Princeton alumna Terrayah McCoy won the Region I-6A title in the girls’ high jump and finished in sixth place at the Class 6A state track and field meet. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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Whether on a football field, cross country course, volleyball court, basketball court, wrestling mat, tennis court, golf course or baseball field and softball fields, the Princeton High School athletes made their mark during the 2024-25 school year.

The Princeton Herald is proud to introduce the final installment in a three-part series celebrating the top teams and performances from the past year. Categories for the inaugural C&S Media High School sports awards were selected by sports editor David Wolman, with winners published over three weeks.

Part I (July 10) included the Biggest Story, Breakthrough Moment, Newcomer of the Year and Best Team.

Part II (July 17) featured the Best Game, Best Finish, Biggest Upset and Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year.

The series will wrap up this week with Coach of the Year, Most Improved Athlete, Best Female Athlete and Best Male Athlete.

Here are the winners of the third installment of awards. 

Coach of the Year: Carla Denning, Girls Basketball

Before Denning announced that she was leaving Princeton for Mansfield Lake Ridge on May 5, she helped to make for an easy transition to Class 6A for the Lady Panthers.

Princeton moved up from Class 5A to 6A last year following bi-annual realignment by the University Interscholastic League, and the Lady Panthers, despite being the smallest high school in District 6-6A, matched up well against their new district foes.

Led by the play of alumna forward Terrayah McCoy, alumna guards Elisa Sifuentes and Mariah Hart, and rising senior guard Chandler Evans, Princeton finished with 24 wins, earned second place in District 6-6A and made their fifth consecutive playoff appearance. Two of their 12 district wins came against Allen. In the teams’ first matchup of the season, Princeton rallied from an 11-point third quarter deficit to stun Allen 58-47 in overtime.

Denning led Princeton to at least 20 wins in five consecutive seasons, five playoff appearances and the team’s first-ever appearance in the regional final during the 2023-24 season. 

Most Improved Athlete: Delaney Murphy, Girls Soccer

There were many times this season when parents with players from opposing teams would approach Princeton head girls soccer coach Ryan Gerfers in the parking lot after the conclusion of a game, telling him “how amazing she is” and that “they’ve never seen a better keeper.”

Gerfers added that Murphy is always the first player to show up to practice and the last to leave.

Murphy’s dedication to the game of soccer showed up in games.

Although Princeton didn’t win a game this season, Murphy gave the Lady Panthers a chance to win every time that she stepped onto the field. And she faced no shortage of shots on goal, making at least 10 saves in every game this season. For her ability to make save after save, including against players that have won state championships, she was named the District 6-6A goalkeeper of the year and later earned a spot on the Texas Soccer Coaches Association Class 6A All-Region I-6A second team.

Female Athlete of the Year: Terrayah McCoy, Girls Basketball/Track and Field

Soft spoken by nature, McCoy lets her athleticism do the talking.

McCoy, an East Texas A&M signee in women’s basketball, helped lead Princeton to its first-ever appearance in a regional final during her junior season. Although the Lady Panthers didn’t advance past the first round this season after losing a hard-fought game against state-ranked Denton Braswell in the bi-district round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs, McCoy proved to be a great three-level scorer and a reliable rim protector, with the latter earning the 5-foot-9 alumna forward District 6-6A defensive player of the year.

McCoy was also a standout for Princeton’s track and field team. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024-25 basketball season, she broke her own school record in the girls’ high jump by jumping 5 feet, 10 inches. She won the Region I-6A title after clearing 5-10 and went on to earn sixth place in the state meet with a clearance of 5 feet, 4 inches.

Male Athlete of the Year: Daniel Tyutyunnik, Powerlifting

Tyutyunnik had another memorable season in powerlifting.

He lifted a total weight of 1,895 pounds between the squat (780 pounds), bench press (535) and the deadlift (615), which earned him second place in the 220-pound weight class division in the Texas High School Powerlifting Association Division I state meet. 

If it wasn’t for Argyle’s Aaron Gomez, Tyutyunnik would have won the state title in his weight class division. Gomez, who set the state record for the heaviest bench press at the state meet after he lifted 730 pounds, finished the state meet with a total weight lifted of 2,145 pounds. Tyutyunnik would have won the state title in every other division.

Tyutyunnik earned first place in the Farmersville and Princeton meets and second place at state, Region 6-Division I meet and the Prosper Eagle Powerlifting Meet.