Olathe East senior Merik Dismang was recently named the 2024 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award.
The National Federation of State High School Associations selected Dismang for the honor in March, and the senior was recognized at this month’s Olathe Public Schools Board of Education meeting.
What is the award all about?
The Spirit of Sport Award recognizes high school athletes that embody the values beyond winning and losing. These students show a positive attitude, teamwork and go above and beyond in their dedication to their community and school spirit.
Dismang is a four-sport Special Olympics Unified Sports athlete competing in basketball, soccer, bocce and bowling. He has been a consistent top contender on the Unified bowling Regional Championship team, leading the team to a third-place overall finish at the state meet in 2021.
Dismang has much to celebrate this year
He has also been battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since August 2023. Despite the exhaustive treatment regimen, his fellow community members say you would never know it.
“Merik Dismang is a truly special individual,” said Olathe East Athletic Director Mike Wolgast. “He brightens any room when he walks in, he inspires those he encounters and makes Olathe East a better place.”
This is not the first time that Dismang has been recognized for his optimism and perseverance in the Kansas sports community. Last year, the Kansas State High School Activities Association awarded him the Spirit of Sport Award, which made him eligible for the National High School Spirit of Sport Award.
Dismang was recognized at the April 4 Olathe Public Schools Board of Education meeting for his accomplishment. He led the group in the procedural Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting and was then recognized by the school board for his national award. At the end of his recognition, his family shared with the room that he is officially cancer-free.
“My cancer is all gone, and I got through it,” Merik told the Post.
Other school award and honors news: Olathe grad is youngest to be named UCS Johnson County’s Citizen of the Year
