High School (Kaufman) — Football, Powerlifting
• Jada Harris — Ennis High School (Ennis) — Basketball
• Megan Graham — Mabank High School (Mabank) — Softball, Volleyball

All winners will be formally recognized during the 2026 North Texas Positive Athlete Awards Experience taking place in late June in the DFW area, where scholarship recipients will also be announced.

Nominations for the 2026-27 school year will reopen in September.

For additional information, partnership opportunities, or media inquiries, visit Positive Athlete on the web.

About Positive Athlete
Positive Athlete is a national organization dedicated to recognizing student-athletes who exemplify character, leadership, resilience, and service. Through awards, scholarships, storytelling, and community partnerships, Positive Athlete works to create a more positive culture in youth athletics across the country.