By TOM WILLIAMS

Prior to last year, in the 60-plus years that a Sportsperson of the Year has been saluted, nobody had ever been selected twice.

But Mike Pellegrino, who was chosen In 2001 as a highly-successful boys soccer coach, was the 2023 choice in his new position as athletics director. He then became the first repeat choice.

For 2024 it has happened again. Sort of.

Matt Purdue was the Sportsperson of the Year in 2010 for his great success as a boys cross country and track coach. But, since that selection, Purdue’s cross country teams have been 127-2 in dual meets, won four South Jersey championships and finished second in South Jersey nine times. In 14 of his 17 cross country seasons his teams were undefeated. His boys track teams have been 89-44 in dual meets, very impressive but not as spectacular as his cross country record.

But there is more.

This time, Purdue has a fellow sportsperson being honored.

Tim Cook has been the girls cross country coach for three seasons and his teams have been 26-1, including two South Jersey titles. His girls track teams have been 44-7 in his six seasons, including a second place finish in South Jersey.

These two guys do not actually coach together – each directs a separate program. But their teams generally compete together and have had similar success. In the six seasons that Purdue and Cook have both been head coaches (three for Cook in cross country) they have a combined record of 140-19.

The Ocean City Sportsperson of the Year started in 1963 in the Sentinel-Ledger with the selection of Bob French, a strong supporter of youth sports. Others in that category – like Chet Wimberg, Bill Gans, Harry Vanderslice, Rich Tolson, Naz Costanza, Greg Donahue and Joe Fagan – would follow over the years.

There have been remarkable athletes (Jack Neall, Pat Lynch, Kevin Sinclair and Chad Severs) and administrators (Don Pileggi, Mike Allegretto, Paul LeFever, Mike Pellegrino and Walt Tucker).

And many high school coaches – from Kelly Halliday, Andrew Bristol, Kevin Smith, Joe LaTorre, Aaron Bogushefsky, John Bruno, Matt Purdue, Trish LeFever and Paul Baruffi, back to Dixie Howell, Fenton Carey, Jack Boyd, Pat Dougherty, Mike Slaveski and Phil Birnbaum – have been recognized.

This year the salute goes to a pair of guys who have taken over two sports – especially cross country – that have always been successful at OCHS. But Matt Purdue and Tim Cook have taken those sports to new levels

They are the 67th choice as Ocean City Sportsperson of the Year.

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE DECADE

2010s JOHN BRUNO

2000s PAUL BARUFFI

1990s PAUL LeFEVER

1980s MIKE ALLEGRETTO

1970s HARRY VANDERSLICE, SR.

1960s RICHARD B. FOX, JR.

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

FENTON CAREY & DIXIE HOWELL

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE YEAR

2024 MATT PURDUE…TIM COOK

2023 MIKE PELLEGRINO

2022 BILL SHALLCROSS…MATT ULMER

2021 JOE LaTORRE

2020 GEOFF HAINES

2019 KELLY HALLIDAY

2018 ANDREW BRISTOL

2017 KEVIN SMITH

2016 SEAN MOONEY

2015 KRISTIE MILLER FENTON…WENDY BURMAN MOYLE…LISA RUMER

2014 DEVON GRISBAUM

2013 AARON BOGUSHEFSKY

2012 CORY PICKETTS TERRY

2011 MILES SCHOEDLER

2010 MATT PURDUE

2009 CRAIG MENSINGER

2008 BRETT JOHNSON

2007 DICK GRIMES

2006 PAUL BARUFFI

2005 BRITTANY SEDBERRY EBERSON

2004 WALT TUCKER

2003 TRISH HOPSON HENRY

2002    LARRY BLOHM

2001    MIKE PELLEGRINO

2000    CHAD SEVERS

1999    JOHN BRUNO

1998    LEO CHASE

1997    GARY DEGENHARDT

1996    KEVIN SINCLAIR

1995    BOB MARTIN

1994    DREW BRECKENRIDGE

1993    LLOYD HAYES

1992    JOE FAGAN

1991    PAUL LeFEVER

1990    PAT LYNCH

1989    TRISH COWHEY

1988    RICH TOLSON

1987    MARYJO DOUGHERTY

1986    ROLAND WATSON

1985    WAYNE COLMAN

1984    MIKE NAPLES

1983    GREG DONAHUE

1982    BILL MORELAND

1981    BILL NICKLES

1980    BUD RINCK

1979    ED WOOLLEY

1978    MIKE ALLEGRETTO

1977    NAZ COSTANZA

1976    FRED HAACK

1975    PHIL BIRNBAUM

1974    PAT DOUGHERTY

1973    JEAN CAMPBELL/EDDIE RUMER

1972    JACK BOYD/MIKE SLAVESKI

1971    JACK NEALL, JR.

1970    HARRY VANDERSLICE, SR.

1969    BILL GANS

1968    JOHN CERVINO

1967    FENTON CAREY, SR.

1966    CHET WIMBERG

1965    DON PILEGGI

1964    DIXIE HOWELL

1963    BOB FRENCH

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The early weeks of one year is always a good time to look back on the top local sports stories of the previous year. As is the custom, the 10 sports stories that seemed to generate the most interest throughout Ocean City in 2024 are gathered:

1. The boys basketball team, led by Kori Segich (now at Widener), who was the Cape-Atlantic League’s scoring champion and second in South Jersey, won a record 26 games and finished the season in a triple overtime loss to Mainland in the South Jersey Group 3 final.

2. The wrestlers won the district championship for the first time since 1988 and reached the South Jersey Group 3 championship match for the first time ever. Clifford Dirkes set a new record with 38 wins and Graham Tolson, Jace Watson, Tom Grimley and Nick Layton joined him as district champions. Dirkes also became the fifth OCHS wrestler to win a region championship.

3. South Jersey championships on the same day by the boys cross country and girls cross country teams. It was the second straight year those teams have done that. Eric Preisner won the boys championship, the first Raider to do it since Hall of Famer Miles Schoedler in 2010. Villanova recruit Maeve Smith won the South Jersey race for the second straight year.

4. Sophia Curtis (now at Virginia Tech) became the fourth OCHS girl to win the Billy Schoppy Award as the CAL’s top senior athlete as she became a four-time All-American jumper in track.

5. Madelyn Adamson suffered an off-season injury that forced her to miss the field hockey and basketball seasons. She would have entered her senior year with 582 career points in basketball. She will move on to Fairleigh Dickinson.

6. The Battle at the Beach played one day of football games at Carey Stadium, including a classic battle between two of the top teams in the country – Florida’s IMG Academy and North Jersey power Bergen Catholic.

7. In soccer news, the OCHS girls – led by All-State senior Naomi Nnewihe, a Brown University recruit – won the CAL Tournament for the fourth straight year, this time under new head coach Sean Matteo. And the veteran boys soccer coach, Aaron Bogushefsky, became the 18th coach in school history to win 200 times in a single sport.

8. A quintet of Ocean City teams won Cape-Atlantic League Tournaments. That included the boys cross country, girls cross country, girls soccer, boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse teams.

9. The induction of 10 individuals and one team into the OCHS Sports Hall of Fame – Fenton Carey Jr., Coach Wayne Colman, Megan Hartman, Nicholl Fenton, Dan Money, Chris Curran, Margaret Rowell, Meredith Long, John Henry Sr. and John LePore. Plus the 1999 Field Hockey Team.

10. The outstanding statistical performances in football by J.P. Forster, a College of New Jersey recruit, who had 201 receiving yards in a game and set records for extra point accuracy. And the record-setting runner in track, Luke Halbruner (now at Rowan), who ran the 100 meters in 10.50 seconds and the 400 in 49.46 seconds, breaking OCHS records that, in one case, had stood for 38 years.

It was a great 12 months, Already in 2025 we’ve experienced John Bruno’s 500th victory and the most successful Butch Gleason Coaches vs Cancer Day in its 15-year history. Let’s hope the rest of 2025 provides many more great memories.