THEY are considered some of the best and brightest in sports and academics in Bermuda.

And they received their just rewards at the 2003 Denton Hurdle Memorial Awards at a gala held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel.

"This is the 18th year that the Denton Hurdle Memorial Awards have been handed out and without a doubt the awards are the most prestigious awards that the Bermuda School Sports Federation can give," BSSF chairman Cal Simons said this week.

"Besides being very good at sports, these students have a wide range of interests and really excel in life. They all show just what you can achieve when you put your mind to it. They are real role models."

The students were nominated by their schools for the awards - named in honour of Denton Hurdle who was a PE teacher at Warwick Academy and one of the island's finest rugby players.

On hand to watch the students receive the rewards was Denton's nephew, Derek (Bobby) Hurdle, who has followed in his uncle's footsteps and is one of the leading rugby players in Bermuda.

The awards were given to the leading boy and girl from the Primary Schools, Middle Schools and High Schools.

Allison Outerbridge from West End won the girls' award for the Primary Schools and she showed the way by being on the Bermuda national teams of both track and field and equestrian as well as an All-Star in netball. She is also a school prefect and captain of a number of teams in school as well as being a Brownie leader in her Somerset troupe.

Winning boy in the Primary Schools was Tristan Smith from Somerset Primary who plays football for Bermuda's national team and has been an All-Star in football and track and field. He is on the honour roll and is a house captain and plays piano and is a member of the West End Athletic Club.

Marquel Waldron from Saltus, who won the boys' award for Middle Schools, plays a wide range of sports and was an All-Star in track and field and is the captain of "all the sports he plays". He also packs groceries in his spare time and, as Jon Beard from his school Saltus said, "he is indeed an example to his peers."

Sarah Mastalir from Warwick Academy was voted winner of the girls in Middle Schools. She has captained her school's teams in basketball, softball and swimming in which she is also a member of the national team.

Mastalir assists in teaching swimming at Sharks Swim Club and studies piano and was a member of the team from Warwick Academy which set the record for the longest game in the Guinness Book of Records. She is also an 'A' student achieving first honours each term.

Ashley Aitken from Saltus was winner of the girls in High Schools and is a national member of both the swimming and football teams as well as being an All-Star of basketball. She is a senior prefect and passed ten GCSEs. She expects to attend either McMaster or Dalhousie next year.

The boys' winner from the High Schools was Allan Steynor from Warwick Academy. He plays for the rugby national team and is the head boy at Warwick as well as being the CEO of the Young Enterprise Programme. He will attend the Global Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, DC this year and later will attend the United World College in Wales.

Also on hand at the Denton Memorial Awards were Minister of Education Paula Cox and Youth and Sports Minister Randy Horton.