05/31/2026
Congrats to Mr. Evenstad and Elizabeth for being recognized. Details below!
For the first time in history, the Positive Athlete organization is recognizing local high school athletes and athletic directors from across the Dakotas Market as high-character kids who have been nominated and confirmed by their schools as the most representative of “How Positive Athletes O.P.E.R.A.T.E.”.
Optimistic
Puts Team First
Encouraging
Respectful
Admits Imperfections
True Heart for Others
Embraces Service
This year, Positive Athlete is naming 7 different North Dakota and South Dakota high schoolers as the “Most Positive” male and female student-athletes across the market, while also recognizing one athletic director as
“Most Positive”. The 7 theme stems from the number of attributes called out above.
Nominations were submitted market-wide from coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and parents, representing both public and private high schools and across a wide variety of sports. The Dakotas awards are part of the national expansion of Positive Athlete, which was created by sports industry veteran Scott Pederson in the early 2010’s as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show the above characteristics in order to be nominated.
