KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The DiRenna Award is presented to the top high school boy and girl basketball player in the Kansas City area.
This year, 41 Action News has the honor of presenting the finalists.
Beatrice Culliton is a junior at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.
In the Saints’ 2020-21 season, Culliton averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds — helping lead her team to a fifth Class 5A state championship with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the 52-44 victory over Andover Central.
Culliton was named first-team Eastern Kansas League and All-State.
Since 1954, the DiRenna Award, created by Dr. James DiRenna Sr., has been awarded to high school boys basketball players.
Originally, it was only awarded to the top male athlete in Kansas City, Missouri. In the 1980s, the award expanded to encompass the entire Kansas City metropolitan area.
In 1997, a girls award was added.
Today, Dr. James DiRenna Jr. and the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association continue to recognize top high school basketball players in the area.
The winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Friday on 41 Action News.