On Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the 2016 MTR Western Sports Star of the Year Award ceremony, former Covington resident Katie Collier will be honored with the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award.

Collier has been cancer free for almost four years after battling Leukemia.

She is a redshirt junior at the University of Washington and plays forward/center for the Huskies.

Redshirting means a player does not play for a year, delaying the athlete’s eligibility to participate. An athlete can redshirt for medical or athletic reasons.

The Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award, according to the Seattle Sports Commission’s website, “is given to an inspirational young athlete who has overcome major medical obstacles to inspire others.”

The award is presented by Seattle Children’s Hospital.

She said she feels “insanely honored” to receive this award.

“There are a multitude of youth and people that surround me that inspire me and so to be recognized for inspiring others… Wow, I am so honored!” she wrote in an email.

When Collier was diagnosed, she was a senior at Seattle Christian and made it her goal to play basketball her final season with the Warriors.

According to the Huskies’ website, Collier was the Warriors all-time leading scorer.

When she entered the U in the 2012-2013 season, she redshirted after suffering a knee injury during the preseason.

She played in 32 games the next season, starting four and averaged 3.8 points a game and was ranked 14th in the Pac-12 with 24 blocked shots.

Last season, Collier played in 29 games and started one of them. She averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

This season, she is part of the Dawgs starting five and averages six points per game and 5.1 rebounds.

So far she has recorded nine steals and 23 blocked shots.

The Huskies are 16-5 overall and 7-3 in Pac-12 play.

Collier’s message is simple.

She wants her journey and story to help others push themselves.

“Our bodies are incredibly strong, most of the time it is our minds that surrender first and then our bodies follow,” Collier said. “Be a person of great mental toughness.”

Since winning the battle almost four years ago, she said her health is great.

“I am feeling stronger than ever and am currently starting as the power forward on the University of Washington women’s basketball team and our team is having a great year, life could not be any better!” she wrote.

According to the Seattle Times obituaries, D. Wayne Gittinger died in 2014.

He was a corporate lawyer in Seattle, Husky enthusiast and was a pitcher for the Dawgs.

Gittinger returned to Seattle in 1959 and during his time here, he served on a number of boards including the Seattle Sports Commission.

According to the SSC’s website, the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award was once known as the Seattle Children’s Inspirational Youth Award.

Since 2009, the past recipients of this honor include Shawn Berg, a wrestling all-star, Ike Ditzenberger from the Snohomish football team, Jake Finkbonner of Assumption Catholic School and Josh Dickerson from the O’Dea baseball team.

This year the award ceremony will be at the Paramount Theatre with the reception at 5:30 p.m. and the awards show starting at 7 p.m.