NEW ORLEANS (March 6, 2024) – Spencer Lanosga, a dominant state champion wrestler from Jesuit High School, has been selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for February. Monthly athletes of the month have been selected by the Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Committee since 1957. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region in order to be eligible. Lanosga also earned the honor in February of last year after winning the state title.
 
Greater New Orleans Amateur Athletes of the Month
 
Lanosga was an unstoppable force in Louisiana wrestling once again this winter. The heavyweight senior went unbeaten in state competition and captured his third straight state championship (285 pounds) by pinning all five of his opponents in the first period – he only needed a total of 3:31 to score pins in his five state tournament matches, all in February. He was one of three state champs for the Blue Jays who recorded 321 points to capture the Division I state title for the second year in a row.
 
"I couldn't help but tear up right after the match because of the fact I won't be able to wrestle in the Blue and White again," Lanosga said after winning his third state championship. "Three times is pretty awesome, but what's even better is going back-to-back [as a team champion] and putting up as many points on the board as we did."
 
Lanosga, who has committed to wrestle at the U.S. Naval Academy, has been ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation among high school heavyweight wrestlers. He earned the honor over three basketball stars, a swimming sensation, and a track and field standout.

• Alanna Benoit had a spectacular month of February as she led the Mandeville girls basketball team to the LHSAA Division I Non-Select state semifinals. A sophomore point guard that's only 15 years old, Benoit averaged 20.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 steals per game in six February games. In a state quarterfinal victory over Zachary (Feb. 22), the point guard scored 25 points with seven rebounds while blocking the potential game-tying layup in the final seconds to preserve the 55-53 victory. She also had a 19-point, 14-rebound performance in a 51-39 second-round win over East Ascension on Feb. 19. She averaged 19.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.9 steals per game for the season. Mandeville closed the year with a 28-6 record.
   
• Loyola women's basketball star Sandra Cannady was named the Southern States Athletic Conference's player of the year for the second consecutive year on Feb. 28. In eight games during February, the graduate student averaged 18.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field. She had five double-doubles during the month and scored a season-high 32 points in a victory over Life on Feb. 10. Cannady claimed the last two SSAC player of the week awards, her fourth and fifth such honors this season. Loyola finished the regular season 21-4 overall and 15-3 in conference play to claim a share of the SSAC regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament Feb. 29-March 2. The Wolf Pack opened the tournament on Feb. 29 with a 67-57 win over Stillman as Cannady tallied 12 points with 12 boards and both continued to roll, wrapping up the tournament championship on March 3 as Cannady collected tournament MVP honors.
   
• Jamal Gibson, a 6-6 freshman at Southern University in New Orleans, averaged 23.1 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in seven February games. He posted six double-doubles, including 27 points and 18 rebounds in a 91-78 win over Oakwood on Feb. 15. He added another huge game against Oakwood in the GCAC Tournament with 33 points and 13 rebounds in another victory on Feb. 28. On Feb. 29, he was announced as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and overall Player of the Year. Gibson averaged 21.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in 30 games this season.
   
• Germain-Smith Mata had a memorable February for the Warren Easton High School track and field team. At a Feb. 3 meet at LSU, he won won the 60 meters with a time of 6.73 seconds breaking his own fieldhouse record which he shared with Corey Wren formerly of John Curtis. Then on Feb. 17 at the LHSAA Indoor State Championships at LSU, Mata set the Division I meet record at 60 meters with a winning time of 6.78 seconds. He also finished second in the 400-meters with a time of 49.24. He has signed with the University of Houston where he will be coached by nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
   
• Tulane Swimming star Victoria Raymond was selected as the American Atlantic Conference Women's Swimming Freshman of the Year after an impressive debut at the conference championships (Feb. 22-25). The freshman from Etobicoke, Ontario, won gold in the 200 Fly (1:56.78), silver in the 200 Back (1:56.55), and silver in the 100 Fly (51.70)  with a trio of school-record times. Raymond posted a school-record time of 52.27 in the prelims of the 100 Fly and then came back later to beat her own record in earning second-place overall. She also posted a 200 Free lifetime-best mark of 1:47.81 in leading off the Green Wave's 800 Free Relay Squad. In an early February meet at Vanderbilt, Raymond won the 100 Fly and took second in the 200 IM.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 107 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 90-year history. The 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2025. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.