Jordan Chiles among those honored at Seattle Sports Star awards

“This means a lot to him,” said Nantz, who also introduced Couples when he entered the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013. “He was so proud to be a Beacon Hill kid raised right in the shadows of downtown, and to be coming back home here and be recognized like this means a lot.”

The Sports Star of the Year for men’s sports was Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh; the Sports Star of the Year for women’s sports was U.S. gold medal gymnast Jordan Chiles from Vancouver.

The Sports Story of the Year was Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell, the first female to coach in the NHL.

Former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was awarded the Paul G. Allen Award for philanthropic contribution, former ESPN broadcaster Kenny Mayne received the Keith Jackson Award for media excellence, and 8-year-old Harper Wilson, who loves lacrosse and is battling leukemia, was given the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award.

Seahawks president Chuck Arnold received the Sports Leader of the Year Award and the Sports Equity & Inclusion Award was given to Skate Like a Girl organization.

Raleigh took a break from spring training to receive his award, saying he would be back in Arizona on Friday to rejoin the Mariners.

“I just want to thank my teammates, without them this would not be possible, and obviously my coaches and my great organization as well,” Raleigh said. “I’m very proud to be a Mariner and really looking forward to this year. … Lastly, I want to thank the fans. Without the fans, we have nothing to play for. It’s important to look forward, to bring the World Series to the city soon.”

Chiles, who spoke to the crowd via a livestream, won a gold medal as part of the winning U.S. team in Paris last year and a bronze medal in the floor exercise.

“To be named Sports Star of the Year for women’s sports in a city that has meant so much to me is beyond special,” Chiles said. “This past year has had some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of my career, from representing my country on the world stages to pushing myself further than I ever thought possible. I’ve learned that success isn’t just about medals or podiums, it’s about resilience, passion and the people you lived with along the way.”

Some of the night’s biggest cheers were for Lynch, who co-founded the Fam 1st Family Foundation, has partnered with United Way of King County to give mobile phones to the homeless and has helped build houses in Haiti. Lynch also joined the Kraken ownership group to support the team’s humanitarian and youth-focused initiatives.

Lynch was asked what people could do to help him.

“Make sure you strive to be the best you that you could be,” he said. “I don’t do what I do for an individual to give me something — I’m not good at accepting that; that’s kind of hard, to be honest — so it’s being the best individual that you could be, that’s what would help.”

Campbell said her award “is not about me.”

“I think it’s all about progress,” she said. “It’s about what happens when we stop asking if change is possible and we prove that it is. I may be the first woman behind an NHL bench, but I’m surely not the last, because when one door gets opened, it never really closes.”