MAAC Announces Award Winners at 60th WNC Sports Banquet
The Mountain Amateur Athletics Club hosted its 60th annual awards banquet Sunday night at the Omni Grove Park as the club honored the top high school student-athletes in Western North Carolina.
Sunday night’s event marked the first full capacity banquet since 2019. The banquet was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. It came back last year but to limited capacity.
The first ever Keith Jarrett Memorial Scholarship was announced Sunday night. Jarrett, a long-time Asheville Citizen-Times sportswriter who was the backbone of this event, died unexpectedly last December. The scholarship was created to give a young aspiring journalist some help to begin their college career. Alex McKinney of East Rutherford was the first recipient of the Keith Jarrett Memorial Scholarship.
Also handed out was the Riley Carl Howell Courage Award. Named after the former Roberson student who saved lives during a mass shooting at UNC Charlotte before being killed himself. This year’s award went to Micah Ward of Asheville HS.
Here is a list of the winners from each category:
Wells Fargo Advisors/Aiken, Meyer, Whatley Division II Female Athlete – Major Sport: Cailey Dockery (Murphy).
Northwestern Mutual Division II Female Athlete – Olympic Sport: Arizona Blankenship (Swain)
Homewood Suites Division II Female Team – Major Sport: Asheville Christian Basketball
Mills Manufacturing Division II Female Team – Olympic Sport: Swain Cross Country
Nicole and Kyte Ferrell Division II Male Athlete – Major Sport: Marquis McCombs (Chase)
Tara and Frank Burdette Division II Male Athlete – Olympic Sport: Levi Anderson (Avery)
Fields Auto Group Division II Male Team – Major Sport: Hayesville basketball
Blue Ridge Division of EmergeOrtho Division II Male Team – Olympic Sport: Avery wrestling
Ann Brandis Division I Female Athlete – Major Sport: Emerson Hoyle (Roberson)
First Citizens Bank Division I Female Athlete – Olympic Sport: Emma Hall (West Henderson)
HomeTrust Bank Division I Female Team – Major Sport: Enka basketball
Nat and Carolyn Arthur Division I Female Team – Olympic Sport: West Henderson cross country
Goforth Builders Inc. Division I Male Athlete – Major Sport: Sean Green (Reynolds)
Massasoit of North Carolina, Inc. Division I Male Athlete – Olympic Sport: Brendan Henby (West Henderson)
McKinney Insurance Services Division I Male Team – Major Sport: Pisgah football
Rodeway Inn & Suites Division I Male Team – Olympic Sport: Enka wrestling
Paramount Kia Division II Female Academic Award: Martha Plaehn (Asheville School)
Blue Ridge Imaging Technologies Division I Female Academic Award: Kayla Graham (Roberson)
Heath and Nikol Shuler Division II Male Academic Award: Luke Collier (Asheville Christian)
Beverly-Hanks Realty Division I Male Academic Award: Josh Lowe (Roberson)
Apollo Flame Division II Female Athlete of the Year: Torin Rogers (Murphy)
Young Transportation Division II Male Athlete of the Year: Patrick Sleater (Asheville School)
Lary and Jan Schulhof Division I Female Athlete of the Year: Karlyn Pickens (North Buncombe)
Harry Logan Division I Male Athlete of the Year: Asher Cunningham (Reynolds)
Special Olympics Award: Chris Dockery (Madison)
The following student-athletes were given academic scholarships of $1,500: Kevin Donahue (Enka); Aynsley Fink (Robbinsville); Hailey Glaspy (North Henderson); Glennin Hansen (North Henderson); Greyson Harris (Enka); Mazie Helpman (Swain); Cooper Hyatt (Swain); Taryn Keyzer (Hendersonville); Anna Laws (Reynolds); Pressley Laws (North Buncombe); Ivy McGee (Mountain Heritage); Alex McKinney (East Rutherford); Madison Moore (Mitchell); Madelin Romsdahl (Erwin); Rubisel Sanchez (North Henderson); Jacob Anthony Stanley (Roberson); Mary Elizabeth Shoop (Reynolds); Micah Ward (Asheville).