Dayton Moore, Shane Ray among KC Sports Commission award winners

Royals general manager Dayton Moore and Missouri defensive end Shane Ray are among the winners of the Kansas City Sports Commission Awards.

Moore was chosen executive of the year and Ray is the sportsman of the year. They’ll be honored at the annual awards banquet on April 15 at the Marriott Muehlebach Tower.

Moore oversaw the construction of a Royals team that won the American League for the first time in 29 years.

Ray led the Southeastern Conference in sacks and tackles for loss per game in helping lead the Tigers to their second straight SEC East title.

Other winners: Park University volleyball coach Mike Talamantes as coach of the year, powerlifting champion Bobbi Walden as sportswoman of the year, and Baker football coach Mike Grossner and soccer standout Nick Hibbeler as community champions.

Talamantes guided Park to national championships in women’s and men’s volleyball last year, and the program combined for a 70-4 record.

Walden, a Second Lieutenant in the Army, has been ranked in the top 30 nationally for the past two years and owns many Kansas records in her weight class.

Grossner coached Baker to an 8-3 season while battling a throat tumor and didn’t miss a game.

Two years ago, Hibbeler was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and five surgeries and still competed for Park Hill High and Olympic Development Training soccer teams.