Photo by Ron Brocato
Ellie Holzman, who was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for volleyball, was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Female Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2018-19. The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories; it also selects Amateur Athletes of the Month and each year’s Hall of Fame class.
Holzman capped one of the most impressive prep volleyball careers in the state by being named the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. A three-time winner of the state player of the year award, Holzman, who is headed to the University of Illinois later this year, led her team to state championships in all four years she played at Mount Carmel. The 6-foot-2 Holzman finished her senior season with 571 kills, 303 digs, 106 blocks and 30 aces as the Cubs finished 44-2. One of the best all-around players in the history of the state, she racked up 2,426 kills, 1,379 digs and 749 blocks for her career.
“In addition to her physicality, Ellie Holzman is just the ultimate competitor in everything she does,” head coach April Hagadone told The Advocate. “I mean she wants to win in everything she does. She’s up for class valedictorian and she is also her class mascot. She’s a leader on and off the court and that what makes her truly special.”
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee began in 1957 when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the committee honored local athletes each month. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top amateur athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month - the honors enter their 63rd year in 2019. To be eligible, an athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 93 Hall of Fame players, 50 Hall of Fame coaches and 18 Heisman Trophy winners in its 85-year history. The 86th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, featuring top teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, will be played on January 1, 2020. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1.6 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors over 100,000 student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.
-AllstateSugarBowl.org-
