Chapel Hill, NC – This year’s NCHSAA David Harris Athletic Director of the Year award goes to Jason Amy, Athletic Director at Northwood High School. Amy has been a long-time Athletic Director at Northwood. The Chargers have had one of their best years in recent memory, sending a Men’s Basketball Team to the State Championship Game and making deep playoff runs in Football, Women’s Basketball and several other sports. Amy has been doubly busy this year, serving as the Athletic Director for Northwood and the new Seaforth High, which is set to open in the fall.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has announced the recipients of the various Association Awards for 2020-2021. Typically, these awards are announced at the Association’s Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association elected to make the announcement virtually. You can view the video announcement by clicking here.
Many of these individuals will be receiving their awards plaques and recognitions in-person at various Association events over the coming months. Below is a listing of honorees that were announced during today’s video release. You can find more on each winner or award by clicking on the link to the story for each award in this email or visiting the NCHSAA Website.
The NCHSAA Male and Female Athletes of the Year will be announced on July 6 with a special video presentation on the NCHSAA’s social media channels and website.
NCHSAA State Awards
Recognizing “Those who have done the most for high school athletics”
The State Awards are designed to recognize those who have done the most for high school athletics in the state rather than a single accomplishment or having an outstanding won-loss record. The awards are named in memory or honor of outstanding individuals in each category, seven of whom are in the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. READ MORE ABOUT EACH INDIVIDUAL AWARD
DORIS HOWARD FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR – Meredith Lombardi, Fred T. Foard Volleyball
HARVEY REID MALE COACH OF THE YEAR- Larry Williford, Farmville Central Men’s Basketball
DAVE HARRIS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR – Jason Amy, Northwood High School
BOB DEATON PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR – Jerry Simmons, New Bern High School
BOB MCRAE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR – Rodney Shotwell, Rockingham County Schools
TIM STEVENS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR – Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
ELTON HAWLEY ATHLETIC TRAINER OF THE YEAR – Carrie Powell, Swain County High School
DR. TIM TAFT MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR – Dr. Heath Thornton, Wake Forest Baptist Health
Partner and Corporate Awards
The NCHSAA annually recognizes individuals and corporate partners who support the mission, vision, schools and values of the Association. The Association presents three awards in these categories annually. READ MORE ABOUT EACH WINNER AND AWARD HERE
TRADITION AWARD – Mort’s Trophies & Awards, Inc. – Jere Morton, III
MORRIS WALKER DEVELOPMENT AWARD – The Shoen Family Foundation – Berry Gainey Shoen & Sam Shoen
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR AWARD – Carolina Panthers
Commissioner’s Cup
The Commissioner’s Cup Awards highlight community service by NCHSAA teams and athletic programs. Teams identify a community need, host a service project to meet that need, and submit a video to the NCHSAA detailing the project and its’ impact. Each of the eight winners will receive a $1000 stipend for their schools and will be presented with their Cup at the 2021 Regional Meeting in their respective regions.
Winners for the 2020-2021 Commissioner’s Cup Award are: Lincoln Charter, Pender, Princeton, Franklin, Mount Pleasant, North Henderson, Cox Mill and R.J. Reynolds High School. READ MORE ABOUT EACH PROJECT
Tony Simeon Courage Award
Madelyn Wilson – Apex Friendship High School
The 2021 Tony Simeon Courage Award recipient is Madelyn Wilson from Apex Friendship. She is a senior volleyball player from Apex Friendship High School who faced a difficult and long battle with cancer. Wilson was diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma twice, missing her sophomore and junior seasons. She returned for her senior year, completing the season and thriving, eventually signing with Wofford College to continue her volleyball career.
During her treatments, Wilson was active in raising money for Duke Children’s Hospital and donated her hair before starting chemo treatments. She blogged and documented her entire journey as a way to help others going through similar treatments and trials.
LifeSaver Citation
The LifeSaver Citation was created to recognize Licensed Athletic Trainers and others in the field of emergency and sports medicine who demonstrate excellence and preparedness during the most crucial moments of an emergency. These awards will be presented during the Athletic Trainer Session at the NC Coaches Clinic in Greensboro in the afternoon of July 19.
The actions of these individuals have literally saved lives during the course of their duties. This year’s LifeSaver Citations go to Head Athletic Trainer at Pinecrest, Frank Sanchez, Assistant Athletic Trainer at Pinecrest, Morgan Krout, and Head Athletic Trainer from Atkins, Katie Romano.
Sanchez and Krout were instrumental in providing care to save the life of Juliette Suh, a runner from Jack Britt, who collapsed near the end of a Cross Country race. Pinecrest Coach Bob Curtin will receive a LifeSaver Certificate to recognize his contributions to their efforts. Romano’s quick and decisive actions helped save the life of a junior varsity Men’s Soccer player at Atkins, Pablo Hortal, who collapsed while warming up for practice. Atkins Soccer Coach Dylan Collier will also be recognized with a Life Saver Certificate for his efforts to save the life of his collapsed student. READ MORE ABOUT EACH STORY HERE
Homer Thompson Memorial “Eight Who Make A Difference” Awards
Presented by NC Farm Bureau
The Homer Thompson Memorial “Eight Who Make A Difference” Awards are presented annually to one individual from each of the NCHSAA’s eight regions. The awards are given based on the recipients’ virtue and commitment to sportsmanship, leadership and a positive, dedicated approach to coaching. READ MORE ABOUT EACH INDIVIDUAL
Region 1 – Lisa Perry (Gates County) Track & Field and Cross Country Coach
Region 2 – Caroline Warmack (West Craven) Volleyball Asssistant Coach
Region 3 – Michael Mosely (SouthWest Edgecombe) Men’s Basketball Coach
Region 4 – Sandy Yarborough (Southern Lee) Cheerleading Coach
Region 5 – Daniel Villa (High Point Central) Men’s Soccer Coach
Region 6 – Lavar Batts, Sr. (Jay M. Robinson) Men’s Basketball Coach
Region 7 – Ron Turner (Wilkes Central) Football Coach
Region 8 – Michelle Wagaman (T.C. Roberson) Volleyball Coach
Unsung Hero Award
The NCHSAA annually recognizes an “Unsung Hero” who works behind the scenes to benefit the schools and students of the NCHSAA. This year’s winner is Brad Allen of Lumberton, a former NCHSAA Regional Supervisor of Officials and Board of Directors Member, now serving in the NFL as a full-time game official. Allen cut his teeth officiating high school games, working his way up through the Southeastern Football Officials Association. Despite his busy schedule with the NFL, Allen still remains a true supporter of officiating and high school athletics. He still regularly observes high school officials in NC, helping them hone their craft, and regularly makes donations, both financial and in-kind, to support high school officials and NCHSAA schools.
Bud Phillips Retiree Awards
The Bud Phillips Retiree Awards are given to honor individuals who continue to serve the NCHSAA and its member schools into and through their retirement years. This year’s winners are Marty Stanly from Kernersville and Sandra Torrence from Mooresville. Both Stanly and Torrence continue to serve as Conference Administrators, Stanly in the Central Piedmont 4A while Torrence serves the North Piedmont 3A and have regularly been involved on review committees for NCHSAA Scholarships and Grants.
Commissioner’s Choice Awards
The Commissioner’s Choice Awards are presented when merited for extraordinary service to the state’s high school athletic program as selected by the Commissioner. This year’s recipients are Susan McDonald from McDonald & Associates and the Association’s auditing firm, Blackman & Sloop.
Susan McDonald is a semi-retired businessperson and consultant, owner of McDonald & Associates. She has assisted the Association for decades with business printing needs. She has also served as a consultant for the Association on the endowment and other special project.
Blackman & Sloop has served as the auditing firm for the Association for well over a decade. The group provides the Association with financial accountability information for the Board of Directors and consultation on best practices and standards for the Association staff.
Four-Time Individual State Champion Award
These awards are presented to individual who win the same individual State Championship event four consecutive years at the high school level. This year two individuals achieved this feat.
In Women’s Golf, First Flight’s Katherine Schuester completed the four-year sweep, winning the 1A/2A Individual State Golf Championship each of her four years in high school. She is committed to Clemson University to continue her academic and golf career.
In Women’s Swimming, Parkwood’s Kaylee Hamblin completed a four-year sweep of the 3A 100 Breaststroke. Hamblin trimmed her winning time by nearly three seconds over her four years in high school.
2020-2021 NCHSAA Scholarship Winners
The NCHSAA provides scholarship support to deserving student-athletes across a wide variety of classifications and qualifications. Awards range from $500 to $5000 and are given based on the criteria for each award. READ MORE ABOUT EACH WINNER HERE
For more information on NCHSAA Scholarships, visit the Scholarship Page on the NCHSAA Website. This year’s awardees are:
CHARLIE ADAMS SCHOLARSHIP – Angela Allen (North Lincoln) & Landon Hiatt (North Surry)
WILBURN CLARY MEDAL – Charlotte Fullbright (Broughton) & Jamie Richard (Fred T. Foard)
PAT GAINEY STUDENT AWARD – Makenzie Lyall (Alleghany) & Dylan Potter (Pamlico)
WILLIE BRADSHAW MEMORIAL REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP – Katherine Nguyen (West Brunswick), Kahlia Hargett (Kinston), Justice Jason (Clayton), Lily Lin (East Bladen), Nyree Bell (E.E. Smith), Maya Douglas (Independence), Dorien Starnes (Burns), Isiah Golden (Olympic), Miles Phillips (North Lincoln), Xavier Rogers (Rocky River), Jack Thomas Spears (Hibriten), Linaysha Pagan (Robbinsville), Lillian Perez-Cornatzer (Avery County), Devoria Boykins (East Rutherford), Jerome Gibson (North Henderson)
WILLIE BRADSHAW MEMORIAL STATE SCHOLARSHIP: Lily Lin (East Bladen & Jack Thomas Spears (Hibriten)
NCHSAA LACROSSE SCHOLARSHIP – Lily Barger (Weddington) & Jackson Hicks (Grimsley)
TONY CULLEN SCHOLARSHIP – Amelia Lester (Wake Forest) & Joseph Annetta (Holly Springs)
NCHSAA & NFHS State and Section 3 Coaches of the Year for 2019-2020
The following individuals were selected as State Coaches of the Year for the NCHSAA in 2019-2020 and were subsequently chosen as the top coach in their respective sport for the year in NFHS Section 3, comprised of the states in the southeastern part of the country. READ MORE ABOUT EACH AWARDEE
Women’s Swimming & Diving – Meredith Lindblom (Green Hope)
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Rick Spencer (Weddington)
Men’s Cross Country – Joan Mabe (Chapel Hill)
Wrestling – Justin Harty (Northern Guilford)
Football – Trent Lowman (East Surry)
NCHSAA & NFHS State Coaches of the Year for 2019-2020
Cheerleading/Spirit – Angela Stage (Davie)
Women’s Basketball – Rachel Clark (Southeast Guilford)
Men’s Basketball – George Stackhouse (Westover)
Volleyball – Karl Redelfs (Green Hope)
Women’s Golf – Moses Smith (Cox Mill)
Men’s Soccer – Rick Pittarelli (Wake Forest)
Women’s Cross Country – Kirk Walsh (Cuthbertson)
Women’s Tennis – Jessica Eblen (Henersonville)
Men’s Swimming & Diving – Greggor Zoltners (Chapel Hill)
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Donald Davis (Cummings)
2021 TOBY WEBB OUTSTANDING COACH AWARDS
The Toby Webb Outstanding Coach Award is presented annually to one Male and one Female coach with a minimum of 10 years’ experience who have made outstanding contributions to the success of high school athletics at the school, in the community and beyond. The award is named for Toby Webb, an outstanding coach, principal and superintendent from Albemarle. Winners receive a $2000 cash stipend. READ MORE ABOUT EACH WINNER HERE
TOBY WEBB OUTSTANDING FEMALE COACH – Dee Hardy (E.E. Smith)
TOBY WEBB OUTSTANDING MALE COACH – John Kirby (Eastern Alamance)