2016 - Noah Brown
Noah was and is my kind of player. A fundamentally sound guy who's all about working hard, doing the right thing on the field, and maximizing his personal abilities through work at the gym, track and in the film room.
His freshmen year, in 2013, we went to our first warm-up tournament in Logan, Utah. Noah was the unfortunate victim of a bad bid directly into his knees which I believe tore his MCL and PCL. I've, unfortunately, seen it happen before - a young guy gets a season-ending injury and it's really sad, but that's usually the last we see of them.
Noah didn't let it phase him. He didn't miss a practice that year. He spent all year learning, absorbing and working on his throws. His sophomore year he developed into a strong handler with excellent on-the-field smarts. In 2015, his junior year, he was elected captain alongside Tanner Gossack. He captained his senior year as well.
He was always a bit of a gruff individual, but nobody would ever question how much Noah put the team before anything else. He was the captain that kept people accountable on their workouts. He was the captain that kept the team mentally focused when we'd have a run of sloppy play. He was the captain that believed so thoroughly in everything that the team was doing that he poured every bit of himself into it. I can honestly say, the team wouldn't have been the same without him.
2015 and 2016 were our breakout years after the disappointing 2014 finish and Noah was at the helm for both seasons - a huge part of our success. He also coached our B-team in 2017 - the first year the program has ever had a B-team participate in the USAU series.
Noah's the kind of person who deflects praise and isn't super comfortable in the spotlight, but I hope he knows how much he meant to Hib, and how much I respected him for his hard work and dedication. Truly a G.o.a.T. for pushing Hib in the right direction.
-TK
Honorable Mentions: Scott Wheeler, Luke "Fitz" Doyle, Marshall Rawley, David Raul Cuellar
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