Jake Hunt is proudly sporting a milk moustache nowadays, and for a good reason.
The former Lehi High football standout was recently selected as a national winner in the Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) awards program. Hunt will receive a $7,500 scholarship and he was honored at an awards ceremony in New York City for receiving the award, which recognizes students who excel on the field, in the classroom and in the community.Hunt was among 4,100 student athletes around the nation to be nominated for the award, which is sponsored by the Milk Processor Education Program and Sports Illustrated. The entries were then whittled down to 75 finalists and then 25 winners by a panel of elite athletes, including Florence Griffith Joyner, Cal Ripken Jr., Jeff Gordon and Pete Sampras.
Hunt was a standout two-way lineman and punter (average of 47 yards per kick) for the Pioneers last season. He carried a 3.95 GPA and was the LDS Seminary Council president.
He will leave soon for an LDS mission, after which he plans on playing for Dixie College.
NATIONAL HONOR: Layton High principal Paul Smith was recently honored with a citation by the National Federation of State High School Associations at its annual summer meetings in Denver.
Smith, who has been chair of the Utah High School Activities Association executive committee for seven years, was one of seven recipients across the nation to be recognized for outstanding service to both local and national high school associations.
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Mountain View High's Lindsey Steele and Timpanogos High's Brian Lindsey were recently named the 1998 Gatorade Circle of Champions girls and boys high school track and field athletes of the year for Utah. Steele was a high jumper and hurdler for the state champion Bruins while Lindsey competed in the distance races for the Timberwolves.
ALL-AMERICAN CAMPER: Mountain View standout basketball player Erin Thorn has been invited to participate in the third annual Nike All-America Basketball Camp this week in Indianapolis. The elite camp includes 80 of the top girls high school basketball players in the nation.