NEW ORLEANS (April 6, 2026) – Aaliyah Lane, a 15-year-old middle-distance runner from John Curtis, has been selected as March's
Allstate Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month presented by LCMC Health. Athletes of the month have been selected by the New Orleans 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 to be eligible
.
Lane posted the fastest indoor 800-meter time ever by a Louisiana girl on March 12 at the Nike Indoor National Championships at the Armory in New York City. She won the emerging elite division of the prestigious national event with a time of 2:13.29. The Marrero product is a sophomore at Curtis.
The track star was selected for the honor over three college sports stars, a pair of girls basketball standouts, and a boys basketball state champion.
- Rowan Brumbaugh scored 25 of his career-high-tying 35 points in the second half as ninth-seeded Tulane took down No. 8 Memphis, 81-69, in the first round of the American Conference Tournament on March 11. The senior guard also scored 31 points in a loss to Memphis on March 8 in the final game of the regular season. In the second round of the American Tournament, Brumbaugh was again hot, scoring 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but it wasn't enough as the Green Wave fell, 74-60, to Charlotte. The redshirt junior from Washington, D.C., scored in double figures 31 times this season, including 11 games with 20-plus points.
- Seth Dardar, a resident of Mandeville and a Holy Cross High School graduate, has had a strong debut season for the LSU baseball team. The power-hitting second baseman hit .268 for the month with six doubles, one home run and 12 RBI. He was tabbed as the SEC Co-Player of the Week (3/22-3/29) after hitting .600 (6-for-10) with four doubles, one homer, five RBI, four runs, three walks, and a .692 on-base percentage in an SEC series victory over No. 19 Kentucky. His 435-foot three-run homer in the sixth inning of the March 29 game versus Kentucky erased a 10-8 deficit and gave LSU a lead it would not relinquish as the Tigers clinched the series win. Dardar also contributed an RBI double in that series-deciding victory. A transfer from Kansas State, the 6-2, 212-pounder is hitting .275 for the season with a team-best 10 doubles.
- Allen Graves, a redshirt freshman for the Santa Clara men's basketball team and a graduate of Ponchatoula High School, had an outstanding finish to the 2025-26 season. The 6-9, 225-pounder was named to the West Coast Conference All-Tournament team after helping the third-seeded Broncos to the championship game. He scored 19 points in a first-round victory over Pacific and then had 10 points and seven rebounds in a win over St. Mary's to send his team to the championship game. Despite a loss to top-seeded Gonzaga, Graves had another strong game with 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and three steals. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Graves hit one of the more memorable shots of the tournament as he nailed a three-pointer with two seconds to go against Kentucky. Unfortunately, the Wildcats nailed a buzzer-beater to force overtime where they pulled away to end the Broncos' season. Graves finished his first NCAA tourney game with 17 points and seven rebounds – he scored Santa Clara's final 11 points in regulation.
- Ke'Sonja Nelson scored 20 points and added five steals to earn Most Outstanding Player honors as top-seeded John Curtis posted a dominant 82-38 victory over No. 3 St. Joseph's in the LHSAA Division I Select girls basketball championship game. In a hard-fought 44-42 victory over Huntington in the state semifinals, the senior had 13 points and two steals. She buried a pair of critical free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining to put the Patriots ahead by four points. It was the eighth title in the last decade for the Patriots, who posted a 25-1 record after losing in the state semifinals last year.
- In the LHSAA Division I Select boys basketball state championship game, a 68-40 triumph over No. 11 Edna Karr, Jonnie Walker scored a team-high 16 points to earn Most Outstanding Player honors for John Curtis. The 6-4 sophomore had 10 points and 12 rebounds in Curtis' 47-39 semifinal victory over Catholic-Baton Rouge on March 11. He buried a three-pointer to put the Patriots on top 38-35 with just over two minutes to go. He shined in the fourth quarter during the March 6 quarterfinal comeback win over Huntington, finishing with 16 points along with a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks. The Patriots trailed by 13 at the half before rallying for a 67-64 victory over No. 8 Huntington. In the regional round on March 3, Walker was also the Patriots' leading scorer as he tallied 17 points in an 82-70 victory over McDonogh 35.
- Cianni Williams scored 19 of the Tigers' final 24 points to lead second-seeded Slidell to a 64-60 overtime victory over third-seeded Prairieville in the LHSAA Division I Non-Select girls basketball state semifinals on March 5. The junior finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go with seven rebounds and four assists. She added five points in a state championship loss to top-seeded defending state champion Zachary.
Recent Allstate Sugar Bowl Athletes of the Month:
The
Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 114 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 92-year history. The 93rd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will serve as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, will be played on January 15, 2027. 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. For more information, visit
www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.
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