From left are MKA captains Debbie Giddins of South Orange and Ciara Branigan of Montclair. (Photo Courtesy of Steve Tober)
SOUTH ORANGE/MONTCLAIR, NJ — Howard University-bound Debbie Giddins, of South Orange, has completed her senior year at Montclair Kimberley Academy, where she was a co-captain and excelled in girls lacrosse this spring season for the 10-10 Cougars.
Giddins also received a special honor recently when she was one of the representatives from each Super Essex Conference school to receive the 13th annual Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center’s Best Teammate Award.
“The 40 recipients of the Best Teammate Award exemplify the strength of character, sportsmanship and supportive spirit that, though often unheralded, are vital to a team’s success,” said Eve Schaenen, the executive director at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center. “The Best Teammate Award allows us to formally recognize young people who are embodying the positive ideals that Yogi lived by his entire life, both on and off the field. This year is particularly special for us, as the museum celebrated what would have been Yogi’s 100th birthday earlier in May.”
The winners, selected by their respective athletic departments, enjoyed a celebratory banquet before hearing from special guest speaker Larry Berra, the eldest son of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra.
“Some teammates are born leaders,” said Berra, in addressing the representatives of the SEC schools during the recent event. “They’re just made that way. But, those people are very rare. For the rest of us mere mortals, we have to work at it. You put in the work. And, if you put in the work, it will serve you now, and in the future.”
Giddins, who had 21 ground balls and a goal this season, was a veteran starting defender for the MKA girls lacrosse team and key starter for the back-to-back New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Non-Public B state championship Cougars teams in 2023 and 2024.
The Cougars, who had to absorb some key graduation losses this season, still had a solid 2025 spring campaign, finishing 10-10, while winning a third straight state prep B-Division Tournament championship and finishing as the runner-up to Glen Ridge in a closely-contested Essex County Tournament final, where the Ridgers edged the Cougars, 6-5.
“Debbie is such a tremendous student-athlete and team leader for our team,” said MKA first-year head coach Kristen Dawes, of West Orange. “She was a tremendous defender in the lacrosse program the past four seasons and was so consistent and vital to all we accomplished.”
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