NORTH WEBSTER – It was the dawn of a new era at the Shoop Sports & Youth Foundation-sponsored Tournament of Champions as two new champions were crowned. Kelsie Peterson and David Johnson, neither of which had ever participated in the event, both won first place to claim the top scholarships at the athletic competition held Saturday morning at North Webster Elementary School.

The TOC, which is an academic scholarship event where the top four competitors earn money toward college tuition, is a ten-event gauntlet of varying levels of athletic prowess. Athletes began with the mile run, the free throw contest and then meandered through the 40-yard dash, football/softball throw, obstacle course, standing long jump, pull-ups, shuttle run, soccer course and concluded with the three-point shoot-out.

Competitors earned points based off top-four finishes, with four points per win, three for second, two for third and one for fourth. All ties were split in points accordingly.

Johnson, who was a standout goaltender for the Warsaw Community High School soccer program, put on quite a show. The Franklin College product won the pull-ups, shuttle run, 40-yard dash, three-point shoot-out and was second in the soccer course and fourth in the mile, racking up 20 total points. Johnson earned $2,000 for his efforts.

Fellow Warsaw alum Joey Hickerson, now at Grace College starring for the baseball program, also competed for the first time and took home $1,500 after tying Zac Patrick for first in the standing long jump and earned second in pull-ups, obstacle course and 40-yard dash. Hickerson ended up with 15.5 total points.

Patrick was third place and brought home $1,000 for his accumulated 13.5 points. Helping Patrick, who is now at Purdue University after a fine athletic career at Wawasee, was the long jump and second place in the three-point shoot-out.

Brandin McCulloch, freshly graduated from Wawasee, earned $500 for taking fourth by scoring 13 points. McCulloch, heading to the University of Northern Ohio, won the soccer course and was second in the shuttle run.

Peterson, who was a four-sport star at West Noble before graduating this year, is headed to Grace College to play for Scott Blum’s basketball program. Peterson scored in seven of the 10 events, winning the 40-yard dash, pull-ups and the three-point shoot-out, leading all 28 shooters with 11 points in the event. Peterson earned a check for $2,000 for her 20 total points.

Taking the $1,500 prize for second place was University of Indianapolis’ Amy Walker. A repeat scholarship winner, Walker showed why she was a star on the soccer field and track by winning the mile run and soccer course. Walker was also the long jump runner-up in compiling 16 points.

Warsaw graduate Jackie Ferguson scored points in five events to take third place and $1,000. The track star, freshly minted as state finalist at the IHSAA Girls Track State Finals, showed her speed in winning the shuttle run and taking second in the 40-yard dash as well as the softball throw and pull-ups. Ferguson, heading to Purdue, scored 15 points.

Josie Sparks, a star athlete from Whitko, scored 9.5 points to take fourth place and the $500 check. Sparks, now at IPFW, was runner-up in the obstacle course and scored key points in the 40-yard dash and softball throw.

Also scoring first-places in events Saturday for the men were Adam Doll in the mile, Austin Lutz in the free throw contest, Derek Snep in the obstacle course and the football throw. For the women were KiLee Knafel in the free throw contest, Ruby Minnick in the long jump, Micaela Sylvester in the obstacle course and Kylee Ort in the softball throw.

In all, 28 athletes competed in the TOC, 14 men and 14 women.

The Shoop Sports & Youth Foundation has put on scholarship events for area youth for over 40 years. The tournament is run by Mitch Willaman and his wife, Gretchen, as well as a half-dozen volunteers.