Best Athletes in Des Moines Metro

Best of the Best: Forget the Oscars. Let's bring on the winners for the best athletes in Iowa this past year.

And the envelope please:

DES MOINES, IOWA – The Des Moines Area Sports Commission (DMASC), under the umbrella of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) has announced the winners of the Central Iowa Sports Awards, recognizing athletic excellence with honor in 2011. The winners were named Sunday, February 26, 2011 at Forte Banquet and Conference Center.

Awards winners are:

Professional/Motorsports/Other

Athlete of the Year

Bryan LaHair, Iowa Cubs

Event of the Year

Hy-Vee Triathlon 5150 US Championship

College/UniversitY

Game of the Year

Iowa State University vs. Oklahoma State - Football

Team of the Year

Iowa State University - Football

Female Athlete of the Year

Allison Landwehr – Iowa State University Volleyball

Male Athlete of the Year

Griffin Lentsch – Grinnell College Basketball

High School

Game of the Year

Martensdale St. Marys vs. Coon Rapids - Baseball

Team of the Year

Ames – Swimming and Diving

Female Athlete of the Year

Caitlin Ingle – Southeast Polk Basketball

Male Athlete of the Year

Kane Seeley – Perry Wrestling

Lifetime Achievement

Jerry Pezzetti – Ankeny Football

This year’s top high school male and female athletes were also recipients of the first-ever West Bank Central Iowa Sports High School Male & Female Athlete of the Year scholarships. The scholarship is to be used to pay expenses billed by the college or university of the recipient’s choice.

Central Iowans cast their votes for individuals and teams who have pursued athletic excellence with honor in 2011, within a 75-mile radius of Principal Park. The Central Iowa Sports Awards’ Honor Committee reviewed the nominees and asked the public to vote for their top choices via the DMASC website in February. From those votes, the Honor Committee named the following winners.

Video of the awards banquet will air on Mediacom Connections Channel 22 on a date that is still to be determined.

The Central Iowa Sports Awards’ Honor Committee is made up of: The Des Moines Register Sports Editor Bryce Miller, ABC5 Sports Director John Walters, KCCI NewsChannel 8 Sports Director Andy Garman, WHO-TV Channel 13 Sports Directors Keith Murphy and Zach Borg, Multimedia Journalist at Clear Channel Radio Joe Quinn and Iowa Sports Connection’s Mike Rickord.