Piper McNeil named Girls Athlete of the Year at OKC Metro High School Sports Awards

Shawnee High School's Piper McNeil was named the Girls Athlete of the Year during the 2023 OKC Metro High School Sports Awards, presented by BancFirst. The show was held June 8 at the OKC Convention Center.

The Girls Athlete of the Year is sponsored by BancFirst.

Edmond Santa Fe's Emmanuella Njenje and Edmond North's Laci Steele were the other two finalists for the award. Njenje, the Girls Track and Field winner of the night, broke the 400-meter dash record this year, and helped her 4x200 relay team break that record. Steele, the winner for Girls Basketball, led Edmond North to an undefeated season and a Class 6A championship.

McNeil finishes her career as one of the top swimmers in state history and her senior year was a perfect cap to a stellar career. The Missouri signee broke her state record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.39 seconds and set the Class 5A state record in the 100 freestyle after tying former Classen SAS star Chelsea Ye’s mark last season. McNeil, who became the fourth swimmer in state history to claim eight individual championships, also led Shawnee to its second straight Class 5A team title.

In all, more than 250 student athletes were honored during the show, which celebrates athletes from the Oklahoma City area. Thirty-two winners were honored as the best in their individual sports, as well as nine premier awards, s, including Boys Athlete of the Year, Girls Athlete of the Year, Boys Team of the Year, Girls Team of the Year, Boys Coach Team of the Year, Girls Coach Team of the Year, the Courage Award, and the School Spirit Award.

The OKC Metro High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA Today High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.