Xavier College Preparatory’s Gators defeated Fountain Hills on April 10 to win the sand volleyball state championship for the second year in a row. The tournament was held at the Victory Lanes Sports Park in Glendale.
Xavier, which competes in Arizona’s largest, most competitive athletic conferences, the 5A Division 1, has won 103 state championships, 43 state runners-up titles and 160 regional championships for sports such as badminton, cross country, golf, soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, swimming/diving, crew (rowing), and spirit line.
Xavier also is an 18-time recipient of the Region Excellence Award, for the most outstanding athletic program.
Most recently, Xavier won the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s 2013 Tony Komadina Award for Outstanding Girls’ Athletic Program. First presented in 1989, this award recognizes schools that demonstrate outstanding advocacy of, and progress in, girls’ athletics. Xavier was honored with the association’s inaugural award in 1989 and, subsequently, in 1996 as well.
The criteria and selection process to determine award recipients are established by the AIA Executive Board, and schools selected as finalists host an on-site evaluation visit from an AIA selection committee. Following the on-site visits, the committee presents its recommendations to the AIA Executive Board for selection of the award recipients. The award will be presented at the AIA Honors Luncheon in May.
Komadina served as Executive Director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) from 1976 to 1987, and the award was established in his name. Komadina passed away in 2011.
