The Marion County Athletic Association will soon be honoring city and county athletes of the year. The award began in her 1950 year and was expanded to include women’s achievements in 1979.
Although the award is geared toward athletic achievement, nearly all recipients over the years have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in and out of the athletic, academic, and personal spheres. In general, multi-sport athletes are given more consideration than single-sport athletes, but in some cases, single-sport athletes are so good that they are chosen as winners.
The three finalists for County Female Athlete of the Year are (last year’s winner was Park Tudor’s Gretchen Farley):
Breece Bass, Franklin Central
This three-sport athlete earned 10 varsity letters during her high school career in soccer (4), track and field (4), and wrestling (2) and was named the 2024 Marion County Girls Athletic Association Coach of the Year. Selected as Best Female Athlete.
As a senior in girls wrestling, Bass won the regional championship and finished fifth at the state tournament. The Murray State University soccer freshman led the Franklin Central soccer team to its first sectional championship since 2018 in the fall. She qualified for state as a junior in the 400 meter dash in track and field and took first place at the 400 meter sectional meet last week.
Bass has numerous accomplishments, including being named the Courage Award recipient at the Indiana High School Sports Awards, recipient of the Jeff Cougill Scholarship Award given to top student-athletes at Franklin Central University, and recipient of the Community Health Women’s Scholar-Athlete Award. I’m leaving it. She has placed in the top 10 in her seven track meets held at Franklin Central.
Bass will be the first person in his family to attend college. She plans to study business administration and psychology at Murray State University.
Malone Moore, Beech Grove
Moore earned 12 varsity letters in softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and swimming. She said Moore was named to All-County Softball as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and this would be her fourth championship as a senior.
Malone, who was named the Indiana Crossroads Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore, would become a four-time all-conference selection. The Coastal Carolina softball rookie broke Beech Grove’s season and career records for batting average, home runs, on-base percentage, hits and RBIs. As for the pitcher, he would set school records for strikeouts and earned run average in his season and career.
Malone was a third-team all-state Class 3A/4A selection as a junior in softball and also holds the school record for blocked shots in a game in basketball. She is on the Beach Her Grove Student Athletics She is on leadership teams and volunteers reading books to elementary school students, serving in the Food Her Pantry, and volunteering at the Little Her League Concession and attends her wrestling events.
Malone plans to study exercise science at Coastal Carolina University and become a physical therapist.
Maddie Rocchio, North Central
Rocchio earned eight varsity letters in cross country and track and field. She was a junior, senior and all-state selection in Metropolitan Interhigh Conference cross country both years.
In track and field, Rocchio led North Central in the indoor 1,600 meters (5:09.1), indoor mile (5:13.3), indoor 4×800 meter relay (9:41.7) and indoor 4x mile relay (21:21.6). A record was set. ). Among his accomplishments are his MIC 1,600m and 3,200m championships in 2023, and his MIC indoor distance medley relay championship in 2024. She helped her cross country team win her four sectional championships and her two regional championships and competed in North Central’s track and field state championships as a sophomore.
Rocchio is a four-time academic all-conference selection. She plans to run at Indiana University.
Colestar reporter Kyle Neddenlieb (317) 444-6649.
