Athletes of the Month: May & June

After many, many months, the school year is coming to a close. And with it is the final edition of the 2025-2026 GFESS sports seasons Athlete of the Month. On behalf of the Athletic Council, we’re extremely proud of all of the accomplishments of our school’s athletes, as individuals and teams. Nonetheless, the current focus is May and June, where many players demonstrated the attitude, performance, and conduct that it takes to receive this award. However, only four athletes could take the award home. Continue on to find out who!

This was a historic year for the GFESS Lacrosse team, with their effort culminating in a SOSSA championship and resulting in an appearance at OFSAA. One exceedingly important player was senior Brentin Porter, one of the team’s midfielders. In addition to lacrosse, he competes in hockey and soccer. Number 23 is “a stand out both offensively and defensively” and was a key piece of the lacrosse team’s SOSSA showing, as in overtime “he picked off a pass and ran the length of the field to bury a goal” per his coach Justin Pychel. Porter has been playing since he was 8 years old and finds it calming to play something that he loves so much. As for hockey, he’s a fan of Alex Ovechkin due to his loyalty and proficiency with scoring and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Post-secondary, he looks to pursue electrical at either Niagara or Mohawk College.

The Slo-Pitch team might have been stopped at SOSSA qualifiers, but their games were gripping right to the end. Kendal Warren played a majority of first base for the team, which is consistent with outside of school where she’s a part of the Niagara Falls Minor Softball Association. Warren enjoys softball because of the balance of physical, mental, and team work; not only do you have to learn all of the plays, but there’s physical exertion on top of it, plus the opportunity to be talkative and hype your team up. She wears jersey number 13, and blasts rap music to hype herself up before tournaments. Her coach, Jennifer Kemp, describes her as “not just a great athlete, but an all around leader. Her energy, competitiveness, and constant communication on the field make her the kind of player every team needs.”

Few sports typically extend into June, meaning that the GFESS Track and Field team hosts both winners from this month. The first of which is Charlie Benner. He is “An excellent athlete who is able to compete at a high level and also have a lot of fun while doing so,” says his coach Sarah Galas. Benner broke the triple jump record this year at SOSSA and also partakes in long jump and football. Football is a huge aspect of his life, with his inspiration being Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. Furthermore, he’s also a big fan of eating Domino’s pizza pregame. His favorite sports memory was at last year’s Nitro tournament, where he won the final game off of a pick 6 that he ran in himself. Benner says that he favors football because of the competitiveness, fast pace, and reliance on pure skill.

Finally is Charlotte Kormos, who ran the 100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay, the last of which she went to OFSAA regionals for this year. This is her third year running with the same relay team of girls, which alongside the fun of winning is what she enjoys most about the sport. Like most of the other athletes that have made these articles throughout the year, she describes herself as very competitive. This opinion is reinforced by Sarah Galas, who described Kormos as a “very driven and dedicated athlete [who] loves to compete.” This past March, Kormos went to Orangeville to play in the 400 Cup Volleyball Tournament, playing against some of the best teams in the province and ultimately taking home gold. She hopes to take volleyball to the next level in the USA, or pursue sports medicine.

Written By: Kendal Warren & Marianne Borich