NHSCA announces 2014 Senior Athletes of the Year Awards

by Jeff Fisher

Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Follow @NHSCARadioShow

The National High School Coaches Association today announced its selections for its 2014 National High School Senior Athletes of the Year Awards.

It’s the 15th year straight year the NHSCA has honored these achievers in the high school athletic community nationwide. This year’s recipients, selected in a total of 20 boys and girls sports, are from 14 different states. California and Texas top the list with three athletes being honored – Kentucky and New Jersey had two each. Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington each had one athlete honored.

While these athletes represent a multitude of different backgrounds, they exhibit a common theme: a strong dedication to developing their skills and preparing themselves to become the productive leaders of tomorrow.

“The 20 young men and women we are honoring today represent the thousands of success stories produced in high school athletics,” NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro Jr. said. “They have worked extremely hard to develop their skills and have become not just great athletes, but outstanding role models as well, and we are proud to be honoring them.”

Each one of the honorees will be honored in the National High School Sports Hall of Fame Museum that the NHSCA is building.

Following are the NHSCA’s selections as National High School Athletes of the Year along with previous honorees.

Baseball

Brady Aiken, Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego, California

Brady Aiken was the #1 overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft after a great high school career at Cathedral Catholic High School.  The 6-3 lefthanded pitcher was selected by the Houston Astros.  Aiken had an incredible senior season with a 7-0 record with an ERA of 1.06 in 59 2/3 innings of work.  He struck-out 111 of 228 batters he faced in 2014.  Aiken was the winning pitcher with ten strikeouts for the United States 18-and-Under team that defeated Tawain in the World Cup of Baseball in 2013.  Aiken is the second California baseball player to be honored by the NHSCA in baseball.  Kyle Skipworth of Patriot High School, who is currently a catcher with the Miami Marlins, was named NHSCA Baseball Player of the Year in 2008.

2013 – Clint Frazier – Loganville HS, Georgia

2012 – Joey Gallo – Bishop Gorman HS, Nevada

2011 – Dylan Bundy – Owasso HS, Oklahoma

2010 -  Drew Vettleson – Central Kitsap HS, Washington

2009 – Patrick Schuster – Mitchell HS, Florida

2008 – Kyle Skipworth – Patriot HS, California

2007 – Blake Beaven – Irving HS, Texas

2006 – Kyle Drabek – The Woodlands, Texas

2005 – Colby Rasmus – Russell County HS, Alabama

2004 – David “Homer” Bailey – LaGrange HS, Texas

2003 – No Athlete of the Year Named

2002 – Jeff Francouer – Parkview HS, Georgia

2001 – Joe Mauer – Cretin-Derham Hall, Minnesota

2000 – Brian Hall – Carlsbad HS, New Mexico

Boys’ Basketball

Karl Towns, Jr., St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, New Jersey

Karl Towns, Jr., St. Joseph High’s 7-1 big man, always came-up big on the court during his high school career. Towns, who will play his college ball at Kentucky, closed out his career by helping his team win the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Tournament of Champions. Towns averaged 20.9 points per game, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocked shots per contest.  For a big man, Towns has quite a touch, shooting 66.1% from the field and 82.2% from the foul line, while knocking down 127 threes over the last three seasons. Towns, who carried a 3.66 GPA, is a member of the Dominican Republic National Team, was Gatorade’s National Player of the Year and two-time Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year.  Towns is the second New Jersey player to be honored by the NHSCA as its National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year. Samardo Samuels of St. Benedict’s Prep, who is currently playing professional basketball in Italy, was the 2008 NHSCA Player of the Year in boys’ basketball.

2013 – Jabari Parker – Simeon HS, Illinois

2012 – Perry Ellis – Wichita Heights HS, Kansas

2011 – Austin Rivers – Winter Park HS, Florida

2010 -  Harrison Barnes – Ames HS, Iowa

2009 -  Derrick Favors – South Atlanta HS, Georgia

2008 – Samardo Samuels – St. Benedict’s Prep, New Jersey

2007 – Kevin Love – Lake Oswego HS, Oregon

2006 – Greg Oden – Lawrence North HS, Indiana

2005 – Josh McRoberts – Carmel HS, Indiana

2004 – Dwight Howard - Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Georgia

2003 – LeBron James - St. Vincent-St. Mary HS, Ohio

2002 – Nik Caner-Medley – Deering HS, Maine

2001 – Kevin Torbert – Flint Northwestern, Michigan

2000 – Zach Spivey - Coronado HS, Texas

Girls’ Basketball

Tyra Buss, Mount Carmel HS, Mt. Carmel, Illinois

The only thing higher than Tyra Buss’ scoring average was her grade point average at Mt. Carmel. Buss, who maintained a 5.0 GPA on a scale of 5, became Illinois’ all-time leading scorer in girls’ high school basketball during her three-year career.  She averaged 45.8 points per game as a senior while shooting 55.4% from the floor on her way to 4,897 career points, which is the second highest in the history of girls’ high school basketball in the United States.  The 5-7 guard also averaged 6.7 steals per game as a senior with 5.5 rebounds per contest and 3.6 assists. Buss, who was Gatorade’s Illinois Player of the Year and a Parade All-American, will attend Indiana University.  Buss is the second Illinois girls’ basketball player to be honored by the NHSCA.  Current WNBA player Candace Parker (Naperville High School) of the LA Sparks was the 2004 honoree.

2013 – Saniya Chong – Ossining HS, New York

2012 – Breanna Stewart – Cicero-North Syracuse HS, New York

2011 – Elisabeth Williams – Princess Anne HS, Virginia

2010 -  Chiney Ogwumike – Cypress-Fairbanks HS, Texas

2009 – Skylar Diggins – Washington HS, Indiana

2008 – Elena DelleDonne – Ursuline Academy, Delaware

2007 -  Maya Moore – Collins Hill HS, Georgia

2006 -  Tina Charles – Christ the King, New York

2005 -  Abby Waner – Thunder Ridge HS, Colorado

2004 -  Candace Parker – Naperville HS, Illinois

2003 – Brittany Hunter – Brookhaven HS, Ohio

2002 – Ann Strother – Highlands Ranch HS, Colorado

2001 – Shyra Ely – Ben Davis HS, Indiana

2000 – Alison Thomason – Pickens County HS, Georgia

Boys’ Cross County

Taylor “Kai” Wilmot – North Central HS, Spokane, Washington

Kai Wilmot capped an incredible senior season by winning the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland while setting an NXN course record with a winning time of 15:00.  In addition to the NXN gold, Wilmot led his school to the Washington Class 3A team championship.  Wilmot also captured the gold medal at the Bob Firmin Invitational championship in Idaho.  Wilmot, who was named Gatorade’s Washington Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year, carries a 3.98 GPA and will attend the University of Wisconsin.  Wilmot is the first Washington State cross country runner to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Edward Cheserek, St. Benedict’s Prep, New Jersey

2012 – Futsum Zeinasellassie – North Central HS, Indiana

2011 – Lukas Verzbicas – Sandburg HS, Illinois

2010 – Wade Meddles – Sierra Lutheran HS, Nevada

2009 – Reed Connor – The Woodlands HS, Texas

2008 – Chris Derrick – Nesqua Valley HS, Illinois

2007 – Chad Hall – Big Bear HS, California

2006 – A.J. Acosta – El Camino HS, California

2005 – Andrew Bumbalough – Brentwood Academy, Tennessee

2004 – Matt Withrow – Andrew HS, Illinois

2003 – Chris Solinksy – Stevens Point HS , Wisconsin

2002 – Timothy Moore – Novi HS, Michigan

2001 – Dathan Ritzenheim – Rockford HS, Michigan

2000 – Donald Sage – York HS, Illinois

Girls’ Cross County

Tessa Barrett, Abington Heights High School, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

Tessa Barrett of Abington Heights closed out her senior season by capturing both the Footlocker Girls’ National Championship and the Pennsylvania Class AAA state title while going undefeated during the 2013 season. Barrett accomplished all of the above while suffering from a rare neurological disorder known as migralepsy, which can cause severe migraine headaches followed by epileptic seizure. A number of factors can trigger migralepsy, but the primary provocation is prolonged exposure to the flickering of fluorescent lights. Because Barrett cannot spend her days inside a school building with those lights—incandescent, natural lighting is fine—she takes an online cyber program at home through the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter program. With honors and A.P. classes, Barrett has achieved a 4.0 GPA.  Barrett will attend Penn State in the fall.  She is the first girls’ cross country runner from Pennsylvania honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Catarina Rocha – Peabody HS, Massachusetts

2012 – Molly Seidel – University Lake School, Wisconsin

2011 – Aisling Cuffe – Corwall Central HS, New York

2010 – Megan Goethals – Rochester HS, Michigan

2009 – Jordan Hasay – Mission Prep, California

2008 -  Christine Babcock – Woodbridge HS, California

2007 – Marie Lawrence – Reno HS, Nevada

2006 – Aislinn Ryan, Warwick Valley HS, New York

2005 – Ramsey Kavan – Yankton HS, South Dakota

2004 – Sunni Olding – Minster HS, Ohio

2003 – Amber Harper – Orem HS, Utah

2002 -  Amber Trotter – Ukiah HS, California

2001 – Sara Bei – Montgomery HS, California

2000 – Victoria Chang – Punahou School, Hawaii

Field Hockey

Carol Middough, Shore Regional High School, West Long Branch, New Jersey

Carol Middough had an incredible senior season scoring goals – she netted 78 goals, which was the third most in high school field hockey history and second most all-time in the state of New Jersey.  And, while Middough was great at scoring, she also dished out 17 assists.  Middough, who was named first-team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and Harrow Sports, ended her career with 131 goals and 66 assists. Middough was a member of the school’s National Honor Society and will play college field hockey at Yale in the fall.  Middough is the second straight NHSCA Field Hockey Player of the Year from New Jersey.  Aside from 2013 winner Lexi Smith of Florence High School, the NHSCA honored Lori Hillman of Eastern Regional in 2002.

2013-  Lexi Smith – Florence HS, New Jersey

2012 – Emma Bozek – Lakeland HS, New York

2011 – Maxine Fluharty – Sussex Technical HS, Delaware

2010 – Marta Malmberg – Marathon Central HS, New York

2009 – Kelsey Kolojejchick – Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania

2008 -  Katie Reinprecht – Mount St. Joseph Academy, Pennsylvania

2007 -  Katelyn Falgowski – St. Mark’s HS, Delaware

2006 -  Amie Survilla – Crestwood HS, Pennsylvania

2005 – Katy LePage – Skowhegan HS, Maine

2004 – Caitlin Williams – St. Thomas Aquinas School, New Hampshire

2003 – Laree Beans – Emmaus HS, Pennsylvania

2002 -  Lori Hillman – Eastern Regional HS, New Jersey

2001 – Carey Fetting-Smith – Bryn Mawr School for Girls, Maryland

2000 -  Jacque LaFleur – Bel Air HS, Maryland

Football

Leonard Fournette, St. Augustine High School, New Orleans, Louisiana

Leonard Fournette, who will play college football at LSU, was the Times-Picayune All-Metro Player of the Year in 2013.  The 6-1, 225 pound running back, amassed 3,697 all-purpose yards during his senior season with 25 touchdowns.  Fournette, who was considered a 5-star recruit, rushed for 1,802 yards and 17 touchdowns.  He caught 45 passes for 745 yards and six scores, plus he threw touchdown passes as the team’s Wildcat-formation quarterback.  Fournette, who carried a B average in the classroom, was named the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year as a junior and a senior, was USA Today’s Player of the Year in 2013, plus he made the MaxPreps.com’s All-American team.  Fournette is the first National Football Player of the Year honored by the NHSCA from Louisiana.

2013-  Derrick Henry – Yulee HS, Florida

2012 – Jonathan Gray – Aledo HS, Texas

2011 – Johnny Manziel – Tivy HS, Texas

2010 – Seantrel Henderson – Cretin-Derham Hall, Minnesota

2009 – Garrett Gilbert – Lake Travis HS, Texas

2008 – Terrell Pryor – Jeannette HS, Pennsylvania

2007 – John Brantley – Trinity Catholic HS, Florida

2006 – John Dergo – Morris HS, Illinois

2005 – Greg Paulus – Christian Brothers Academy, New York

2004 – Jeff Byers – Loveland HS, Colorado

2003 – Austin Scott – Parkland HS, Pennsylvania

2002 – Lorenzo Booker – St. Bonaventure HS, California

2001 – Tyler Bell – Ventura HS, California

2000 – David Beck – Lockport HS, New York

Boys’ Golf

Scottie Scheffler, Highland Park High School, Dallas, Texas

Like 2011 NHSCA Senior National Boys’ Golfer of the Year Jordan Spieth, who finished runner-up at this year’s Masters, Scottie Scheffler appears to have a promising professional career in front of him.  Scheffler, who won his third straight Texas state championship, finished 22^nd at this year’s PGA Byron Nelson Classic, scoring a hole-in-one along the way. Scheffler is ranked #1 by the American Junior Golf Association and #5 by the World Amateur Golf Ranking system.  Scheffler, who will attend the University of Texas, has a sister who is a golfer at Texas A&M.  Scheffler is the third Texas boys’ golfer to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Andrew Bieber – Gilmour Academy, Ohio

2012 – Wyndham Clark – Valor Christian HS, Colorado

2011 – Jordan Spieth – Dallas Jesuit, Texas

2010 – Cory Whitsett – Memorial HS, Texas

2009 – Cameron Peck – Timberline HS, Washington

2008 -  Wesley Graham – Spruce Creek HS, Florida

2007 – Rickie Fowler – Murrieta Valley HS, California

2006 – Tim McKenney- Desert Mountain HS, Arizona

2005 – Brian Harman – Savannah Christian School, Georgia

2004 – Daniel Im – La Mirada HS, California

2003 – Brendon Todd – Green Hope HS, North Carolina

2002 – James Frost – Calais HS, Maine

2001 – John Bradley Holmes – Taylor County HS, Kentucky

2000 – Jason Furlow – DuQuoin HS, Illinois

Girls’ Golf

Maddie Szeryk, Allen High School, Allen, Texas

After finishing second once and third twice during her first three years of varsity competition, Allen High’s Maddie Szeryk captured the Texas Class 5A championship during the 2013-14 school year.  Ranked #9 by the AJGA, the Texas A&M recruit, finished second as a sophomore and third as a junior and freshman. Szeryk shot 135 during the two-day tournament, which included a sizzling 65 on the final day of the tournament.  Her gold medal performance also helped her school win the team title.  In May, Szeryk qualified for the LPGA’s North Texas Shootout where she shot back-to-back 74’s before not making the cut.  She also won the AJGA’s Thunderbird International Junior Tournament.  Szeryk is the first Texas girls’ golfer to be honored by the NHSCA.

 

2013 – Jessie Sindlinger – Charles City HS, Iowa

2012 – Megan Blonien – Altus HS, Oklahoma

2011 – Aurora Kan – Chichester HS, Pennsylvania

2010 – Jenny Shin – Torrance HS, California

2009 – Courtney Gunter – Porter Ridge HS, North Carolina

2008 – Wesley Graham – Spruce Creek HS, Florida

2007 – Ester Choe – Cactus Shadows HS, Arizona

2006 – Morgan Pressel – St. Andrews School, Florida

2005 – Mari Chun – The Kamehameha School, Hawaii

2004 – Amie Cochran – West Torrance HS, California

2003 – Mandi McConnell – Grand Blanc HS, Michigan

2002 -  May Wood – The Baylor School, Tennessee

2001 – Sarah Sparks – East Noble HS, Indiana

2000 – Christine Hentzner – Bishop Gorman HS, Nevada

Boys’ Soccer

Brad Ross, Franklin High School, Franklin, Tennessee

Brad Ross of Franklin High School closed out an impressive high school career by leading his school to back-to-back Tennessee Class AAA state championships and back-to-back unbeaten seasons with a 37-0-2 record.  Ross, who was a National Soccer Coaches Association All-American as a junior and a senior, carries a 3.90 GPA and has volunteered as a peer math tutor and a youth soccer coach.  Ross, who will attend Holy Cross, was Tennessee’s Gatorade Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year.  Ross is the first Tennessee boys’ soccer player to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Christian Roldan – El Rancho HS, California

2012 – Andrew Harris – The Gilman School, Maryland

2011 – Dzenan Catic – East Kentwood HS, Michigan

2010 – Soony Saad – Dearborn HS, Michigan

2009 – Kevin Bick – St. Xavier HS, Kentucky

2008 – Casey Townsend – Traverse City West HS, Michigan

2007 – Andrew Duran – Lincoln-Way East HS, Illinois

2006 -  Eric Alexander – Portage Central HS, Michigan

2005 – Lee Nguyen – Plano East HS, Texas

2004 – Nick Colaluca – La Salle Academy, Rhode Island

2003 – Greg Dalby – Poway HS, California

2002 – David Walters – Lake Lehman HS, Pennsylvania

2001 – Ned Grabavoy – Lincoln-Way HS, Illinois

2000 – Dan Walsh – US Air Academy, Colorado

Girls’ Soccer

Mallory Eubanks, Tates Creek High School, Lexington, Kentucky

Mallory Eubanks was just as good at setting-up goals as she was at scoring them during her senior season at Tates Creek High School.  Eubanks, who will play college soccer at Mississippi State, scored 37 goals and dished-out 22 assists while leading her school to the Kentucky state semifinals with a 21-5-3 record.  She was named the Kentucky High School Soccer Association’s 2013 Miss Soccer award winner and was named All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association.  Eubanks had a weighted GPA of 4.39 while volunteering for multiple causes.  She is the first girls’ soccer player from Kentucky honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Morgan Andrews – Milford HS, New Hampshire

2012 – Ashley Spivey – McDonough School, Maryland

2011 – Morgan Brian – Frederica Academy, Georgia

2010 – Kealia Ohai – Alta HS, Utah

2009 – Natalia Torosian – Lenape HS, New Jersey

2008 – Christine Nairn – Archbishop Spalding, Maryland

2007 – Hannah Cerrone – Ketcham HS, New York

2006 – Lauren Cheney – Ben Davis HS, Indiana

2005 – Amy Rodriguez – Santa Margarita HS, California

2004 – Ashlyn Harris – Satellite HS, Florida

2003 – Heather O’Reilly – East Brunswick HS, New Jersey

2002 – Jill Oakes – Harvard-Westlake HS, California

2001 – Mary McDowell – Wheat Ridge HS, Colorado

2000 – Ashley Sherbondy – Colorado Springs Christian, Colorado

Softball

Johanna Grauer, Amador Valley, Pleasanton, California

Johanna Grauer had a nearly perfect senior season for Amador Valley in 2014. Grauer, who will attend UCLA, was a perfect 26-0 with 14 shutouts.  She fanned 290 battles in just 190 innings with an ERA of 0.51 and opponents batting only .097.  In three years, Grauer was 73-3 with 900 strikeouts.  This past year, Amador Valley was named national champs by MaxPreps.com.  CalHiSports.com named Grauer Ms. Softball 2014.  Grauer is the fifth California softball player to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Carley Hoover – D.W. Daniel HS, South Carolina

2012 – Rainey Gaffin – Legacy HS, Colorado

2011 – Andrea DiPrima – Buffalo Grove HS, Illinois

2010 -  Dallas Escobedo – St. Mary’s HS - Arizona

2009 – Kensie Fowler – Canyon del Oro HS, Arizona

2008 – Cathleen “Cat” Hosfield – Riverdale HS, Tennessee

2007 – Jordan Taylor – Valencia (Placentia) HS, California

2006 – Kirsten Shortridge – Keller HS, Texas

2005 – Valerie Chapple – Olathe East HS, Kansas

2004 – Anjelica Selden – Vanden HS, California

2003 – Lisa Dodd – University City, California

2002 – Alicia Hollowell – Fairfield HS, California

2001 – Catherine “Cat” Osterman – Cypress Springs HS, Texas

2000 – Kristin Schmidt – North Shore HS, Texas

Boys’ Swimming

Jonathan Roberts, Southlake Carroll High School, Southlake, Texas

Before heading to the University of Texas, Southlake Carroll’s Jonathan Roberts became a back-to-back 500 freestyle Texas state champion with a dominant state record finish, winning by 10 seconds. He posted a time of 4:16.90. Roberts added more gold with a state title in the 100 backstroke in a time of 48.65. He was also part of Southlake Carroll’s gold medal 200 medley relay team with a time of 1:34.93.  Roberts is a member of the Junior National Team and swam at the Junior World Championships where he placed 12^th in the 400 freestyle, 13^th in the 800 freestyle and 10^th in the 1500 freestyle.  Roberts is the second boys’ swimmer from Texas that has been honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Austin Garcia – San Dimas HS - California

2012 – Matias Koski – Northview HS - Georgia

2011 – David Nolan – Hershey HS, Pennsylvania

2010 – Kyle Whitaker – Chesterton HS, Indiana

2009 – Cole Cragin – Friendswood HS, Texas

2008 – Brian Alden – Neuqua Valley HS, Illinois

2007 – Austin Staab – Westerville HS, Ohio

2006 – Shaune Fraser – The Bolles School, Florida

2005 – Alex Righi – Brophy Prep, Arizona

2004 – Kyle Bubolz – Waukesha North HS, Wisconsin

2003 – Garrett Weber-Gale – Nicolet HS, Wisconsin

2002 – Tyler DeBerry – Sabino HS, Arizona

2001 – Matt McDonald – Hamilton Southeastern HS, Indiana

2000 – Alex Lim – The Bolles School, Florida

Girls’ Swimming

Janet Hu, Oakton High School, Vienna, Virginia

Janet Hu has been opening eyes in the sport since she was 12 years old when she broke her first national record in her age group.  She closed out her high school career undefeated in individual high school competition by winning gold medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 fly that led her school to its third straight Virginia high school team championship.  Hu, who was the #2 recruit in the nation, will swim for Stanford University.  Hu is the first girls’ swimmer from Virginia honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Missy Franklin – Regis Jesuit HS, Colorado

2012 –

2011 – Gretchen Jaques – Glendora HS, California

2010 – Emily Bos – Holland HS, Michigan

2009 – Mary Beck - Westlake HS, Texas

2008 – Michelle McKeehan – Center Grove HS, Indiana

2007 – Lauren English – Montville Twp. HS, New Jersey

2006 – Alexandra Clarke – Sunnyslope HS, Arizona

2005 – Hannah Smith – Dexter HS, Michigan

2004 – Rhiannon Jeffrey – Atlantic HS, Florida

2003 – Kara Lynn Joyce – Pioneer HS, Michigan

2002 – Mary Descenza – Rosary HS, Illinois

2001 – Kaitlin Sandeno – El Toro HS, California

2000 – Sara McLarty – Deland HS, Florida

Boys’ Tennis

Chase Perez-Blanco, Gulliver Prep,

Chase Perez-Blanco, who will be college tennis at the University of Florida, closed-out a great high school career finishing second overall in Florida’s highly competitive boys’ tennis individual championships. Perez-Blanco won the overall individual title as a junior.  During his varsity career he led Gulliver Prep to three state team titles. Perez-Blanco was named a National High School Tennis All-American in 2013 and 2014.  He is the second Gulliver Prep boys’ tennis player to be honored by the NHSCA. Raleigh Smith was honored in 2010.

2013 – Miguel Alda – Westwood HS, Texas

2012 – Brett Clark – Collier HS, Florida

2011 – Curtis Haworth – Putnam City North HS, Oklahoma

2010 – Raleigh Smith – Gulliver Prep, Florida

2009 – Wyatt Lippert – Lakota West HS, Ohio

2008 – Casey Watt – Pine Richland HS, Pennsylvania

2007 – Matthew Allare – Kings HS, Ohio

2006 – Michael Dierberger – Nicolet HS, Wisconsin

2005 – Jack Marsh – Seton Catholic HS, Arizona

2004 – Keithan Gregg – Cut Bank HS, Montana

2003 – Shane Tyree – Lake Howell HS, Florida

2002 – Ryan McBridge – Corona del Sol HS, Arizona

2001 – Brandon Gill – Park Tudor School, Indiana

2000 – Geoff Russell – Mountain Pointe HS, Arizona

Girls’ Tennis

Cassie  Mercer, Huntington High School, Huntington, West Virginia

Cassie Mercer closed out her incredible high school tennis career with her fourth straight No. 1 singles state championship.  In addition, she teamed-up with Kate Huck to wins the state’s #1 double title.  Mercer, who will attend the University of Virginia, is a great student and has playing on the United States Tennis Association’s junior circuit since 2006.  She’s currently ranked #11 in the country by tennisrecruiting.net.  Mercer is West Virginia’s first girls’ tennis player to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Rasheeda McAdoo – American Heritage HS, Florida

2012 – Ronit Yurovsk – Plum HS, Pennsylvania

2011 – Brooke Urzendowski – Marian HS, Nebraska

2010 – Lilly Kimbell – New Braunfels HS, Texas

2009 – Elizabeth Epstein – Francis Parker HS, Illinois

2008 – Shinann Featherston – St. Francis Prep, New York

2007 – Whitney Taney – Edina HS, Minnesota

2006 – Pavi Francis – Marcus HS, Texas

2005 – Katie Potts – Divine Savior Holy Angels HS, Wisconsin

2004 – Nicole Leimbach – Pine Creek HS, Colorado

2003 – Anne Yelsey – Corona del Mar HS, California

2002 – Rankin Williams – Needham Broughton HS, North Carolina

2001 – Brittany Dietz – Osborne HS, Kansas

2000 – Chrissie Nolan – Glenbrook North HS, Illinois

Boys’ Track & Field

Trentavis Friday, Cherryville High School, Cherryville, NC

Trentavis Friday captured three individual state championships and anchored his school’s gold medal winning 4X400 meter relay at the North Carolina Class 1A state championship meet.  Friday captured gold in the 100, 200 and 400-meter runs.  His time of 10.17 seconds in the 100 and 20.33 in the 200 were the best times in the nation this past school year. When he’s not dashing his way through the competition, Friday donates his time to the First Wesleyan Church’s feed-the-homeless initiative.  Friday will attend Florida State University.  Friday is the first North Carolina athlete to be honored as the NHSCA’s Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

2013 – Grant Hill – Huntsville HS, Alabama

2012 – Jarrion Lawson - Liberty-Eylau HS, Texas

2011 – Gunnar Nixon – Santa Fe HS, Oklahoma

2010 – Sam Crouser – Gresham HS, Oregon

2009 – Mason Finley – Buena Vista HS, Colorado

2008 – Christian Taylor – Sandy Creek HS, Georgia

2007 – Craig Forys – Colts Neck HS, New Jersey

2006 – David Klech – California HS, California

2005 – Kevin Craddock – James Logan HS, California

2004 – Xavier Carter – Palm Bay HS, Florida

2003 – Earvin Parker – Lewisville HS, Texas

2002 – Ryan Shields – Leo HS, Illinois

2001 – Alan Webb – South Lakes HS, Virginia

2000 – David Fraser – Westfield HS, Texas

Girls’ Track & Field

Ariana Washington, Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, California

Ariana Washington closed-out her high school career by winning gold medals in the 100 and 200 in California state championship meet.  It was the third time in a row that Washington accomplished that double.  She also captured gold by anchoring Poly’s 400 relay team.  The back-to-back-to-back gold medals left her one shy of  Marion Jones who did it four straight times while at Thousand Oaks High School.  This year’s gold medal performances 11.22 in the 100 and 22.96 were both national best times in America this past year.  Both were not that far behind the national high school records of 11.14 in the 100 in 1992 by Jones and 22.52 in the 2000 by Allyson Felix of Los Angeles Baptist High School in 2003. Felix was the 2003 NHSCA Girls’ Track & Field National Athlete of the Year.  Washington was named MaxPreps.com’s 2013-14 Female Athlete of the Year.

2013 – Haley Couser – Gresham HS, Oregon

2012 - Shelbi Vaughan - Legacy HS, Texas

2011 – Morgann LeLeux – Catholic HS, Louisiana

2010 – A’Lexus Brannon – Ozen HS, Texas

2009 – Tohi Young – Del City HS, Oklahoma

2008 – Emily Reese – Chamblee HS, Georgia

2007 – Bianca Knight – Ridgeland HS, Mississippi

2006 – Griffin Matthew – Niwot HS, Colorado

2005 – Alexandra Anderson – Morgan Park HS, Illinois

2004 – Ashley Owens – Liberty HS, Colorado

2003 – Allyson Felix – Los Angeles Baptist HS, California

2002 – Sally Meyerhoff – Mountain Pointe HS, Arizona

2001 – Monique Henderson – Morse HS, California

2000 – No Athlete of the Year Named

Volleyball

Alexa Filley, Assumption HS, Louisville, Kentucky

Alexa Filley, who will attend the University of Auburn in the fall, led her school to a Kentucky state volleyball championship during the 2013-14 school year. The 5-9 setter led her school to a 36-6 record and a national ranking by several national media outlets.  Filley, who maintained a 3.95 GPA in the classroom, recorded 1,248 assists, 334 digs, 102 kills, 58 blocks and 41 service aces.  As a junior and a senior, she was named MVP of the Kentucky state tournament.  Filley is the first Kentucky volleyball player to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – Amber & Kadie Rolfzen – Papillion-La Vista South HS, Nebraska

2012 – Jordan Burgess - Berkley Prep, Florida

2011 – Courtney Van Groningen – Sterling HS, Nebraska

2010 – Morgan Broekhuis – Colorado Springs Christian, Colorado

2009 -  Gina Mancuso – Papllion-La Vista South HS, Nebraska

2008 – Kelly Murphy – Joliet Catholic Academy, Illinois

2007 – Alix Klineman – Mira Costa HS, California

2006 – Megan Hodge – Riverside HS, North Carolina

2005 – Cynthia Barboza – Long Beach Wilson HS, California

2004 – Angit McGinnis – Fraser HS, Michigan

2003 – Kristin Richards – Timpanogos HS, Utah

2002 – Bre Ladd – Canyon del Oro, Arizona

2001 – Jennifer Saleaumua – Bonita Vista HS, California

2000 – Laura Grote – Westwood HS, Texas

Wrestling

Ryan Millhof, Collins Hills High School, Suwanee, Georgia

Ryan Millhof closed out his scholastic career by becoming the fourth 4X NHSCA champ by winning the 126-pound title at the Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach in March.  That title came-on the heels of Millhof winning his third Georgia state title in four finals appearances.  Millhof, who will wrestle at the University of Oklahoma, finished 69-3 during his senior season and 243-7 for his career.  Millhof is the first wrestler from Georgia to be honored by the NHSCA.

2013 – B.J. Clagon – Toms River South HS, New Jersey

2012 – Mark Grey – Blair Academy, New Jersey
2011 – Blake Roulo – Matoaca HS, Virginia

2010 – Tyler Beckwith – Greene HS, New York

2009 – C.J. Napier – Columbus HS, Kansas

2008 – Jordan Oliver – Easton HS, Pennsylvania

2007 – Colt Sponseller – West Holmes HS, Ohio

2006 – Adam Hall – Bonners Ferry HS, Idaho

2005 – Dustin Schlatter – Perry HS, Ohio

2004 – J. Jaggers – St. Pete Chanel HS, Ohio

2003 – Mark Perry – Blair Academy, New Jersey

2002 – Nathan Galloway – State College HS, Pennsylvania

2001 – Steve Mocco – Blair Academy, New Jersey

2000 – Jesse Jantzen – Shoreham-Wading River HS, New York