While most DODEA-Pacific schools’ Athletes of the Year are selected for their achievements in Far East tournament sports, that is not always the case.

Take Mackenzie Byrne of Robert D. Edgren, for example. While quite skilled in Junior ROTC drill and at running for the Eagles track and field team, it was swimming at which she says she felt most at home.

And did Byrne ever spent a lot of time in the pool during the 2023-24 school year, be it for Misawa Air Base’s youth swim team or for her Japanese team off base.

In the Kanto Plain winter championship meet in the Tokyo area, Byrne took overall high-point honors in her 15-18 age group, coming in first place in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke while swimming for the Misawa Sharks base team.

And she would also compete regularly with her Japanese team, called Wing Misawa, at meets as far as an hour away from the base.

Thanks to her performance in the pool, be it against American, international school or Japanese competition, Byrne has earned Athlete of the Year honors at Edgren.

While it was easy to communicate with her American teammates on the Sharks, the language barrier was ever present when she would practice and compete with Wing Misawa, Byrne said.

“The hardest thing was having a coach who doesn’t speak English,” Byrne said of her Wing Misawa coach, Yudai Nakanishi.

Byrne has taken Japanese language courses at Edgren, but “that’s different than the Japanese you need to know to converse with my teammates,” she said. “But I know they appreciate me being on their team. To treat me like one of their own … was very special to me.”

While swimming and other sports such as lacrosse don’t have a Far East tournament gold pot at the end of the rainbow, it is still possible for DODEA-Pacific students to earn varsity letters in their sports of choice, DODEA officials said.

Each DODEA-Pacific district and base youth sports authorities have a memorandum of understanding that permits students to be so honored, DODEA-Pacific athletics coordinator Tom McKinney said.

Byrne will next attend Virginia Military Institute, where she will swim on full scholarship, becoming the second Eagle to earn a sports scholarship in the last two years. Soccer player Axel Nogueras is playing soccer at NAIA Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on scholarship.

“I followed him, I was proud of him and I knew I would be shortly behind him,” Byrne said.

Byrne was not alone in being selected as a DODEA-Pacific school Athlete of the Year and playing a non-DODEA sport.

Caleb Stephan, a Kubasaki junior, played for the Camp Foster Habus of Island Youth Lacrosse Okinawa’s senior division. Coach Jonathan McClure spoke highly of Stephan, who scored 25 goals on 40 shot attempts and had 10 assists.

Stephan also played a utility role for Kubasaki’s football team and as a first-time track and field athlete excelled in middle-distance races and in hurdles.

Stephan’s “remarkable performance … exemplary professionalism, sportsmanship and leadership make him an outstanding candidate” for Kubasaki Athlete of the Year, McClure said.

2023-24 DODEA-Pacific high school Athletes of the Year by school:

Daegu – Dean Lentz, senior, cross country, soccer; Jasmine Harvey, senior, volleyball, basketball, softball.

Robert D. Edgren – Jayse Ulechong, junior, football, basketball, baseball; Mackenzie Byrne, senior, JROTC drill, swimming, track and field.

Guam High – Aaron Johnson, senior, football, basketball, track and field; Ny’Kale Penn, junior, basketball, soccer.

Humphreys – Koah Meno, senior, football, wrestling; Alexandra Tabaquero, senior, volleyball, softball.

Kadena – Jeremiah Drummer, senior (repeat selection), football (Far East Division I championship), wrestling, track and field; Sharday Baker, senior, cheerleading, track and field.

E.J. King – Jeremy Phillips, junior, basketball, track and field; Moa Best, junior, tennis (Far East individual and Division II team championship), basketball (Far East D-II championship), softball; Maliwan Schinker, senior, volleyball, basketball (Far East D-II championship), soccer.

Nile C. Kinnick – Kennedy Hamilton, senior, tennis, basketball (Far East D-I championship), track and field (Far East D-I team championship); Kotone Turner, senior, volleyball, basketball, soccer.

Kubasaki – Caleb Stephan, football, lacrosse, track and field; Lilyana Solano, senior, soccer, JROTC drill (Far East, national championships).

Osan – Martin Heffele, junior, football, wrestling, baseball; Hanna Rutland, junior, volleyball, basketball, softball.

Matthew C. Perry – Tyler Gaines, cross country (Far East D-II team championship), track and field; Jane Williams, senior, cross country (Far East individual record holder and team champion), track and field (Far East individual record holder).

Yokota – Jai Bailey, junior, tennis, basketball (Far East D-II championship), soccer; Trinity Stegall senior, volleyball, cheerleading, track and field; Trinity Stegall, senior, volleyball (Far East D-II championship), cheerleading, track and field (Far East D-II team championship).

Zama – Caleb Schmiedel, senior, football, baseball (Far East D-II championship); Kierstyn Aumua, senior (repeat selection), volleyball, basketball, baseball (Far East D-II championship).