Beginning this school year, the Eagle Eye Athlete of The Week Award winners will get more than just bragging rights and a story in the Eagle Eye.

Thanks to new sponsor Macs Market and the Gridiron, every Athlete of the Week Award winner will also receive a large Macs pizza of their choice and a free two-liter soda delivered fresh to their lunch table on the Thursday after they receive the award.

Macs owner Brian McManigal, a Tyrone grad and former three-sport high school athlete, said he is happy to become the official Athlete of the Week sponsor.

“I think it’s great to be able to give the kids the recognition,” McManigal said, “I’m happy to be a part of it. I also hope it helps to motivate the athletes in a small way. A free pizza and a soda here and there might help.”

Macs has been a part of the Tyrone community since 1974 (click here to learn the history of Macs Market) and has always been a supporter of Tyrone sports.

Eagle Eye sports editor Dylan Ewing said he appreciates Mac’s willingness to step up and support Tyrone athletes.

“Mac’s sponsorship allows us to give the athletes something more than just a story and I think it’s going to help them remember the award. It’s also nice that they can share it with their friends too. Thank you Macs,” Ewing said.

According to Eagle Eye Adviser Todd Cammarata, the Athlete of the Week is the longest-running story in the Eagle Eye and one of its most popular features.

It began in 2013 when the Eagle Eye first went online and has been published almost every week of the school year since.

Cammarata said that choosing the winner is not always easy.

“The winners are chosen by the sports editor and writers,” Cammarata said, “Coaches can also nominate athletes if they want to. At the beginning of each week, the sports writers discuss the standout athletic performances of the previous week and come to a group consensus on a winner.”

He said that Eagle Eye tries to honor the best individual performances of the week while also spreading the award around as fairly as possible.

“We try to give it to an athlete from every varsity sport at least once per season, while not passing over any truly great performances,” Cammarata said.

The story is published every Friday in the Eagle Eye.

The student-athletes were happy to hear the news of the new sponsorship and prize.

Tyrone senior volleyball standout Kylee Nelson was the first to receive a free pizza and soda from Macs.

“I think it’s really cool. Thank you Mac’s,” said Nelson, who shared her cheese pizza and Dr. Pepper with friends at her lunch table.

McManigal said knows how hard the athletes at Tyrone work for their success, and he is more than happy to reward them in this small way.

“I’ll never turn down the opportunity to be a part of Tyrone sports,” McManigal said.

Click here to visit Mac’s website, and follow them on Facebook.