60th WNC Sports Awards banquet set for Sunday at Grove Park Inn
The 60th WNC Sports Awards banquet, presented by Ingles, will be held Sunday, May 22, at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
The banquet, conducted by the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club, honors the area’s top high school athletes and teams with 26 awards, 17 scholarships and a Special Olympics scholarship.
Tickets are available to the public and can be purchased at wncsportsawards.org for $30. The banquet previously has served as the induction ceremony for the WNC Sports Hall of Fame, but those will be done in a separate event in September.
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Here are the awards and finalists:
Division II
Paramount Kia Division II Female Academic Award: Erin Hovendon (Carolina Day), Taryn Keyzer (Hendersonville), Lucy Murray (Brevard), Martha Plaehn (Asheville School), Laura Shelton (Hendersonville).
Heath & Nikol Shuler Division II Male Academic Award: Levi Andrews (Avery), Luke Collier (Asheville Christian), Ben Michael (Asheville Christian), Joshua Morgan (Asheville Christian), Ethan Willis (Mitchell).
Apollo Flame Division II Female Athlete of the Year: Arizona Blankenship (Swain), Cailey Dockery (Murphy), Evangelia Paulk (Asheville Christian), Torin Rogers (Murphy), Virginia Thorsen (Asheville School).
Young Transportation Division II Male Athlete of the Year: De’Ante Green (Asheville Christian), Jake McTaggart (Hayesville), Patrick Sleater (Asheville School), Ty Turbyfill (Mitchell), Cash Watkins (Asheville School).
Wells Fargo Advisors/Aiken, Meyer, Whatley Division II Female Athlete – Major Sport: Katie Alexander (Asheville Christian), Cailey Dockery (Murphy), Evangelia Paulk (Asheville Christian), Torin Rogers (Murphy), Jaylyn Twitty (East Rutherford).
Northwestern Mutual Division II Female Athlete – Olympic Sport: Arizona Blankenship (Swain), Aynsley Fink (Robbinsville), Eliza Perry (Hendersonville), Mallory Ray (Asheville Christian), Virginia Thorsen (Asheville School).
Homewood Suites Division II Female Team – Major Sport: Asheville Christian basketball, East Rutherford basketball, Hendersonville soccer, Mountain Heritage basketball, Murphy volleyball.
Mills Manufacturing Division II Female Team – Olympic Sport: Asheville School cross country, Asheville School swimming, Hendersonville tennis, Swain cross county, Swain indoor track.
Nicole and Kyte Ferrell Division II Male Athlete – Major Sport: De’Ante Green (Asheville Christian), Gavin Gosnell (Hendersonville), Marquis McCombs (Chase), Ty Turbyfill (Mitchell), Cash Watkins (Asheville School).
Tara & Frank Burdette Division II Male Athlete – Olympic Sport: Levi Andrews (Avery), Xander Barber (Christ School), Ethan Shell (Avery), Patrick Sleater (Asheville School), Ben Wachacha (Robbinsville), Knox Witherspoon (Brevard).
Fields Auto Group Division II Male Team – Major Sport: East Rutherford soccer, Hayesville basketball, Mitchell football.
Blue Ridge Division of EmergeOrtho Division II Male Team – Olympic Sport: Asheville School swimming, Avery wrestling, Brevard cross country, Christ School cross country, Robbinsville wrestling.
Division I
Blue Ridge Imaging Technology Division I Female Academic Award: Kayla Graham (Roberson), Alannah Hopkins (Smoky Mountain), Grace Laws (Reynolds), Kennedy Tate Stewman (Smoky Mountain), McKenna Williams (Tuscola).
Beverly Hanks-Realty Division I Male Academic Award: Issac Einsmann (North Buncombe), William Hammonds (Asheville), Josh Lowe (Roberson), Deshawn Stone (Reynolds), Otis Walton-Thach (Asheville).
Lary & Jan Schulhof Division I Female Athlete of the Year: Jenna Banes (Reynolds), Emma Hall (West Henderson), Emerson Hoyle (Roberson), Karlyn Pickens (North Buncombe).
Henry Logan Division I Male Athlete of the Year: Asher Cunningham (Reynolds), Sean Green (Reynolds), Greyson Harris (Enka), Deshawn Stone (Reynolds).
Ann Brandis Division I Female Athlete – Major Sport: Kayla Graham (Roberson), Emerson Hoyle (Roberson), Mackenzie Lynch (Roberson), Karlyn Pickens (North Buncombe), Halle Skibo (Reynolds).
First Citizens Bank Division I Female Athlete – Olympic Sport: Jenna Barnes (Reynolds), Brenna Budzinski (West Henderson), Emma Hall (West Henderson), Ava Kjar (Reynolds), Bekka Mull (North Buncombe), Reilly Perry (Reynolds).
HomeTrust Bank Division I Female Team – Major Sport: Enka basketball, North Buncombe softball, Reynolds soccer, Roberson volleyball.
Nat & Carolyn Arthur Division I Female Team – Olympic Sport: Asheville High swimming & diving, West Henderson cross country, West Henderson indoor track, West Henderson track & field.
Goforth Builders Inc. Division I Male Athlete – Major Sport: Asher Cunningham (Reynolds), Sean Green (Reynolds), Kadin Lynch (Asheville), Rakease Passmore (Reynolds), Deshawn Stone (Reynolds), Otis Walton-Thach (Asheville).
Massasoit of North Carolina, Inc., Division I Male Athlete – Olympic Sport: Elijah Brown, (Reynolds), Greyson Harris (Enka), Brendan Henby (West Henderson), Damon Landreth (West Henderson), Rylan Tuten (Reynolds), Jack Vess (Reynolds).
McKinney Insurance Services Division I Male Team – Major Sport: Asheville football, North Henderson soccer, Pisgah football, Reynolds basketball.
Rodeway Inn & Suites Division I Male Team – Olympic Sport: Enka wrestling, North Henderson wrestling, Roberson cross country, Roberson track and field, West Henderson indoor track.
Finalists were selected from nominations from WNC coaches and athletic directors, who received their nomination forms in March.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 60th WNC Sports Awards to choose winners Sunday at Grove Park Inn
