Courtesy of the VSSA

VERMONT — The Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association chose Middlebury Union senior lacrosse player Chrissy Ritter as its April Female High School Athlete of the Month, Fair Haven Union senior Dan Brown as its April Male Athlete of the Month, and former Mount Mansfield Union wrestling standout Erin Clodgo as its April Open Division Athlete of the Month.
VSSA President George Commo said the statewide winners were chosen in a vote of all the organization’s members after being nominated for the honors by a VSSA member.
Ritter, the Tigers’ center midfielder and co-captain, led her team to a 4-1 record in April with 17 goals and six assists in four games; she missed the Tigers’ opening loss with an injury. She scored at least three goals in every game, but saved her best for the biggest game, the Tigers’ 14-13 overtime win at Division I title favorite and defending champ South Burlington.
Ritter scored six goals vs. the Rebels and assisted the game-winner with nine seconds left in OT. Ritter also takes the draws for MUHS; plays in their defensive sets, typically covering opponents’ top middies; and is the Tigers’ first option in transition from defense to offense.
Also nominated for the VSSA April High School Athlete of the Month honor were Burr & Burton senior lacrosse player Brook Sabol and BFA-Fairfax senior softball player Jess Babcock.
Brown counted a no-hitter vs. Rutland among three complete-game victories in April. He also tossed a two-hit shutout over Hartford and a four-hitter vs. defending Division I champion Mount Anthony. In 21 innings of work in April, Brown struck out 29 batters, issued only four walks, and did not allow an earned run.
“I consider Brown’s preparation to be superior,” said FHUHS coach Kyle Ruby. “He’s come a long way, and I like the fact that he is passing on his work ethic and preparation habits on to the younger pitchers.”
For the VSSA April High School Male Athlete of the Month honor, Brown outpolled two other senior baseball players, Justin Beaudin of Williamstown and Russell Krebs of Mount Anthony, and two lacrosse players, Champlain Valley senior Chris Bulla and Burr & Burton freshman Mike Sztorc.
Clodgo, 21, finished fourth in her weight class at the U.S. Olympic wrestling team trials in Iowa City, Iowa, in April, just missing a berth on this summer’s Olympic team. Clodgo, a Richmond native, won four of six matches in the 138.75 women’s freestyle division. Clodgo was one of only 222 wrestlers in the country to qualify for the trials.
Since January, 2011, Clodgo participated in 10 events and placed in the top three six times. She wrestled two years at Mount Mansfield before finishing her high school career at the United States Olympic Education Center in Michigan. Clodgo attended Northern Michigan University before in 2009 moving to the Olympic Center in Colorado Springs to train fulltime for the Olympics. She is a former three-time VSSA Athlete of the Month (July 2006, July 2008 and April 2010).
In winning the VSSA Open Division honor, Clodgo outpolled Middlebury College women’s lacrosse player Katie Ritter, Castleton State freshman men’s lacrosse player Zach Davidson, and Norwich senior women’s lacrosse player Kacey Abbriano.