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Alissa Pili and Gus Schumacher were named Pride of Alaska winners for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Directors Awards on Tuesday.
Pili and Schumacher were joined by Emily Robinson and PJ Foy, the winners in the girls and boys categories for the Pride of Alaska award.
Schumacher, a 23-year-old from Anchorage, starred on the World Cup scene, becoming the first American man to win a World Cup distance race since 1983.
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Pili, a former Dimond standout and senior at the University of Utah, was an All-American and returned to Anchorage in November to compete in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Robinson, a musher from Nenana, won a third straight Junior Iditarod crown and also beat a competitive field to take the Knik 200.
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Foy, a Juneau swimmer, broke a pair of his own records at the state championships in the fall swimming for Thunder Mountain.
Aside from the four Pride of Alaska winners, three other awards were announced Tuesday.
Anchorage’s Doug Keil earned the Joe Floyd Award, given for significant contribution to Alaska sports. Keil became Alaska’s first Paralympian in 1980 and founded Challenge Alaska more than 40 years ago.
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UAA’s Tyson Gilbert was the adult winner of the Trajan Langdon Award, given for exhibiting leadership, integrity and sportsmanship. He overcame open-heart surgery and a torn Achilles tendon to lead the Seawolves to the NCAA DII Basketball Tournament for the first time in 12 years.
The Trajan Langdon Award’s youth winners was the Petersburg High School boys basketball team. The Vikings won the Class 2A state championship last month.
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“The process for arriving at our winners is rigorous,” Alaska Sports Hall of Fame executive director Harlow Robinson said in a statement. “We work hard to solicit nominations from across the state and we’re always faced with difficult decisions because there are so many deserving athletes.”
The winners will be honored April 30 at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Anchorage Museum, where they’ll be honored alongside the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024, which was announced late last year. The class includes musher Dallas Seavey, runner Allie Ostrander, Special Olympics athlete Bobby Hill and Scott Gomez’s 2000 NHL Rookie-of-the-Year award.
Pride of Alaska Award
Girls
Winner
Emily Robinson, Nenana, musher
Other finalists
Emma Beck, Kenai, volleyball
Mai Mateaki, Dimond, soccer and flag football
Other nominees
Ourea Busk, Unalakleet, track and cross country
Nadia Chernich, Delta/Fairbanks, softball and baseball
Hallie Clark, Colony, basketball
Layla Hays, Wasilla, basketball
Caylin Jones, Chugiak, hockey
Clare Mullin, Sitka, track and cross country
Olivia Soderstrom, Service, skiing
Past winners
2023: Sayvia Sellers
2022: Lydia Jacoby
2021: Lydia Jacoby
2020: Hailey Williams
2019: Kendall Kramer
2018: Alissa Pili
Boys
Winner
PJ Foy, Juneau, swimming
Other finalists
Colton Paul, Kipnuk, Native sports
Uatahouse Tu’ifua, Utqiagvik, football and wrestling
Other nominees
Murphy Kimball, West Anchorage, skiing
Liam Lierman, Eagle River, baseball
Coby Marvin, Palmer, mountain running
Fischer Adams, Palmer, cross country
Aaron Concepcion, South Anchorage, wrestling and football
Johnny Figgins, Colony, soccer and football
Muhammad Subally, East Anchorage, basketball
Mac Swanson, Anchorage, hockey
AJ Szewczyk, Eagle River, track
Past winners
2023: Finnigan Donley
2022: Obed Vargas
2021: Tristian Merchant
2020: Hayden Lieb; Aeyden Concepcion (co-winners)
2019: Jersey Truesdell
2018: Gus Schumacher
Women
Winner
Alissa Pili, Anchorage, basketball
Other finalists
Lydia Jacoby, Seward, swimming
Christy Marvin, Palmer, mountain running
Other nominees
Rosie Brennan, Anchorage, cross-country skiing
Jordyn Bruce, Eagle River, heptathlon
Ava Earl, Girdwood, track/cross country
Meg Inokuma, Palmer, mountain running
Kendall Kramer, Fairbanks, cross-country running and skiing
Mikayla Lantto, Wasilla, hockey
Allie Ostrander, Soldotna, cross-country running and track
Past winners
2023: Alissa Pili
2022: Clair DeGeorge
2021: Rosie Brennan
2020: Ruthy Hebard
2019: Caroline Kurgat
2018: Kikkan Randall; Roxie Wright (co-winners)
2017: Morgan Hooe
2016: UAA basketball team; Allie Ostrander (co-winners)
2015: Allie Ostrander
2014: Kikkan Randall
2013: Nunaka Valley softball team
2012: UAA basketball team
Men
Winner
Gus Schumacher, Anchorage, skiing
Other finalists
Dallas Seavey, mushing
Jeremy Swayman, hockey
Other nominees
Andrew Kurka, Palmer para skiing
Isaiah Moses, Anchorage basketball
Brandon Pili, Anchorage football
Santiago Prosser, Anchorage track and cross-country running
Edefuan Ulofoshio, Anchorage football
Isaac Updike, Ketchikan track
Spencer Woods, Shungnak wrestling
Past winners
2023: Jeremy Swayman
2022: Scott Patterson
2021: Dallas Seavey
2020: Gus Schumacher
2019: Keegan Messing
2018: Andrew Kurka
2017: David Norris
2016: Dallas Seavey; Soldotna football team (co-winners)
2015: Erik Flora
2014: Trevor Dunbar; Eric Strabel (co-winners)
2013: Mario Chalmers
2012: Alaska Aces
Trajan Langdon Award
Youth
Winner
Petersburg Vikings basketball team
Other finalists
Fairbanks high school ski teams
Manusiu Muti, Utqiagvik wrestler
Past winners
2023: Geremu Daggett and Colton Merriner
2022: Jeremy Lane
2021: West Anchorage Legion baseball team
2020: Houston High football team
2019: South High boys basketball team
2018: Brenner Furlong
Adult
Winner
Tyson Gilbert, UAA basketball
Other nominees
Matt Failor, Willow, mushing
Oliver and Wilson Hoogendorn, Nome, adventurers
Past winners
2023: Vanessa Aniteye
2022: Hannah Halverson
2021: Billy Strickland
2020: Israel Hale
2019: Andy Beardsely and Larsen Klingel
2018: DaJonee Hale
2017: Damen Bell-Holter
2016: Laci Effenberger
2015: Aliy Zirkle
2014: Marko Cheseto
2013: Paul Tandy
2012: Chugiak High football team
Joe Floyd Award
Winner
Doug Keil, Challenge Alaska founder
Other finalists
John Lindquist, Kodiak swim coach
Dick Shellhorn, Cordova official and broadcaster
Other nominees
Roman Dial, Anchorage, wilderness adventurer, educator
Rafael Echavarria, Anchorage track coach
Christa Hayes, Mat-Su PE teacher
Michelle Lackey Maynor, Alaska Raceway Park owner
Anne Thomas, Mat-Su store owner and event organizer
Past winners
2023: Kathleen Navarre
2022: Beth Bragg
2021: Richard Knowles
2020: Cristy Hickel
2019: Brush Christiansen
2018: Jim Mahaffey
2017: Ma’o Tosi
2016: Dennis Sorenson
2015: Mike Friess
2014: Dick Mize
2013: Don Dennis
2012: Steve Nerland and Don Winchester