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The Gretchen Wolf Swartz Sportsmanship Team Awards are going to a pair of first-time winners.

Red Lion High School’s YAIAA Division I champion boys join Hanover High School’s girls in receiving the prestigious honors. 

In May, members of the Gretchen Wolf Swartz Scholarship Foundation Board will recognize some senior members from each team with scholarships. Last year, the Board awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to members of the Gettysburg High School girls and York Suburban High School boys teams.

The winning programs are determined by a poll of members of the York Chapter of PIAA Basketball Officials. Voting was extremely close, and every member school received at least one vote for either their boys or girls team.

At the conclusion of each regular season, the officials vote to recognize a boys’ and girls’ program after observing the season-long conduct of YAIAA players, fans, faculty, students, managers, coaches and cheerleaders from junior high to varsity. Both winning programs receive a traveling trophy in recognition of their accomplishments.

Gretchen Wolf Swartz was a York County basketball official from 1981 to 1995. Following her untimely death from leukemia in 1997, her fellow officials created the memorial team awards and a scholarship fund to promote and honor the sportsmanship she so effectively displayed. 

When South Western earned the first Gretchen Wolf Swartz Sportsmanship Award in 2001, only one $1,000 scholarship was awarded. Since that first year, $652,000 in scholarship money has been awarded.

You don’t have to sacrifice sportsmanship in order to win basketball games. This year’s winners of the Gretchen Wolf Swartz Sportsmanship Awards prove it.

Gettysburg’s girls, 21-2 overall and 13-1 in YAIAA Division II, and York Suburban’s boys, 18-5 and 9-3 in YAIAA play, were named winners of the prestigious team awards. Gettysburg is a first-time winner, while York Suburban won under Coach Tom Triggs following the 2011-2012 season.

The winning programs were determined by a poll of members of the York Chapter of PIAA Basketball Officials. In May, members of the Gretchen Wolf Swartz Scholarship Foundation Board will recognize some senior members from each team with scholarships that could total or even exceed $100,000.

At the conclusion of each regular season, York area basketball officials vote to recognize a boys’ and girls’ program after observing the season-long conduct of York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) players, fans, faculty, students, managers, coaches and cheerleaders from junior high to varsity. Both winning programs receive a traveling trophy in recognition of their accomplishments.

Gretchen Wolf Swartz was a York County basketball official from 1981 to 1995. Following her untimely death from leukemia in 1997, her fellow officials created the memorial team awards and a scholarship fund to promote and honor the sportsmanship she so effectively displayed.

Last year’s winners were William Penn’s girls and New Oxford’s boys.

When South Western earned the first Gretchen Wolf Swartz Sportsmanship Award in 2001, only one $1,000 scholarship was awarded. More than $500,000 in scholarship money has since been awarded.