Tradition continues
Westhill’s Hansen joins sister as winner of Allyson Rioux Memorial Award
Audra’s “leadership and attitude set an example for all of her teammates to follow.” Cheryl Tiscia, the president of the Allyson Rioux Memorial Foundation and Rioux’s sister
It was fitting that Audra Hansen of Westhill High School found out she was the 2022 recipient of the Allyson Rioux Memorial Award while with her two sisters Grace and Anna.
Hansen had just finished up lacrosse practice where her twin sister Anna is a teammate and Grace is back from college helping the team out when her phone rang with the news she had been selected for the award from among the group of talented senor athletes in the city.
Grace knows a thing or two about the Rioux Memorial award, having won it herself in 2019.
“I watched Grace win the award and having her tight with me when I got the call was really nice,” Hansen said. “I couldn’t believe I got it. I know so man good girls applied, I was very surprised to be picked.”
Hansen should not have been so surprised. She is exactly what the committee looks for when selecting a recipient.
Hansen is a three-sport athlete at Westhill, excelling in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She was named captain of all three teams, including twice for lacrosse.
She is one of only four female athletes from Stamford to ever commit to play Division 1 lacrosse, and the second from Westhill, following her sister, Grace.
Hansen is committed to play lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she will get to play one season with her sister, Grace, who will be a senior.
In addition to excelling athletically, Hansen holds a 3.9 GPA. She also coaches and referees in the Stamford Youngtimers Basketball League and the Stamford Lacrosse Association.
“Getting to coach the kindergarteners in the Youngtimers and youth lacrosse now, I feel like I have come full circle,” Hansen said. “Growing up playing basketball I have known about Allyson Rioux my whole life. I have always tried to model my behavior on her and what she represents. Her commitment to sportsmanship and how generous she was.”
Cheryl Tiscia, the president of the Allyson Rioux Memorial Foundation, and Rioux's sister, said Hansen represents the qualities that made her sister a Stamford legend.
“Audra possesses so many of the qualities and personality traits my sister Allyson possessed,” Tiscia said. “Her soccer coach commented on how Audra was extremely committed to being the best she could be by working tirelessly to achieve it. Her leadership and attitude set an example for all of her teammates to follow. Audra's lacrosse coach called her the glue that held everyone together, coaching staff included. Her teammates look up to her both academically and athletically.”
Allyson Rioux was a standout softball player from Stamford who died in 1989 from an inoperable brain tumor. To keep her memory alive, a $5,000 award was established in her name to be presented to a senior female athlete in the Stamford schools.
The memorial award was established in Rioux's memory to annually recognize someone who has proven herself to be an athlete of exceptional ability, determination, courage and an unselfish devotion to her teammates.
Hansen said she has played either with or against nearly every other girl who was up for the award at some point between the three sports.
“I started every sport in first grade. Stamford is such a close-knit community, I knew all the girls growing up,” Hansen said. “Everyone from youth sports splits up in high school and Stamford and Westhill have a great rivalry and on the field we go after each other, but a lot of us have remained friends off the field.”