The Varsitys (Part III): Awarding the year’s best in McKinney athletics

Over the past school year, McKinney has showcased no shortage of notable individual and team athletic achievements, so it is only appropriate to put the last season of local citywide sports into an award-winning perspective. This month, the city’s top athletes, teams and games will be recognized among nine different awards.

With that said, Star Local Media concludes the 10th edition of The Varsitys.

Best Male Athlete

Ethan Wesloski, McKinney Boyd football and baseball

A two-sport Star Local Media all-area selection during the 2021-22 school year, Wesloski turned in a big year on both the gridiron and the diamond to help lead the Broncos to a pair of playoff appearances.

After being voted as 5-6A defensive player of the year as a junior, Wesloski submitted another dominant campaign as linebacker for Boyd's football team. He totaled 131 tackles, including 86 solo and 34 for a loss of yardage, to go along with 13 sacks, 39 quarterback pressures, eight forced fumbles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one pass break-up.

During the spring, he provided one of the steadiest bats in the Broncos' lineup — hitting .311 with 28 hits, four triples and five home runs with 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

It'll be on the football field, however, where Wesloski continues his career into college as an incoming freshman nearby at North Texas.

Best Female Athlete

Camille Murray, McKinney North swimming

After medaling in two events at the 5A state meet as just a freshman in 2021, Murray's sophomore season concluded in championship fashion.

Murray won state titles in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke, swimming a 53.99 in the former and a 53.82 in the latter. She made some history along the way, breaking the 5A state record in the backstroke and becoming the first swimmer in North history to win gold at the state meet.

The accolades followed, with Murray named Swimmer of the Meet by the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association and Swimming Athlete of the Year by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.

With four state medals won through just two years of varsity competition, Murray is just getting started.

Best Team

McKinney boys basketball

The Lions achieved something 94 years in the making, becoming the program's first state tournament qualifier since 1928. Getting to that point isn't to be taken for granted.

McKinney had to endure the peaks and valleys of learning how to learn at the state's highest levels. Their talent-rich 2022 class suffered an overtime loss to Mesquite Horn in the area round of the playoffs as sophomores, and one year later, a team that head coach Wes Watson called the best he's ever coached had aspirations of a state championship cut short in the second round once again by an upset-minded Jesuit squad.

The Lions' perseverance paid off during the 2022 season, advancing all the way to the 6A state title game before falling to a Duncanville bunch that finished the year ranked No. 1 in the nation. It marked McKinney's deepest playoff run ever, concluding with a 35-6 record, a share of the District 5-6A championship, and a state runner-up finish.