GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Greensboro high school students were awarded the Bill Lee Scholarship during the 37th annual TIMCO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank, it was announced today. The Greensboro Sports Council awards the $2,000 scholarships during this annual high school basketball tournament.
The winners will receive their formal awards during today’s Bill Lee Scholarship Reception at 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Following the women’s championship game this evening, the winners will be introduced on the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center floor. All eight participating schools nominated student athletes for this year’s Bill Lee Scholarships.
Bill Lee was a Greensboro native and resident who was a major supporter of local sports. He was deeply involved with Greensboro’s minor league baseball efforts, basketball and golf. The Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship was established by the Greensboro Sports Council following Lee’s death in 2001. Recipients are nominated by the schools participating in the TIMCO Invitational each year, and the Greensboro Sports Council awards the scholarships. Each nomination is considered with the following criteria: 40% academic, 40% athletic and 20% civic.
Four student-athletes receive a scholarship each year. Winners are the most qualified applicants regardless of which participating school they represent or whether they are male or female. With the following 2012 winners who are listed alphabetically below, 48 student athletes will have won the Bill Lee Scholarship since the program’s inception.
Cody Hylton, from Northwest Guilford High School, has been an honor roll student since 2009 and was named to the National Honor Society in 2012; he is a two-time winner of the teacher’s choice award. In additional to playing varsity basketball at Northwest, Hylton coaches youth basketball for the Stokesdale Recreation Center as well as Northwest Rising Stars basketball camp. He is a volunteer reader for the elementary programs at Pearce Elementary School and Stokesdale Elementary School. He is considering careers in criminology, sports management or coaching and plans to attend Randolph College, Methodist University or Coker College.
Ben Magod is representing Greensboro Day School and is the captain of the men’s basketball team. Magod carries a 4.85 grade point average and is considering continuing is education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, Bucknell University or Middlebury College. He plans to pursue a degree in either biology or medicine. He qualified for the National Merit Scholarship program in 2012 and earned placement on the Greensboro Day School Headmaster’s List in each of the last three years. He was named to the National Honor Society in 2011 and received an outstanding achievement award for advanced-placement English, United States History and advanced biology for the 2011-12 school year. He is a youth elder at First Presbyterian Church and has participated in Mission trips to Heifer International Ranch, Belize and Atlanta.
Gabrielle Merritt also represents Greensboro Day School and carries a 5.0 grade point average. She is considering a career as an anesthesiologist or a biomedical engineer after attending college at Davidson College, Wake Forest University, Vanderbilt University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned placement on the Greensboro Day School Headmaster’s List in each of the last three years. She was named to the National Honors Society and the Cum Laude Society last year. In addition to basketball, Merritt is a decorated cross country runner and a co-captain of the soccer team. She participates in youth leadership Greensboro and volunteers at Alamance Medical Center as well as Mary’s House, a ministry that provides transitional housing for women in recovery from substance abuse.
Brandi Robinson, a student at Smith High School, is ranked No. 8 in her class of 254 students. Robinson is considering a career in sports psychology or athletic training after attending Greensboro College, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro or Guilford College. She was named all-conference and all-district last year and was also the basketball team’s most valuable player; she also excels in volleyball. She is in the National Honor Society, the Beta Club, the “A” Honor Roll, the National Society of High School Scholars and is a winner of the United States Achievement Academy National Mathematics Award. She is extremely active in community service having worked with March of Dimes, the Greensboro Youth Council, Toys for Tots, School Backpack Program, Angel Tree, the Biology Garden and the Greensboro Public Library.
The TIMCO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the TIMCO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council.