Prep athletes of the year

A pair of three-star athletes – one a senior at Sturgis High School and the other a senior at Mendon – have been named St. Joseph County’s male and female prep athletes of the year for 2013.

The honor, bestowed by the Sturgis Journal sports department, went to Chance Stewart and Brooke Howard.

Stewart, whose high school career has seen him excel in football, basketball and baseball, will continue his football career at Western Michigan University. The four-star quarterback committed to the Broncos last year.

Howard has been an integral part of volleyball, basketball and track teams during her career at Mendon. With Howard as its leader, Mendon’s volleyball team made back-to-back Final Four appearances in the Class C volleyball finals in 2012 and 2013.

Howard, who scored her 1,000th career basketball point as a junior last season, plans to attend Grand Valley State University.