JV Bonnie earns Sportsmanship Award 

JV sophomore Francesa Sorrentino was the first of two players this season from Fontbonne to win the 2026 CHSAA Division A Sportsmanship of the Year Award. The other Fontbonne player was senior Lucy Kuhlmann, who capped off her season by winning the same award for the Varsity Division, along with being named to Division A’s  First Team.

According to Fontbonne JV coach Bob Atanasio, Sorrentino embraced his basketball mantra of “Next play, keep it moving” as the key to her success this year. After being selected to start the season as one of the team’s co-captains, Sorrentino led as a role model with her solid defense at the small forward position and was the team’s high scorer with 154 points.

Noting her improvement from the beginning of the season, Atanasio said, “She was very coachable and helped the other girls on the team.” Explaining his “keep it moving” mentality, Atanasio said that basketball is such a quick game that there is no time for a player to wallow in their mistakes instead of getting back into position for the next play.  “Despite our only four wins this season, Fran’s play kept the flow of our game going with that mentality,” said Atanasio.

As for Sorrentino, the announcement that she had won the recognition of the other coaches in the division came as a total surprise. “I was really surprised and grateful to win this award,” said Sorrentino, who will be welcomed next season to the varsity squad as a junior.