Athletic Awards

As the school year ended, St. Mark’s honored its athletes and coaches at this year’s Athletic Banquet on Friday, May 16, 2025.  
  
“Our athletics program strives to support the mission of St. Mark’s and teach our students important lessons about character, teamwork, and perseverance that will resonate with them for the rest of their lives,” Athletic Director Sean Lissemore said. “The future of St. Mark’s is built upon the shoulders of the many students who have come before, and the Class of 2025 has certainly left an indelible mark on our School.” 
  
During the banquet, St. Mark’s honored numerous individual athletes for their outstanding performances, including the School’s four major athletic awards. 
   
The Tony Briggs Spirit Award is presented to a senior who has been constructively active in creating spirit and enthusiasm among the student body to the support of athletic teams and events, has been engaged in a variety of athletics as a competitor, has displayed, as a participant, enthusiasm and dedication, and has shown sportsmanship among the students and athletes of schools with which we compete. 
  
The recipient of this award is a two-sport athlete whose competitive spirit was evident at every practice and game that he played in. The incredible energy he brought to both the football and basketball teams was equally matched by his steadfast commitment to citizenship, servant leadership, and good sportsmanship. A dynamic athlete in both sports, it was certainly a joy to watch him compete, and there was never a moment that was too big for him to conquer. He always stepped up when it mattered the most and did so in a way that represented our school with integrity and class. This scholar-athlete was a 6-time letterman and was honored as the football team MVP this past season. He was also an all-SPC selection in football and earned Academic All-State TABC Basketball for his excellence in the classroom. The 2025 recipient of the Tony Briggs Spirit Award is Lawrence Gardner ’25.
  
The Red Barr Award is presented to a senior who has demonstrated the ideals by which Red Barr lived: patience, understanding, sportsmanship, and dedication to excellence in the classroom as well as on the playing field. 
   
The recipient of this award is a well-rounded young man who defines what it means to be a scholar-athlete. His exceptional performance in the pool was aptly complemented by his hard work and steadfast dedication to academics. He has consistently excelled in the classroom during his time at St. Mark’s and will bring this same level of commitment to excellence to Brown University next year. He also recently demonstrated his remarkable intellectual abilities on a national stage at the Physics Olympiad and was awarded Distinction for Commendable Performance. This 8-time letterman earned all-SPC in swimming this past season and was a 4-time state water polo champ and two-time defensive MVP in 2024 and 2025. The 2025 recipient of the Red Barr Award is Benjamin Chen ’25.  

The Arnold E. Holtberg Athletic Leadership Award is presented to a senior who embodies the ideals of character and leadership in every facet of his participation on the playing fields, in the locker room, and around campus.
 
The recipient of this award has consistently demonstrated all of the qualities you look for in a leader during his time at our school. Despite his large, imposing stature and many impressive accomplishments, this student-athlete has always remained humble, grounded, and kind. An 8-time letterman in football and basketball, he served as the Captain of the Football and Basketball teams this past year. He was a two-time All-SPC Football selection and earned Academic All-State TABC Basketball this year. He was also the football team’s “Hard Hat” Award winner in 2023 and received the Craig Caudle Leadership Award this past season. In addition to his leadership in basketball and football, he also served as the senior class president, co-chair of Telos, co-chair of the Lion and Sword Society, managing editor of the Marksmen yearbook, and co-manager for the baseball team. The recipient of the 2025 Arnold E. Holtberg Athletic Leadership Award is Henry Estes ’25.  
  
The Thomas S. Adams Athletic Plaque is awarded for consistently fine contributions to the attitudes, the performance standards and the sportsman-like conduct of the St. Mark’s varsity athletics. 
 
Our first recipient is a multi-talented student-athlete who was a dominant force in two sports. He was an 8-time Letterman who earned letters in football and track & field. He was a 2-time captain of the track team and was honored as the Track MVP this past year. He was also an All-SPC selection in football this past season and earned All-SPC in track in both 2024 and 2025. A natural competitor, this Markman poured everything he had into his respective sports each and every day. This relentless drive was evident at this year’s Spring SPC Track & Field Championships where he battled through nagging injuries to post a personal best mark and place second overall in the pole vault. The 2025 co-recipient of the Thomas S. Adams Athletic Plaque is Mateu Parker ’25.

The list of athletic accomplishments for this future St. Louis University student-athlete is impressive to say the least. He was a two-time basketball team captain, three-time Basketball MVP, and three-time selection to the All-Tournament team for the DISD Tournament. He was also an All-tournament honoree for the Jesuit tournament and a three-time TABC All-State selection. He earned All-DFW first team as a junior, All-DFW second team as a senior, and was selected as All-SPC for basketball three years in a row. He broke the school’s all-time scoring record, passing the previous mark set by his older brother, Andrew, in 2020. He even served as co-manager of the varsity baseball team this past spring. The 2025 co-recipient of the Thomas S. Adams Athletic Plaque is Luke Laczkowski ’25.