Kayla Weller Named Student-Athlete of the Year for 2020-2021

Kayla Weller, a 2021 graduate of Portland High School, has been named the Portland Beacon/J-Dubbs Signature Subs Student-Athlete of the Year for 2020-2021.

PHS Tennis Coach Crystal Lowe said of Weller, “She ended her season today (6/3/21) in the quarterfinals with a record of 28-3. In May she was League Champ and Regional Champ.”

Weller led her team to finishing third at the MHSAA Division 4 state tennis finals. Weller won three regional titles in her standout high school tennis career.

When Weller won the Student-Athlete of month award for May, Lowe told the Beacon, “I would like to add that as one of the senior captains and leaders on our team, Kayla has had a significant impact on the team's success. Playing #1 singles is never an easy task. Being asked to play the best player of every other team is not to be taken lightly. Since Kayla began playing tennis, her aspiration was to be #1 singles. She worked tremendously hard over the years to get to that spot. While she did miss playing when the 2020 season was canceled, her successes this past season are spectacular in and of themselves! She will be missed by Portland Tennis, but can be assured she has made her lifelong impact on our program!”

Weller also played varsity volleyball for the Raiders. She will be continuing her tennis career at Alma College.

J-Dubbs Signature Subs of Portland partnered with The Portland Beacon to sponsor this award. The monthly winners received a free sub of his/her choice from J-Dubbs Signature Subs.

At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, a panel of Beacon contributors selected the Student-Athlete of the Year from our monthly winners.

The monthly winners for the 2020-2021 Student-Athlete of the Month award were:

September 2020 – Derec Fedewa SPS Football

October 2020 – Reese Townsend PHS Football

February 2021 – Nathan Zimmerman Wrestling

March 2021 – Josh Rutkowski PHS Bowling

April 2021 – Ashley Bower PHS Basketball

May 2021 – Kayla Weller PHS TennisMay 2019 - Natalie Linebaugh, PHS Softball

June 2019 - Annie Gunderman, SPS Track and Field

As part of this honor, Weller will receive a plaque and will receive a free party platter from J-Dubbs Signature Subs.

Scott Day, Director of Operations for J-Dubbs Signature Subs, told the Beacon, “We are very happy to be a part of the Portland community and to sponsor this award that recognizes talented local student-athletes.”