National high school Shakespeare monologue champion Avery Rinke, of Hillcrest High, delivered a commanding performance of her “Othello” monologue at the recent Canyons School District APEX awards ceremony.

Rinke was among several Hillcrest students who excelled at the National Shakespeare Competition, helping the Huskies capture the Sweepstakes championship in the Oxford division. Along with her national title, Rinke earned a $1,000 college scholarship for her outstanding performance.

More than 100 teams participated from across the country at the competition, held Oct. 2-4 in Cedar City. It was Hillcrest’s sixth consecutive Sweepstakes title and the school’s 12th win in the past 16 years.

Other first-place finishers include: Rown Hamill, stage management; and Elise Parry, tech portfolio and sound. 

Second-place winners were Gabe Abbott, Jordan Cecil and Gideon Kirby in their trio scene of “Troilus & Cressida;” Elsie Slabbert, tech portfolio; the dance ensemble and the “Macbeth” ensemble, which was selected to perform at the final showcase.

Third-place finishers are Henry Jeppeson, Cooper Runnells and Ginger Witkamp in the trio scene of “King Lear;” Rowan Willis in tech portfolio and the Tech Olympics team.

Danielle Mertz took fourth place in her monologue of “Coriolanus.”