Courtni Smith, a 2014 graduate of McDonald County High School was presented the Aldo Sebben award during a recent basketball game at MCHS.
The award is an honor for which one male and one female athlete from each class are selected to receive for outstanding track performances by the Southwest Missouri Cross Country and Track Coaches.
Smith, who was the Class 3 triple jump state champion last year, is only the second MCHS athlete ever to win the award. Pole vaulter Ethan Hobbs was the first to win the award.
Smith is currently attending Crowder College where she is a starting outfielder for the Lady Rider softball team.
Aldo Sebben was a football, track and cross country coach and athletics director at Southwest Missouri State University from 1952-82. His service to the university as a coach and administrator made him a respected figure in both regional and national circles.
Sebben came to SMSU in 1952 as an assistant football coach. He took over as head mentor of the Bears at the start of the 1956 season and guided SMSU cross country from the time that sport was started in 1958 until he stepped aside from his coaching duties in 1972. Sebben took over as SMSU director of athletics in 1955 and his tenure is the longest of any of the nine men who have served in that post.
He was a leader and innovator within the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association in which SMSU was a dominant school for many years. He brought the men's athletic program from six sports to its present size of 11 with the addition of cross country in 1958, wrestling and baseball in 1964, swimming in 1966 and soccer in 1981. While Sebben was AD, SMSU teams achieved regional and national prominence, with 13 team finishes among the nation's top 10 in various sports in Division II competition.
Sports on 02/26/2015