MAAC ANNOUNCES WINNERS AT 64th Annual WNC AWARDS BANQUET

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Mountain Amateur Athletic Club hosted its 64th annual awards banquet

Sunday night (May 3) at the Omni Grove Park Inn as the club honored the top high school

student-athletes from Western North Carolina for the past year.

The three-time defending state champion Cherokee girls’ basketball team captured the

Showtime Sports Division II Female Major Sport award for the third straight year, while the

three-time defending state champion TC Roberson Rams baseball squad earned the McKinney

Insurance Services Division I Male Major Sport award for the third consecutive year.

Cherokee multi-sport athlete Dudaya Swimmer was named as the Apollo Flame Division II

Athlete of the Year. Cason Jones from Mountain Heritage earned the Young Transportation

Division II Male Athlete of the Year. Jones is a three-sport standout for the Cougars.

The Lary & Jan Schulhof Female Athlete of the Year was presented to Enka senior Averi

Coggins. She has excelled in both basketball and softball for the Sugar Jets. The Henry Logan

Division I Male Athlete of Year went to Landon Pope of Pisgah. He excelled in both football and

wrestling for the Bears.

The Riley Howell Courage Award was presented to Mountain Heritage football player Braxton Batchelor. Batchelor saved his grandmother just before the devastation of Hurricane Helene before their home got swept away and they lost everything. He enjoyed an outstanding football career and track and field career for the Cougars. Batchelor will be attending Mars Hill this fall and will be on the track and field squad.

Paige Soderman of Asheville earned the Special Olympics Award.

Here are the winners in each category: