San Juan County athletes receive more than $60,000 in scholarships

Nearly 20 recently graduated high school athletes in Farmington left the Wally D Sports Scholarship Foundation banquet with $1,500 checks in hand, part of a night that put more than $60,000 into San Juan County student-athletes’ pockets at the Farmington Civic Center on Thursday, June 25, 2026. For families facing college tuition, books and moving costs this fall, that money arrived as a direct bridge to the next step.

Piedra Vista’s JW Bayless was named top overall male athlete after helping lead the Panthers baseball team to its first state title in more than a decade, and he said he plans to attend Midland College in Texas. For Bayless, the scholarship adds real help as he leaves Farmington and starts paying for college outside the county. Bloomfield’s Evani Velasquez was named top overall female athlete after playing a key role in the Bobcats’ second straight Class 4A football title, underscoring how the foundation tied its biggest awards to athletes whose seasons ended with state-level success.

Walter Dorman, the foundation’s founder and president, has built the program around an independent 10-member voting committee, a structure meant to keep the awards rooted in local selection rather than school politics. Dorman said community support has helped the effort expand every year, and the numbers show it: the foundation distributed nearly $18,000 in its first year, crossed more than $20,000 at the first banquet in 2023, moved past $50,000 in 2025 and topped $60,000 in 2026.

The scholarship banquet has also grown beyond a single awards night. The foundation has added a golf tournament, and organizers had opened scholarship applications for senior athletes from nine area schools, widening access beyond one campus or one sport. More than 70 area student-athletes were set to receive scholarships at the 2026 event, reflecting how the foundation has become part of the college-access pipeline for students from Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec and Kirtland who are trying to cover the rising cost of higher education without leaving San Juan County behind.