Luke Vervynckt

INDIANAPOLIS – Plymouth High School student‐athlete Luke Vervynckt has been nominated by the Indiana High School Athletic Association for the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, an honor sponsored annually by the Indianapolis‐based National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

The award seeks to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education‐based athletics. Born with severe scoliosis, the junior hasn’t let what he lacks in size and strength to define him
or keep him from being a three‐year member of the Pilgrims’ tennis team and following in the footsteps of older brothers who were tennis standouts.

With a desire to excel and overcome, Vervynckt has developed his own style of tennis to work to his own strengths.

“He definitely has to go about things differently than everybody else in some ways, because of his height and whatnot,” says Plymouth JV coach Brad Haeck. “But he makes adjustments when he needs to, and he actually has a tough game to play against sometimes for other people who aren’t used to seeing some of the shots that he can hit.”

When he’s not hitting winners on the tennis court, he’s proven to be a winner inside the north central Indiana school, too. The junior ranks at the very top of his class of 264 students with a 4.4 GPA (out of 4.0) and has been accepted to travel to Spain in the summer of 2015 through the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Language.

He is a three‐year member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Varsity Club and has participated in Spell Bowl, Bridge Bust and the Speech Club. He is currently a class officer, a member of Business Professionals of America, Interact Club and a student assistant in the high school athletic office. He’ll also serve as a student manager for the girls tennis team this spring for the third year.

Vervynckt will be entered into regional competition with those nominees being considered for the national award by the NFHS. The overall national winner will be recognized at the NFHS Summer Meetings in New Orleans this summer.

The IHSAA is proud to join Plymouth High School in recognizing the example set by Vervynckt who was selected from the 20 nominations below received by the IHSAA for the 2014‐15 Spirit of Sport Award:
Allison Smitherman – Anderson HS
Abby Abel – Carmel HS
Debb Stevens – Caston HS
Ken Kaufman – Indianapolis Cathedral HS
Lauren Rau – Center Grove HS
Pat Rady – Cloverdale HS
J. Allan Clark – Culver Academies
East Noble Wrestling Team – East Noble HS
Brieana Linton – Elkhart Chritian Academy
Jim Lambert – Fort Wayne Wayne HS
Matthew Labus – Guerin Catholic HS
Doug Keen – Guerin Catholic HS
Sue Ann Mathewson – Hammond HS
Tyler Weller – New Prairie HS
Lucas Vervynckt – Plymouth HS
Katrin Hybarger – Sheridan HS
Casey Garner – Sullivan HS
Camille Kerlin – Warsaw Community HS
Jonathan Nugent – Washington Township HS
Kaylee McCracken – Whiteland Community HS