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Steamboat Springs High School names four athletes of the year

Seniors Sam Campbell, Caroline Baur, Bowden Tumminello and Kellen Adams were named Steamboat Springs High School Athletes of the Year at the Sailors Athletics Booster Club Luau earlier this month.

Steamboat Springs senior basketball player Kellen Adams weaves through defenders during a first-round playoff game against Coronado on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Adams a star on offense, defense

Adams is a force to be reckoned with both on the basketball court and lacrosse field. He’s not only a scoring weapon, but the top defender for the Sailors basketball team, which made a playoff push this winter to the sweet 16. With Adams guarding the opposing team’s best player most nights, the Sailors finished the season with a 15-10 record.

In the spring, he took his talents to the lacrosse team, where he guided the offense and muscled his way to goals on a nightly basis. Just as he does on the basketball team, Adams is a two-way player, disrupting opponents in the midfield with his size, speed and athleticism.



The Sailors lacrosse team had a tough schedule this year, so even with a losing record, Steamboat made it to the playoffs. Hoping to turn their season around when it really counted, the Sailors put up a fight but fell in the first round of the 4A playoffs.

Adams is literally big brother to Brady on the basketball and lacrosse teams and a figurative one to his teammates. His playoff experience makes him a great voice of reason and motivation for the younger players.



Steamboat Springs High School lacrosse player Kellen Adams rips a shot on net during a game against Aspen on Saturday, March 12 at home.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

And having chemistry with his brother on the court and field is a great asset as well.

“I think they get along pretty well,” said Steamboat boys basketball coach Michael Vandahl after a first-round playoff win. “Brady’s got kind of a funny personality. He’s kind of a character. Kellen’s pretty low key. They’re great athletes and good kids.”

Steamboat Springs senior Caroline Baur sprints to the finish, taking second at a cross country meet at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig on Saturday morning.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Baur a disciplined defender, endurance runner

Baur is a multi-sport athlete who raced cross country in the fall, skied in the winter and played soccer in the spring. She and a large group of seniors led the Sailors soccer team to the 4A quarterfinals after an incredible season.

Baur is a force on the backline, helping the Sailors defense keep even some of the most talented teams from scoring as often as they usually do.

During the cross country season, she not only led as an upperclassmen, but as one of the fastest runners as well. Despite not feeling well to start the day, she finished second at a September race at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig.

“Right before the last 200 meters, I was done. I’d hit my limit. The hills, the last mile kind of got you. I was like, ‘You know what, Caroline, just keep strong.’ I tried my best. … I decided to just try, and I’m really happy with how it went,” Baur said after the race.

She even traveled all the way to state cross country to cheer on teammates even though she hadn’t qualified herself.

Sam Campbell, a senior on the Steamboat Springs High School girls soccer team, makes a diving save during a home game against Vail Mountain on March 31.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Campbell a powerful addition to any team

Campbell possesses a sense of maturity and tranquilness that many high school athletes only dream of.

Her height and skill rocketed her to the girls basketball varsity roster as a young player and she grew up fast against older opponents. Her role on the team only grew bigger as she aged. Not only was she looked to as a scorer and defender under the net, but a leader for the team that just wanted to win.

She helped the girls basketball team to its first winning league record since 2010.

On the soccer pitch, she was the goalie, helping her team to a No. 2 ranking in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s RPI and a spot in the 4A quarterfinals.

All team members got the team to that spot, but Campbell’s wisdom and skill on the goal line was pivotal.

Sam Campbell, a senior on the Steamboat Springs basketball team, fights for the tip off against Bulldogs junior Cayden King during a game against Moffat County.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

“​​We always say, ‘Hungry and humble’ for our motto to go into every game,” Campbell said after a first-round playoff win. “In the huddle right before the game, I was saying, ‘We can’t say we’re the better team, that we’re going to win. We just have to say that we’ve prepared better and we have a better mentality.'”

Steamboat Springs senior Bowden Tumminello leads the 4×400 relay during the final day of the Colorado High School Activities Association Track and Field Championships at on Sunday at Jeffco Stadium.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Tumminello leaves his mark in Sailors history

Tumminello is a cross country and track and field athlete, specializing in middle and long distance races. His long legs, paired with his passion and faith, carried him to success in his final year of running in a Sailors uniform.

He was the sole varsity runner from Steamboat to qualify for the state cross country championships, where he finished 52nd.

He also made it to the state track and field championships alongside Connor Prost, Casey Wolf and Olin Webster in the 4×400 and the 4×800 relays. On day one of the state championships, the foursome finished eighth in the 4×800 with a time of 8 minutes, 7.23 seconds, resetting the record they established the year before.

Steamboat Springs High School senior Bowden Tumminello hugs his coach and mom, Lisa Renee, after finishing his race at the Colorado High School Activities Association Cross Country State Championships.
Shelby Reardon/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Sure, he’s got his name on the record board, but Tumminello knows numbers aren’t the most important thing. His teammates are.

“This doesn’t matter,” Tumminello said at the state track meet, motioning to the times on the board after his teammates just missed the podium. “It’s these guys.”


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