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But among a group of standouts, these athletes ran a little faster, swam a little swifter and hit the ball a little harder.
There's no argument they truly were the most valuable. Among the seven athletes, six added a Class 3-A state championship ring to their collection this season. The other -- who got her state title two years ago -- added a Lower State championship to her resume.
And they aren't done yet. Four of these seven have at least one year of high school eligibility remaining and will look to repeat the honor in 2010.
But before any of them think about that quite yet, let's take a look back at what made each of their seasons so memorable.
The Athletes of the Year are selected by the Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet sports staff.
Girls tennis
Lindsey Burke, Hilton Head High
Hilton Head High is starting to build a dynasty in girls tennis. After its third straight Class 3-A state championship this fall, you could even argue the house already has been built.
The foundation for it all has been Lindsey Burke.
Burke, a junior, has been part of all three state championships. She's lost all of one match over that time frame.
Even though that came this season, it was perhaps her most successful year as a Seahawk. After all, this was her first season occupying the top singles spot, previously owned by Brooke Ferry.
"There definitely was a little more pressure playing No. 1," Burke said. "What's so great about tennis, though, is you make an individual sport a team sport. No matter what, your team is going to support you. I knew that my teammates would."
Not that Burke often needed the help. Known for her bulldog mentality, many of her academy mates refer to her as "the fighter" because of the tenacity she plays with on the court.
"I'll do whatever I can and try as hard as I can to win a match," Burke said.
Volleyball
Ella Wyman, Bluffton
Volleyball doesn't involve much running -- or so it seems, anyway. Each side of the court is less than 30 feet long and just under 30 feet wide.
But don't tell that to Ella Wyman, the do-it-all volleyball player for Bluffton High School. Wyman certainly got in her workout every match for the Bobcats. She was the only setter on this year's team, keeping her on the court for every point, every game and every match.
"Coach (Al Stern) said he should put one of those things on my hip that counts your steps," Wyman said. "Because it would probably be a marathon."
Stern couldn't afford to remove Wyman from the floor.
Wyman set a school record with 770 assists for her senior season and 1,618 for her career. She added 139 kills for the Bobcats, who won the Lower State championship before losing the Class 3-A state finals -- just two years after she helped Bluffton win a state title.
"There was a lot of drive and more intensity this year," Wyman said. "I had to keep my intensity up, and that's really difficult sometimes. But we all wanted to win really bad to make up for last year."
Girls golf
Sammie Buchanan, Bluffton
Sammie Buchanan could sense the 2009 season would be her team's last opportunity. With two seniors on the Bluffton High School girls golf team -- Kendra Collins and Heather Wiquist -- that was a reasonable observation.
So when the Bobcats won their third consecutive Lower State girls golf title in mid-October, Buchanan knew it was time to turn this one into something more.
"We always wanted to win state, but I think we wanted it the most because we had two seniors on the team," Buchanan said. "It was perfect timing."
The Bobcats provided a perfect ending. They won the Class 3-A state title by six strokes.
No Bluffton golfer played better than Buchanan. She paced Bluffton with a seventh-place finish at the state event (a two-day score of 152) at Quail Creek Golf Club in Conway.
She also led a competitive team with a 38.27 scoring average during the regular season, one stroke better than her freshman season.
"The short game was a big thing," Buchanan said of her improvement. "Our team was a lot closer this year, which helped a lot. There wasn't as much pressure to perform."
Boys cross country
Jack Manesiotis, Hilton Head High
When Jack Manesiotis saw his fellow teammate and last year's leader, Jack Felix, go down with a stress fracture in his leg, he knew he'd have to do a little bit more if the Seahawks cross country team wanted to reach its goal of winning the state championship.
Luckily for the Seahawks, he did just that. Manesiotis finished second overall at Sandhills Research Center, as Hilton Head High won the boys title on the same day the girls won their second consecutive Class 3-A championship.
Felix came back just in time to do his share, finishing third at state. In all, the Seahawks placed five runners in the top 19 to win the event.
"Obviously Jack (Felix) had been hurt most of the year, so he made me work harder when he came back," Manesiotis said. "By the end of the year, he was almost all the way back, so we were running right by each other."
As just a freshman, Manesiotis has plenty of time to improve one more spot and win the individual portion of the state meet.
"That's definitely one of my goals," he said. "Even though we're not even training seriously right now, I think about it every day."
Girls cross country
Sara Manesiotis, Hilton Head High
As Sara Manesiotis crossed the finish line at the state championship meet Nov. 7 in Columbia, she figured she'd just established a new personal record.
But that was the least of her concerns. She and her Hilton Head High teammates were locked in a tight battle with No. 1-ranked Daniel to try to repeat as team state champions.
"It was really crazy because we had people telling us different things," Manesiotis said. "There was a mom from Daniel that said they had won, and then we had the Daniel coach congratulating us. We didn't know what to think."
Minutes later, the Seahawks heard the good news -- they were state champions for a second consecutive year.
Manesiotis is atop a long list of reasons why. She finished second in the individual portion of the race with a time of 18 minutes, 31 seconds, her career best. The Seahawks also set the mark as the fastest team in school history at the event.
"After winning Lower State, we all felt good going into state," she said. "I think we knew it was going to be a special day."
Boys swimming
Charlie Bolgan, Hilton Head High
Charlie Bolgan began swimming when he was just 5 years old, although he claims he was never that good of a swimmer as a youngster.
Hard to believe, considering all he's accomplished in his high school career at Hilton Head High. In the last two years alone, he's won four Class 3-A state championship medals in individual events -- two in the 500-yard freestyle and a pair in the 200 freestyle -- and added his name to the school's record books in the process.
Bolgan became such a dominant force in the distance events over the past two seasons that he won the 500 freestyle by more than 10 seconds at the state championships at Clemson University -- an eternity in the sport of swimming.
His performances throughout the year for the Seahawks earned him recognition from several Division I colleges, and he signed with the University of Louisville last month to compete in the Big East Conference next fall.
"I was hoping my career would come to this, and it has," Bolgan said. "I don't think it's really hit me yet, but I think it will hit me right when I get there."
Girls swimming
Nicole Menzel, Hilton Head High
For a swimmer of Nicole Menzel's caliber, the high school season almost seemed as if it was an afterthought.
Menzel is currently working toward her goal of qualifying for the World Championship team -- one she's already taken the first step toward by earning her World Trials cut. She also spent the better part of her summer and fall searching for a college to continue her swimming career.
But Menzel managed to stay focused this fall all the same. She added to her impressive career at Hilton Head High with three state championship medals this season -- the 500-yard freestyle, 200 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay. The three gave her eight to finish off her four-year total as a Seahawk swimmer.
"I'm really happy with my career so far. It's been really enjoyable," Menzel said. "But I'm ready to go out and do bigger and better things. I'm ready to take this to the next level."
She'll do that at the University of Arkansas, an up-and-coming team with a strong distance program. Menzel also had offers from Auburn, Louisville, LSU and Florida State.
Fall Coach of the Year
Bill Wrightson, Hilton Head High
Bill Wrightson is known as a bit of a stat guru. Take a peek at his clipboard and you'll find year-by-year records and accounts of every runner to come into Hilton Head High's cross country program since he's been a Seahawks coach.
His teams gave him some marks to remember in 2009. The boys and girls teams both captured the Class 3-A state championship, each setting a record for the fastest time in school history in the process. The girls' title was a repeat of 2008, giving Wrightson three rings in the last two seasons as the team's head coach.
"It was really sweet last year because we burst onto the scene," Wrightson said. "... This year, we showed that we're a great, great program."
Many of the Seahawks runners agree what makes the program dominant -- Wrightson's offseason training program that has the athletes working nearly year-round.
"It's all the work you put into it," Wrightson said. "The teams that work hard on that in the offseason and the ones that show it during the season."
