CHAPEL HILL — Hailey Cook of Hendersonville High School and T.J. Logan of Northern Guilford High School have been named winners of the 2013 Athlete of the Year awards by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).
These are the top athletic awards given by the NCHSAA to honor the most outstanding male and female high school athletes in the state. They were presented at the Dean E, Smith Center on the University of North Carolina campus during the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting on Thursday.
Both of the winners were selected by a special panel which includes media representatives from across the state. They were each presented with the Pat Best Memorial Trophy, named for the former Goldsboro High principal and president of the NCHSAA who died unexpectedly in 1988.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors and the entire membership of the NCHSAA, we congratulate these outstanding student-athletes on their tremendous achievements during their high school careers,” said Davis Whitfield, commissioner of the NCHSAA. “Both have extremely impressive credentials which are in the same vein as previous winners of this award, and we certainly wish them well in their future pursuits.”
Logan has been a standout throughout his Northern Guilford career in football, basketball, and outdoor track. In football, he helped lead the Nighthawks to three consecutive NCHSAA state championships, including rushing for a whopping 3,146 yards during the fall and earning Most Valuable Player honor in the 2012 state championship game with 510 yards and eight touchdowns. He was the Mid-State Conference Player of the Year in football.
In basketball, he was a three-time all-conference selection and runner-up for Conference Player of the Year honors. He scored 15.5 points per game, grabbed 4.8 rebounds an outing and handed out 6.1 assists. He is the defending NCHSAA 3-A champion in the 200 meters and was the state runner-up last year in the 100 meters. In competition this spring, his times are better in both events.
He will be attending the University of North Carolina on a football scholarship.
Cook has had a remarkable high school career as a star in volleyball, indoor track and field and outdoor track, with state championship performances in all three. In volleyball, she was a two-time Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year, a four-time all-conference player, and was the Most Valuable Player in the NCHSAA state 1-A volleyball championship match, leading Hendersonville to the title over Raleigh Charter. She had 343 kills on the season.
During the indoor track season, she won the shot put individual championship in the 1-A/2-A/3-A meet for the second consecutive year. On the outdoor side, she has won both the shot put and the discus in the 1-A championships for three consecutive years, and her current throws are right at the top of all performances in all classifications, including first in the state in shot and second in discus. She has been her conference Field Event Performer of the Year in all four of her high school seasons and has set new conference meet marks in both the shot and discus.
She will continue her athletic and academic career at Western Carolina University next fall on a track scholarship.
This is the 28th year in which awards have been given to the top overall male and female athletes. Previous winners of the award include:
NCHSAA ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Winners of the Pat Best Memorial Trophy
Female Male
1985-86 Pam Doggett, Dudley Patrick Lennon, Whiteville
1986-87 Andrea Stinson, North Mecklenburg Robert Siler, Jordan-Matthews
1987-88 LeAnn Kennedy, Trinity Chester McGlockton, Whiteville
1988-89 Danyel Parker, Clinton Ethan Albright, Grimsley
1989-90 Karen Davis, Forbush David Inman, Terry Sanford
1990-91 Christy Cagle, Hayesville Mike Kendall, Albemarle
1991-92 Wendy Palmer, Person Rusty LaRue, Northwest Guilford
1992-93 Holly Hill, Southwestern Randolph Tyrone Westmoreland, South Iredell
1993-94 Jamie Parsons, Millbrook Brian Roseboro, T.Wingate Andrews
1994-95 Aedrin Murray, Chatham Central Na Brown, Reidsville
1995-96 Shea Ralph, Terry Sanford Titcus Pettigrew, West Forsyth
1996-97 Jackie Houston, Kings Mountain Tyrell Godwin, East Bladen
1997-98 Clifeteana McKiver, East Duplin Julius Peppers, Southern Nash
1998-99 Anna Tharrington, Southern Nash Nick Maddox, A.L. Brown
1999-2000 Courtney Willis, Terry Sanford Manny DeShauteurs, Brevard
2000-01 Molly Pyles, Hendersonville Derrele Mitchell, R.J. Reynolds
2001-02 Katrelle Armwood, Durham School of Arts A.J. Davis, Northern Durham
2002-03 Anna Evans, Lumberton Drew Williamson, Cummings
2003-04 Eva Baucom, Forest Hills Jim Ollis, Polk County
2004-05 Jessie Sims, West Henderson Terrell Hudgins, Rocky Mount
2005-06 Megan Zullo, Farmville Central Kendric Burney, Southwest Onslow
2006-07 Gabby Mayo, Southeast Raleigh Dee Bost, Concord
2007-08 Jannetta Robinson, Pender E.J. Abrams-Ward, Thomasville
2008-09 Ali Ford, Freedom Tyler Shatley, East Burke
2009-10 Leah Mackley, Pender Kareem Martin, Roanoke Rapids
2010-11 Courtney Melvin, East Bladen Romar Morris, Salisbury
2011-12 Lindsay Simpson, Franklin Tevin Hester, Granville Central
2012-13 Hailey Cook, Hendersonville T.J. Logan, Northern Guilforfd
About 200,000 athletes compete in the NCHSAA’s 23-sport program.