Katy ISD Announces 2021-2022 Student-Athletes of the Year
After a thorough review, the Katy ISD Athletic Department recently announced its outstanding female and male student-athletes of the year. Katy ISD is honored to recognize Simone Ballard from Mayde Creek High School (MCHS) and Ty Kana from Katy High School (KHS) as the 2021-2022 Student-Athletes of the Year. Both students will receive a $2,500 scholarship, donated to Katy ISD by BSN Sports, to the university or college of their choice.
“It has become a tradition that each school year our Katy ISD high schools nominate an outstanding female and male student from their campus,” said Debbie Decker, Executive Director of Athletics. “While narrowing the process down to just two final candidates is challenging, there’s a sense of pride as the Athletic Department reviews the nomination forms and witnesses the outstanding work coming from many athletes who are excelling both academically and in their respective sports,” added Decker.
Simone Ballard has been a leader on the MCHS campus for the past three years and has demonstrated an outstanding career in both track and in the classroom. She currently has a GPA of 4.03, was the 2022 Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) First Team All-State Academic, 2022 State Champion in the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, and is the first athlete in MCHS’ history to win two individual state titles. Additionally, she has been named an eight-time All-American athlete while participating in USA Track and Field and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Track and Field. Ballard currently holds the University of Texas stadium record, Texas Relays, and the State of Texas high school record in the 300-meter hurdles and is fourth on the all-time best list in Texas in the 100-meter hurdles. Early in the track season, Ballard was #1 at the national level among high school athletes in the 100 meters category, as well as the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles. She is currently ranked #2 nationally in both 100 and 300-meter hurdles. She is MCHS’ record holder in the 100 meters, 100 and 300-meter hurdles category. However, her greatest accomplishment was obtaining the #1 spot in the World and #1 spot in the USA for high school athletes in the 300-meter hurdles following her Texas Relays performance. Ballard plans to attend Baylor University to run track and pursue a career in education.
Simone Ballard
Ty Kana is known for his leadership skills among his team members and across campus. He is a three-year letterman for the Katy Tigers Football team and was selected for the captain position during his junior and senior years. Kana helped lead the Katy Tigers to a State Championship his junior year and back to the State semi-finals during his senior year. He is known for his competitiveness and his example of winning with class and losing with dignity. Some of his high school accolades include being named All-State Linebacker on three occasions, the 2021 19-6A Defensive Player of the Year, a 1st team linebacker for three years, 2019 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and All-Greater Houston 1st Team Linebacker in 2021. The Houston Touchdown Club recognized Kana as a Defensive Player of the Year nominee during his senior year. Additionally, he was named to the Academic All-District Team and Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Academic All-State Team. Kana graduated high school early and enrolled in Texas Tech University, where he is a member of the football team.
Katy ISD Male Student-Athlete of the Year
