Tickets to Prestigious Gold Key Dinner Now On Sale

Tickets are now available for the 77th Gold Key Dinner, one of the state's most prestigious sports awards gatherings, presented annually by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance.

This year's event, featuring five Gold Key recipients and 17 other award winners, is scheduled for Sunday, April 29 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets are $75, with proceeds benefiting the Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Sports Journalism Scholarship.

Award recipients for 2018 are:

• Gold Key Award - Dennis Coscina, PGA golf professional; Dot Johnson, former Granby Memorial High School field hockey coach; Lou Marinelli, New Canaan High School football coach; Len Tsantiris, recently-retired UConn women's soccer coach; and Gretchen Ulion Silverman, Olympic ice hockey gold medalist
• President's Award - Leah Secondo, athlete and sportscaster
• Hank O'Donnell Female Athlete of the Year - Autumn Sorice, Western Connecticut State University soccer
• Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year - Alex Zachary, Eastern Connecticut State University baseball
• Doc McInerney High School Coaches of the Year - Holly Misto, New London girls basketball; Jeff Brameier, Darien boys lacrosse
• Hal Levy High School Athletes of the Year - Abby Abramson, Cheshire softball; Spencer Lockwood, Killingly football
• Bob Casey Courage Award - Katie Shea, RHAM High School; Steve Daniels, Southington
• John Wentworth Good Sport Award - Ed DiPersio, Meriden; Dave Farr, Windsor Locks; Maryellen Holden, Forestville; Don Lombardo, Middletown; Mike Madera, West Haven; Paul Majeski, New Britain
• Art McGinley Award - Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant

The Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Sports Journalism Scholarship winner will be announced later in March.

Tickets to the Gold Key Dinner may be reserved by contacting CSWA President Tim Jensen of Patch Media Corp. at tim.jensen@patch.com or 860-394-5091, or Vice President Rich Gregory of the Danbury News-Times at rgregory@newstimes.com or 203-705-8625.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance