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03/22/2019 12:00 AMWestbrook senior student-athlete Alana Bochanis has been selected as the Section 1 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was created by the NFHS to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. Bochanis became Connecticut’s nominee for this year’s Section 1 National High School Spirit of Sport Award after being named the 2019 recipient of the Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Award by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference in January.
Bochanis is a standout student with a cumulative weighted grade-point average of 96.54 at Westbrook High School, where she’s played field hockey, softball, basketball, and indoor track. She’s also planning on joining the girls’ tennis team this year.
Bochanis has done all of this while battling a congenital heart disease throughout her life. Bochanis has a transposition of the great arteries in which the pulmonary and aortic valves and the arteries to which they are connected are swapped over and connected to the wrong pumping chambers, resulting in blood that’s low in oxygen being pumped throughout her body. This is a life-threatening illness that Bochanis has dealt with since birth and remains a serious health issue to this day. Bochanis had her first heart surgery when she was just three months old has endured nine surgeries, including four open-heart surgeries. Bochanis has a pacemaker and, at some point as a young adult, she will require a heart transplant.
Despite all of this, Bochanis attacks every day with a bright outlook and an underlying courage. Last fall, she finished her four-year with the Westbrook field hockey team by playing left defender for the Knights. She was a key member of a stout defensive unit that posted 12 shutouts and allowed only nine goals all season, while helping Westbrook finish the year with a record of 14-3-2.
A selfless leader both on and off the field, Bochanis constantly seeks to help the younger players on her teams make strides.
“It’s really important to set expectations for the younger girls, so they know what’s right and wrong,” Bochanis said. “Our motto is ‘Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.’ Team bonding is important. It makes us a family.”
There are eight geographical sections within the NFHS. The states in Section 1 are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Among the eight finalists, the National High School Spirit of Sport Award winner will be recognized at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Indianapolis, Indians on Saturday, June 29.