The Shadow
On Tuesday evening, May 14, the Virginian Review held a ceremony at the Masonic Theatre for the Athlete of the Year Awards. Three individuals were nominated from each sport —male and female— and then it was up to the community to vote on the person they believed was most deserving of the title.
Publisher Scot Refsland was first to speak, offering a few words of encouragement to the student athletes and discussing the importance of appreciating their parents. It was then time for the emcee and Director of Operations for the Virginian Review, Susan Linton, to step up to the mic as host for the evening’s events. In between the distribution of trophies and announcements of winners, the Virginian Review was pleased to have five guest speakers come out, volunteering their own time, to speak at the eagerly anticipated event.
The first to speak was Archie Lemon. Lemon was the first-ever golf champion at Alleghany High School which, as he noted during his speech, was 50 years ago. He and his sister have shared their love for golf over the past several decades and both have made prestigious careers out of the sport. Lemon recently returned to the area where he now coaches golf for the Alleghany Cougars.
The second speaker of the evening was Kris Phillips. Phillips made the long drive from Bath County to speak at the event as a representative of Bath County High School (BCHS). Phillips used the opportunity to speak about his faith and encourage the student athletes to do the same, noting that he would not have achieved anything in life without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Phillips is the Varsity Girls Tennis Coach and Assistant Junior Varsity (JV) Girls Basetball Coach at BCHS.
Next to speak was John Reed Jr. Reed, an Alleghany High School Sports Hall-of-Famer, broke every wrestling record at AHS during his 4-year journey. He went on to wrestle at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) before suffering a back injury unrelated to wrestling. Ultimately, the injury would force him out of his collegiate wrestling career, but that never stopped Reed! He is now happily married to wife, McKenna, he works as a project manager at Hammond-Mitchell, and is assistant wrestling coach under Dale Burdette at AHS.
The fourth speaker of the evening was Charity Hale, one of the Vice Principals at Alleghany High School. Hale is an Athletic Trainer by trade and has been involved in sports her whole life. In her speech, she noted her own collegiate experiences and how she has carried the lessons she’s learned in sports with her throughout her life. Hale graciously stepped in at the last minute in place of Athletic Director, Ty Dobbs, who was unable to attend the event.
The final guest speaker of the night was Covington’s own Delethea Quarles. Quarles, also an Alleghany High School Sports Hall-of-Famer, graduated from AHS before beginning her collegiate journey at Liberty University. While obtaining her degree, she ran track and field and was eventually inducted into Liberty’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating from the prestigious university, she was asked to stay on as assistant coach where she held the position for 8 seasons. At that point, Quarles was offered a position at James Madison University where she now serves as the director of their track and field program. Most recently, she was asked by Team USA to be the Women’s Multis/Jumps coach in the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics to be held in Paris.
The 2024 Athlete of the Year Awards ceremony was a successful event that brought out many student athletes and their families. One by one, each category was announced and nominees were introduced to the stage before the winners were announced. Upon receiving their trophies, they paused momentarily to have their photos taken by photographer, Jordan Bailey.
Below is a list of all the nominees and winners from each category. All winners will have a (W) featured beside their name.
AHS Softball
Bryce Leitch
Kelsey Nicely
Addison Morris (W)
BCHS Softball
Georgia Watkins
Trinity Forbes (W)
Caleigh Hazelwood
AHS Baseball
Hunter DePriest
Eli Weese
Anthony Webb (W)
BCHS Baseball
Jake Boguess (W)
A.J. St. Clair
Cooper Lowry
AHS Football
Des Jordan
Purcel Turner (W)
Xzavier Hayslett
BCHS Football
Wyatt Campbell (W)
Braiden Mabe
Ethan Bryant
AHS Golf
Kai Rowland
Haden Spinks (W)
Chase DePriest
BCHS Golf
Isaac Ingram (W)
Carter Hooker
AHS Girls Track/Cross Country
Kiera Lowman (W)
Macyn Cash
Faith Barron
BCHS Girls Track/Cross Country
Natalie White (W)
Sadie Alphin
Abby Phillips
AHS Boys Track/Cross Country
Brady Prior
Max Madsen
Purcel Turner (W)
BCHS Boys Track/Cross Country
Matt Harold
Noah Bolling (W)
AHS Girls Basketball
Bryce Leitch (W)
Macyn Cash
Kelsey Nicely
BCHS Girls Basketball
Trinity Forbes (W)
Zoey Jenkins
Sophie Ailstock
AHS Boys Basketball
Anthony Webb (W)
Christopher Harden
Kole Caldwell
BCHS Boys Basketball
Andrew Turner (W)
Luke Turner
Isaac Ingram
AHS Wrestling
Caleb Walden (W)
Hayden Wills
Carter Nicely
BHCS Girls Wrestling
Samantha Horne
Emily Robertson
Renee Tuning (W)
BCHS Boys Wrestling
A.J. Woodson
Ethan Bryant
Dillian Royer (W)
AHS Girls Soccer
Jacklyne Snyder
Faith Howell (W)
Trinity Scott
BCHS Girls Soccer
Zoey Jenkins
Laci Ryder (W)
Samantha Horne
AHS Boys Soccer
Brenden Seckner
Mason Hale
James Helmintoller-Quantz (W)
BCHS Boys Soccer
Frankie DeBoe (W)
Andrew Turner
Luke Turner
AHS Girls Swim & Dive
Kara Nicely
Emily Peters (W)
Megan Powell
AHS Boys Swim & Dive
Rocklynn Phillips (W)
Brenden Seckner
Dylan Stull
AHS Volleyball
Bryce Leitch
Kinsey Middleton
Taylor Scott (W)
BCHS Volleyball
Baley Gardzinski
Lindsay Oliver (W)
Kenley Smith
AHS Cheer
Madi Nicely (W)
Madison Holt
Sara Akerson
BCHS Cheer
Laci Ryder (W)
Abigail Phillips
Sophie Antio
AHS Girls Tennis
Jaden Ryan
Madilen Nicely
Alaina McCormick (W)
BCHS Girls Tennis
Sophie Ailstock (W)
Brooke Hess
Adrianna Miller
AHS Boys Tennis
Eli Entsminger
Gavin Via (W)
Chase DePriest
Alleghany People’s Choice Overall Female Athlete of the Year
Kiera Lowman
Alleghany People’s Choice Overall Male Athlete of the Year
Purcel Turner
Bath County People’s Choice Overall Female Athlete of the Year
Natalie White
Bath County People’s Choice Overall Male Athlete of the Year
Andrew Turner
