A school has celebrated its sporting prowess with "a special event in recognition of some very special young people”.

Ivybridge Community College’s 2017 Sports Awards Evening saw 197 awards handed out to sport stars from Years 8 to 13. They went not only to pupils who compete for the school, but also those who represent their county, region and even their country.

Special guests included Exeter Chiefs player and ex-Ivybridge Community College pupil Stuart Townsend, BBC sports presenter Andy Birkett and Plymouth Argyle player Ryan Leonard. Stuart also presented a special award for dedication to rugby – the Aldridge Rugby Cup – to James Dudley.

The evening was hosted by director of ICC’s sports academy, Chris Brown, who gave out medals in recognition of pupils’ fantastic achievements throughout the year. These included:

· Footballers Jordan Bentley and Rio Garside signing professional terms with Plymouth Argyle and Jordan Duffey at Cardiff City.

· Maisie Frickleton attending England Football U14 training camps and performing regularly for Devon U14s.

· ICC gymnasts taking the Under 14 Mixed team and Under 19 Boys Team British schools titles, with eight further acrobatic gymnastics national titles to add to the tally.

· Jake Myers securing a place on the England team and qualifying to compete in the Royal International Horse Show, the Bolesworth International Show and the Horse of the Year Show.

· Milly Jinks becoming the female Topper world champion, and being selected for the Royal Yachting Association’s National Junior Squad.

· Blue Ewer being ranked number one U16 boy and 3rd ranked man in the UK for paddle boarding and competing in the World Paddle Board Championships in Denmark.

· Jacob Jones becoming British Schools Golf Champion and performing on the World Tour with professional golfers including 12 former Ryder Cup players.

· Pierre Michelin becoming British Judo Schools Champion and earning his place in the British squad

· Adam Vosper winning a British Judo title, winning medals at international events in Holland and Belgium and being ranked 1st in the UK in 2016.

· Emily Morgan-Hughes reaching the finals of the British Swimming Championships, ranking 1st in England for the 100m breaststroke, and being invited onto the Swim England Talent Pathway.

· Georgia McCoy placing 4th in the national girls Group B Diving Championships.

· The U15 rugby team finishing as one of the top four schools in the country, and five students being chosen to play for the Exeter Chiefs Academy.

One of the top awards of the night was the ICC Endeavor in Sport award, sponsored by Devon Fit Camp. Presented to those who had made an exceptional effort to improve their sporting performance, it was given to ten students this year: Emily Oakshot, Lottie Grundie, Ben Bishop, Danny Whit, Lydia Dodds, Miles Whitchurch Coombes, Fanta Diane, Chloe Riley, Phoebe Sherrell and Sam Dinnis.

The Coaching and Volunteer Award sponsored by Ivybridge Tennis Academy went to Alice Kellet, Lydia Dodds, Maisie Watts, Maddie Negus and Jack Oatway.

The Team of the Year, receiving the Curry Cup, was the Under 15 Rugby team.

The Male Sports Person of the Year for his outstanding achievements in rugby, was Toby Williams. Milly Jinks was named Female Sports Person of the Year for her outstanding dedication and achievements in sailing.

Head of performing arts Helen Reddy helped organize the evening. She said: "It was an amazing evening and the perfect opportunity to celebrate our sporting success, remember some of the best sporting moments from the past 12 months and show our students how proud we are of their achievements.

"Our athletes work hard, balancing their sport training with their academic commitments and sacrificing many other aspects of their life so that they can strive to improve their levels of performance. It was a special event in recognition of some very special young people.”