Academy senior Ridley Fast is a 2024 MHSAA Scholar Athlete Award honoree
HILLSDALE — The Michigan High School Athletic Association honored the 10 students from Class C and D member schools that will receive scholarships through the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program at the Breslin Center during the MHSAA boys basketball finals.
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Hillsdale Academy student-athlete Ridley Fast was one of the recipients of the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Awards.
The senior Colt was one of four student-athletes from Class D to be named a recipient.
Fast was a team captain and a second team all-state soccer player for the Colts, playing four seasons. Fast led his 2023 teammates to a district championship season, including three playoff wins. Fast is a district champion with the Colts soccer team all four years of his high school athletic career. Fast and his senior teammates were the first graduating class in program history to sweep the districts.
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He was named a Hillsdale Daily News Boys Soccer Player of the Year. He earned all-state second team honors, all-region and all-district honors and all-conference first team honors. He was also an academic all-state honoree.
He is currently playing his third and final season for the Colts varsity basketball team. As a member of the team, Fast has earned all-area honors and has been a major contributor to the team's past two league and district title wins. The team is currently on pace to win a third league division title in a row.
Fast is a captain and key member of the Colts varsity boys golf team. Fast, as a junior, helped the boys golf team to a runner-up finish at the D4 state finals during the spring of 2023. Fast earned D4 all-state honors, all-region and all-conference honors and a second-place overall finish in the conference championship tournament (the team won the league title). He took third at regionals, helping the team win the regional title. He took fifth overall at the state finals. Fast tied for first place at the John Matthrew Krutsch Invitational. He was also an academic all-state honoree.
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As a freshman, Fast earned all-region honors with the Colts boys track team who won the 2021 MITCA team state title.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Fast has participated for four years as a member of the student council, service club and drama club. He has participated for two years as a member of the National Honor Society and is currently dually enrolled at Hillsdale College. He is also a member of the finance club and concert choir. He has served as student council vice president and league’s leadership conference representative.
Fast plans to attend Trine University and study business and engineering.
The MHSAA published a quote from each recipient's finalist essay.
Ridley Fast's Essay Quote: “I have played with my fair share of cheating opponents, but I am proud to say that I have never cheated, for I know I could not live with myself if I ever tried to do it. Cheating is caring more about results than the process, and the point of sports is to savor and endure the process and struggle. … Sportsmanship is the whole idea of competition itself; the concept of giving your best to see who comes out on top.”
Comet senior Alexis Ewing among the list of Class C finalists
Several other student-athletes were finalists for the C and D Scholar-Athlete Awards. Among those that were finalists was Jonesville senior student-athlete Alexis Ewing.
Ewing was a career prep volleyball player for the Jonesville Comets. As a senior captain and starter, Ewing helped lead the Comets to a 22-14-1 overall record in 2023. The senior followed up her honorable mention all area honor by receiving first team all-area dream team her senior season. Ewing led the team in aces and digs, was second in kills and second in serve-receives.
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In addition, Ewing was an honorable mention Cascades all-conference athlete, academic all-state and academic all-conference.
In addition to her athletic accomplishments with the Jonesville varsity volleyball program, Ewing is also a girls soccer athlete for three seasons on varsity. Ewing will play her final season with the team this spring.
The senior serves and participates in Jonesville's FFA Chapter as the chapter secretary. Recently, Ewing won STAR in Agriscience at the 96th Michigan Future Farmers of America State Convention. The students of the Jonesville FFA won many awards.
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She has served as student council treasurer since 2019. She was also the Jonesville FFA Chapter President and Vice President before that. She serves as the Hearts, Hands and Hooves 4-H President and was a Junior Livestock Committee Vice President from 2021-2022. Ewing was the Hearts, Hands and Hooves 4-H Treasurer from 2018-2020.
She has participated for a total of four years in both student council and the FFA chapter, and six years as a member of the Hearts, Hands and Hooves 4-H group. Recently she has been a member of Jonesville Above the Influence. Ewing is also a member of the National Honor Society.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Academy senior Ridley Fast named recipient of 2024 MHSAA Scholar Athlete Award
