Glendale Prep Athletics Receives Director’s Cup

The athletic department at Glendale Prep achieved a milestone moment in its history, earning the prestigious Director’s Cup for the first time. The trophy, presented by Great Hearts’ Athletics Department, recognizes the top-performing high school athletic program across the Great Hearts Arizona network each year.

At a recent school assembly, Jon Rickey, Director of Athletics for Great Hearts, congratulated Glendale Prep’s student-athletes, coaches, and staff for their excellence across multiple sports. The academy holds a special place in Rickey’s heart, as he was a founding faculty member when the academy first opened and served as the athletic director years ago. Rickey now oversees all the Arizona academy’s athletic directors and runs the Great Hearts Middle School League. “We have 7,000 athletes currently in Great Hearts that participate throughout the year,” he shared.

Rickey explained that the Director’s Cup was created about five years ago as a way to recognize athletic success across the Great Hearts network. “The athletic directors and myself wanted to put together a way to show what greatness is going on in our high school athletics,” he said. “So, we put together a Director’s Cup and for each sport, each win, each accomplishment, different points are awarded.” The academy with the highest points at the end of a school year is given the cup to display for the following school year as well as a banner to display in the academy’s gymnasium.

This year’s recognition went to Glendale Prep for 2024-25, marking the first time the academy has earned the honor. Veritas Prep was the inaugural recipient for the2019-20 school year and Scottsdale Prep earned the honor for the next three consecutive school years. That is until Glendale Prep came in claimed the honor, breaking up that winning streak with their own banner year in athletics.

The new banner, now hanging proudly in the school’s gym, symbolizes years of hard work and dedication by athletes and coaches alike. “If you take a look at the banner right next to our great American flag, that will be up for the rest of eternity in this gym,” Rickey announced. The trophy itself was presented to Athletic Director John Kontak, who accepted the cup on behalf of the athletic department. It was a victorious moment when Kontak ceremoniously raised the cup to the crowd cheering students.

Rickey took a moment to recognize the students who helped make the victory possible, including last year’s seniors who have since graduated. “What I would really like to do is make sure all of the high school athletes that were seniors last year that are no longer here, that are in college and so forth, all the current high school athletes that were a part of this last year, is to offer my congratulations. You guys did a great job.”

As Glendale Prep celebrates this first-ever Director’s Cup win, it stands as a reminder of the academy’s growing tradition of athletic excellence, teamwork, and perseverance. Rickey closed the ceremony with his signature phrase he coined while at the school. “I hope you all have a wonderful day. Remember, it’s always a great day to be a Griffin!”

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